The Times of 9th November 1909 reported:
"RUGBY FOOTBALL"
"CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY V NEWPORT"
"Newport beat the University at Cambridge yesterday by two goals one penalty goal and three tries to one penalty goal."
"It was a hard game from start to finish, and had Cambridge possessed anything like a good defence Newport would not have scored nearly so frequently. As it was, the Newport backs did more or less as they pleased. Ashcroft's attempts to mark W. J. Martin, the Newport outside half, were very feeble. This player cut through about half a dozen times with practically no attempt on the part of the Cambridge backs to stop him, and on almost every occasion a try was the result. It was a fine game forward, where the Cambridge eight did very well. In the first half they gained possession of the ball in the scrummage three times out of four, but the backs were too slow and ran too much across the field to make any use of their opportunities. The Newport outsides, on the other hand, played a very fine game and were considerably faster than their opponents. Nevertheless, it was very disappointing to see the Cambridge backs playing so poorly when their forwards were doing so well."
"In the first half the game was very even. Williams kicked a penalty goal for Newport and Fraser replied with a very fine penalty goal for Cambridge. Martin next scored a try for Newport, which Williams converted. Although the score stood at one goal and one penalty goal to a penalty goal in favour of Newport at half-time, Cambridge had had the better of the game and they were expected to do even better in the second half; but it was not to be. The Cambridge forwards continued to play well, but the backs went to pieces. The result was that Jones, Martin, and Baker (two) added tries for Newport, one of which was converted by Williams. The sides were:-"
"Cambridge University - H. S. Bartlett, back; J. S. Jones, M. Hemmant, J. A. Scholfield, and C. H. Bilton, three-quarter backs; A. H. Ashcroft and C . W. Boyd, half-backs; W. D. C. L. Purves (captain), R. Fraser, G. M. Chapman, J. V. Fiddian, R. S. Kennedy, W. H. Colley, T. C. Young, and C. L. Marburg, forwards."
"Newport - S. H. Williams, back; R. C. S. Plummer, A. P. Coldreck, J. P. Jones, and A. M. Baker, three-quarter backs; J. Dunn, and W. J. Martin, half-backs; C. M. Pritchard, E. Thomas, P. D. Waller, C. A. Evatt, E. Jenkins, J. E. C. Partridge, R. Edwards, and H. Uzzell, forwards."