Bath were grateful to collect only their third league win of the season on a dank and dismal afternoon.

The rugby was just as depressing and for Newcastle the afternoon was made worse by an injury to promising fly-half Dave Walder, who was stretchered off in the 20th minute with a neck injury.

Play was held up for 10 minutes while a precautionary neck brace was applied and he was carried off to an ambulance.

As the rain teamed down the players were led off the field to the dressing-rooms to keep warm.

When they returned, Bath full-back Matt Perry kicked a penalty to answer an earlier penalty by Walder who quickly followed up with a 12th-minute dropped goal.

After Walder had gone off to hospital, Newcastle lost that spark in midfield, although Dave Richardson landed a penalty to extend their lead to 9-3 on 34 minutes.

However, that was their last score and Perry chipped away with two more penalties to ensure Bath turned round level at the break.

Newcastle's difficulties in securing line-out possession gave Bath the upper-hand for all of the second half and once they had finally put some passes together for Perry to claim a try after 47 minutes, the result was not really in doubt.

The visitors resorted to trying to slow up possession and referee Steve Leyshon penalised them often enough to ensure they spent most of the remainder of the game on the defensive.

Perry, who had hit the post with the attempt to convert his own try, landed a fourth penalty on 52 minutes and it was only wasteful finishing that prevented his side giving the home supporters the sort of winning margin they have become accustomed to.

The only other score came four minutes from time when skipper Dan Lyle picked up from the back of a scrum and delivered an over-arm pass to Gareth Cooper who sent Irish centre Kevin Maggs over in the corner. This time Perry's conversion, from wide-out, was successful.