"The conditions for this match at Newport yesterday were very unfavourable to accurate play, the ground being little better than a sea of mud,while heavy rain fell throughout the match.
Such conditions are apt to produce remarkable methods of scoring, and the try by which Newport won was a score of this character. One of the backs "fly-kicked" over the Watsonians' line, two of the Watsonians' backs slipped in the mud, and Martin just succeeded in beating the Watsonians' full-back in the race for touch. This was the only score of the match, in which play was remarkably fast for such conditions. Both packs gave a fine display of all-round forward play, and the only advantage which Newport could claim was due to their greater weight. As to the backs, the Watsonian division were not only faster, but were so markedly superior individually and collectively that the general impression left by the play was that the Watsonians would have won the match if the conditions had been normal. In any case during the first 10 minutes when the ground was not so cut up and the ball was not so wet and heavy, as it afterwards became, the Watsonian passing advances were so well executed that as a division the backs are clearly up to the best Welsh standard. During this period J. Pearson ran right through Newport, but he had the misfortune to slip in the mud before he had crossed the line. As it happened this piece of bad luck cost the Watsonians the match. In the second half Simson just failed to score twice, while towards the end of the first half the Newport lines had several very lucky escapes, the Watsonians just failing to secure the touch. At this stage they were relying on footwork, with the backs as flanking supports, a very profitable plan of play in the conditions.
The second half was very fast, both packs playing remarkably fine football and using their feet with great skill. Neither side looked like scoring, however, except on the two occasions in which Simson made individual efforts. The second of these must have yielded a try had he passed when he had only the full-back to beat. Over 20,000 people were present notwithstanding the conditions. The sides were:-
Watsonians - A. Morrison, back; J. T. Simson, J. Pearson, A. W. Angus, and W. G. Stuart, three-quarter backs; J. Y. Henderson, and E. Milroy half-backs; L. M. Spiers, J. C. MacCallum, R. MacMillan, J. Thorburn, W. Horne, J. Martin, W. Oliver and J. Morris, forwards.
Newport - S. H. Williams, back; R. C. S. Plummer, F. Birt, J. P. Jones, and A. M. Baker, three-quarter backs; T. H. Vile, and W. J. Martin, half-backs; C. M. Pritchard, E. Thomas, E. Jenkins, Dr. Smyth, J. E. C. Partridge, H. Jarman, H. Uzzell, and R. Edwards, forwards."