Shrewsbury 0 Newport 26

Newport booked their place in the semi-finals of the Shropshire Cup as they defeated Shrewsbury 26-0 at Sundorne Castle.

Heavy rain and a strong wind made conditions difficult, but it was the higher-ranked National Division Three Midlands side who came out on top in an ill-tempered match.

They got all their points in the first half while playing with the wind on their backs.

And they held on comfortably after the break to set up a meeting with Bridgnorth in the last four - a game which is not likely to be played until next year.

Newport ran in four tries, with Tomasi Tanumi, Neil Weston, Matt Curgenven and Dan Duggan all touching down. Curgenven kicked three conversions to seal the victory.

Each side had three players yellow carded during the course of the afternoon, with the referee's interpretation of the rules causing considerable frustration.

"They were bad conditions and the game went as we expected," said Newport's director of rugby Ray Price.

"It was a big game for Shrewsbury, playing a side two divisions above them, and they performed very well.

"It was a workmanlike performance from us and we were pleased to come through what could have been a potential minefield.

"It wasn't really a dirty game and I would say the referee over-reacted a bit, but it was a messy encounter and these things happen.

"There was a bit of

frustration at some of the referee's decisions but that is no excuse and the lads should be more disciplined."

Shrewsbury fly-half Mattie Morris was disappointed by his team's defeat, though proud of their efforts.

"We gave a decent account of ourselves, especially when you consider that we had half a dozen people out," he added.

"Our pack did well against their pack and we just got outclassed in the backs."

Shrewsbury did their best to get back into the game when they had the wind behind them in the second half, but were unable to cross the try line.

"They hardly got in our 22 in the second half and we put plenty of pressure on, but we couldn't break through," added Morris.

Their defence was pretty good. If we could have got just one score it would have felt a massive bonus and we might have pushed on."

By CHRIS HUDSON