Fielden brace rocks Ospreys

Newcastle winger Luke Fielden scored two tries as the Falcons hung on for an 18-17 LV= Cup victory over Ospreys at Kingston Park.

The hosts were 13-0 up after half an hour but four penalties from debutant Matthew Morgan and a try from Matthew Jarvis gave them a real fright, Fielden's second score giving Newcastle enough daylight to hold on.

Falcons survived an opening onslaught to drive up the other end and score after five minutes, wingers Charlie Amesbury and Fielden carving a hole in the defence before Jimmy Gopperth's crossfield kick was collected by the latter to cross.

Gopperth added the extras and kicked a penalty three minutes later to make it 10-0, although the Welsh side almost hit straight back when Richard Fussell's chip and chase was denied by Jeremy Manning's crunching tackle.

Filipo Levi's drive and Chris Pilgrim's dart led to a penalty which Gopperth belted into the corner.

Pilgrim went again from the line-out off the top and Luke Eves' barrelling run through the middle ended in the Ospreys straying offside for Gopperth to make it 13-0 in the 27th minute.

However, Morgan was able to narrow the deficit with two successful kicks before half-time, although the Falcons passed up a golden chance when they demolished the Ospreys at three successive scrums on the line and unaccountably let the ball out at the fourth driving scrum.

Newcastle's preoccupation with kicking away possession cost them early in the second half, when Gopperth's crossfield kick rebounded off Amesbury and Jarvis snapped it up to race in at the corner and bring Ospreys to within two points at 13-11.

The home side then blasted back with some strong running from Luke Eves and Fielden squeezed over in the corner for his second try to make it 18-11 in the 54th minute, but Morgan's superb run from his own 22 led to a penalty which he knocked over for 18-14 with 20 minutes left.

He added another with 10 minutes on the clock after an inexplicable refereeing decision and it was 18-17 and then Gareth Owen, on as a replacement for Morgan, hit the bar with a long-range penalty.

However, Newcastle dominated the last five minutes and were narrowly denied a third try through Amesbury.