Fabulous Newport turned in their best performance of the National League Three Midlands season to record a deserved 15-11 away win at in-form Malvern.

The Shropshire side went to Worcestershire as the underdogs and might have feared the worst when Joe Carpenter and Morgan Sikanen both failed pre-match fitness tests.

But it was a player returning from injury – No 8 Vernon Fredericks – who was to make the biggest impact in the first period.

New Zealander Fredericks scored two tries, Chris Perry – who had earlier kicked a penalty – converting the second, as Newport took control at 15-3.

Malvern did come back into it, scoring a try of their own to pick up a bonus point, but Newport were deserved winners.

“We controlled the game from start to finish and potentially could have scored a few more points,” said team manager Gareth Davies.

“The score of 15-11 flattered them really – we were probably 15 to 20 points better than them, if not a bit more than that.

Pressure

“It was without doubt our best performance of the season and it has been coming,” he added.

“There have been glimpses of it in 10 or 15-minute spells, but on Saturday everything seemed to work and the lads raised their games.”

Hereford suffered a heavy home defeat – going down 40-8 to promotion-chasing South Leicester.

A James Watters penalty was all they could manage in a one-sided first half that ended with the visitors leading 28-3.

Hereford did enjoy 20 minutes of pressure in the second half and finally scored a late consolation try when scrum-half Dan Phillips fed Charlie Bird to cross the line, but South Leicester were full value for their win.