A windy day at Sutton Coldfield saw Newark post their 11th win of their Regional Two North Midlands season as they secured a 34-31 win over the hosts as each team posted five tries.
The result sees the side guaranteed of eighth place in the table and was their final league game of the season.
John Ashe contributed three tries, taking his seasonal tally to 20, backed up by scores from captain Will Britten and lock Will Ellison.
George Leeson kicked three conversions and a penalty.
When Ashe dashed clear for his third, Newark led 29-5 four minutes in the second half and looked well in control.
Yet the comfort of that lead was eroded by injuries and yellow cards which reduced the team to just 12 players for a short period.
Even then, amid the chaos, Newark grabbed a further try from the bustling Ellison to put Newark 34-10 up.
After that, though, the hosts dominated to score three more tries in a finale which grew increasingly tense due to the home club’s relegation plight.
To finish the contest, Sutton fired a penalty kick into the corner for one final assault on the Newark line.
However, to the relief of the visitors, the referee ruled for a wonky throw and blew for time.
For Newark followers, it was a poignant afternoon as it marked the final league appearance for captain Britten, the club’s longest serving first team skipper.
There was a debutant scrum-half in Will Staniforth who was following in his family’s footsteps as a third generation player.
His father Richard and grandad Barry have previously worn the blue and white colours.
The first team squad now regroup for next Saturday’s Papa John’s RFU Community Cup match at home to Dronfield, (kick-off 3pm).
Newark’s 2nds defeated Grimby’s 1st team by 30-19.
It was there 7th win of the league season and should be enough to keep the side in the competition for next season.
Tries came from Johno Armstrong, Nathan Leeson, Fin Marsh and Sean Denning, while Rhys Overland kicked two conversions and two penalites.
