England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson made a welcome return from his seven-week injury absence but could not save Newcastle from defeat by Saracens in Monday's delayed Parker Pen Challenge Cup quarter-final first leg.

Saracens had the final say with second-half tries from French prop Christian Califano, replacement forward Craig Yandell and England flanker Richard Hill with Wilkinson's opposite number Andy Goode kicking 16 points.

It was a comfortable victory in the end but Newcastle were in contention for much of a match postponed on Sunday after the under-soil heating at Vicarage Road malfunctioned during the night, causing the postponement.

With captain Wilkinson back at the helm, Newcastle hardly looked like a side floundering six points adrift at the foot of the Zurich Premiership table during the first half.

The England star, who had been due to collect an award at the rugby writers dinner in London's West End tonight, stamped his authority in the opening stages providing a calming influence to steady the Newcastle ship.

Playing his first match since damaging his shoulder in the autumn Test win over South Africa, Wilkinson took just 15 minutes to show his goal kicking had lost none of its magic.

He stepped up and calmly landed the first attempt, a sweetly-struck penalty from nearly 50 metres out on the left to cancel out Goode's much easier effort for Saracens five minutes earlier.

Two superb long passes from Wilkinson then figured in the build-up to Newcastle's opening try midway through the first half, which ended with a scintillating run and side-step from flanker Phil Dowson.

Wilkinson, from almost out on the right touchline this time, converted to put Newcastle 10-3 ahead.

Goode cut the deficit to four points with his second penalty before half-time but Newcastle showed why they are in their present predicament as they fell apart dramatically in the second half.

Wilkinson proved he was human after all by narrowly missing a penalty - albeit from inside his own half - and Saracens capitalised by stepping up the pressure.

Six players were involved as they moved the ball the full width of the pitch, stretching Newcastle to breaking point before Darragh O'Mahony provided the final pass for Califano to touch down.

Goode missed the conversion but landed a drop goal and a further penalty to stretch Saracens' lead to 19-10.

He was also on target with the conversion after Yandell, with the Newcastle defence in disarray, scrambled his way over for a 76th-minute try and then Hill exploited another big gap to scythe his way in for the third Saracens' try.

Newcastle's cause was not helped when they were twice reduced to 14 men as locks Craig Hamilton and Stuart Grimes were both sin-binned in the second half by referee Joel Dume, who also yellow-carded Saracens' prop Johnny Marsters.

On this performance there looks no way Newcastle can turn the tables in Saturday's second leg.