In a tense end of season finale, Newton Abbot All Whites won 32-16 to preserve their National Three status into a seventh season and sending Old Centralians down instead.

The home side, who had suffered a season of narrow defeats, found themselves in the relegation zone over the past few weeks and despite winning several games couldn’t quite get past Old Centralians, that was, until the last day!

A win for Newton, plus the denial of a bonus point to the visitors was the simplest equation among several other combinations that would come from a really high scoring game, with the outcome of Dings’ match at Ivybridge also coming into the reckoning.

In the end it was the straightforward result that prevailed, and apart from a spell mid-way through the second half when Newton were only ten points up – Cents only needing to lose by seven for the bonus point – everything was relatively comfortable.

Victory was built around an emphatic start – 14-nil up after 20 minutes – and a strong team performance that was backed up by the excellent goal-kicking of fly-half Rob Avery-Wright who slotted eight out of the nine kicks offered to him.

A powerful catch-and-drive from a lineout paved the way for a try for scrum-half Luke Kenny as early as the sixth minute.

Strong carries by, first number 8 Martin Browne and then lock Colin Stewart set up a corner try for Martin’s brother Kyle, who scored at the corner flag.

Avery-Wright, who had previously converted the earlier try, put over the touchline conversion before adding a 45-metre penalty soon after.

Old Cents then got their first points via a penalty for scrum-half Andy Cox.

Two successive lineout catch-and-drives took Old Cents into clubhouse corner, but Newton stole the next lineout – not for the only time during the game – and broke out of defence to set up a penalty for Avery-Wright. This was cancelled out by Cox before Avery-Wright put over a drop goal with the last kick of the half to send his side into the break 23-6 ahead.

Old Cents who had kicked away most of their first half possession, adopted a running approach for the second half and looked quite dangerous at times, but Newton defended well to maintain the margin that mattered.

Cox and Avery-Wright exchanged penalties before the Gloucester-based club produced an overlap try for left winger Barney Goatley, which Cox converted from the touchline. This narrowed the gap to ten points with the outcome probably dependent on who scored next.

Avery-Wright kept the home crowd on tenterhooks by missing his only kick of the day, but then went on to calm nerves with a brace of penalties around the 70-minute mark which left Old Cents needing nine points in as many minutes to stay up.

Having established a comfortable lead the All Whites didn’t look like relinquishing it as they look forward to what promises to be a new look division in 2016/17.

Old Centralians went down with both Old Patesians and Chippenham. At the top, Exmouth went up as champions alongside runners-up Barnstaple, who won their play-off game at Tonbridge Juddians 31-30 thanks to a last kick penalty.