CREDITON 34

KINGSBRIDGE 14

A STUNNING display saw Crediton Under 15's through to the Devon Cup final after beating Kingsbridge in the semi-final.

A strong Kingsbridge side showed their intent from the start, pushing deep into Crediton's half straight from the the kick off.  

But, the home side quickly warmed up with prop Ethan Pearce taking control in the line out and backs Callum Vanstone and Calum Barrett making incisive runs.  

It was full-back Adam Stanbury's break that took Crediton on their first foray into the opposition "22" with centre, Barrie Karea, kicking a penalty when the defence strayed offside.

Superb tackling from the likes of scrum-half Conrad Saunders kept the visitors at bay as they pushed forward once again from the restart.  

Dazzling handling by the Kirton backs unleashed winger Abe Dellamuro who made good ground.  Not to be outdone by the three-quarters, Crediton's first try came from the forwards.

Having won a lineout inside the "22" an extremely well-worked driving maul saw the pack race over the line, No.8 George Stone touching down and Vanstone slotting the conversion.

Wing Tom O'Donnell and forwards Ben Rodd and Matt Goodman worked hard to tidy up loose ball, ensuring that Crediton kept possession.

It was from one such turnover that Vanstone broke free from deep inside his own half, sprinting 60 metres before the ball was slipped to ever-present flanker Lewis Terry who dived in for Crediton's second. Vanstone again added the extras.

By this time the home side was on fire.  Barrett and Stone won turnovers by quickly latching onto the ball following tackles and the forwards gave an impressive display of counter-rucking.

Crediton's third try was a carbon copy of the first, another unstoppable driving maul from a lineout resulting in Stone's second try, well-converted from wide by Vanstone.

Throughout the half, Kingsbridge kept throwing all they could at Crediton and after a period of pressure the visitors pounced on a stray ball to score.

The second half started with Crediton maintaining their momentum. Prop Harry Bell continued to make powerful charges close to the set piece, fellow forwards Niall Davies-Hale and Jack Yendell ensuring Crediton kept possession as they drove on.

Some good interlinking saw quick ball ending up with Terry who broke through the midfield to bag his second of the game.

Dellamuro and  Barrett continued to look dangerous with the ball in hand whilst the forwards, including replacement Owen Twigg, battled hard up front.

It was Kingsbridge who scored next when a quickly taken penalty caught Crediton off guard.

But the final say went to the home side. Stanbury's well-judged kick into space was chased by O'Donnell who collected it on the bounce before racing in under the posts; conversion by Saunders.  

The team was well-supported throughout by Henry Connor.

This impressive all-round team performance was the perfect Mothers' Day gift.

The final will be played at Barnstaple RFC on Sunday, April 26.

GT