TOPSHAM 15 - NORTH TAWTON 50

AFTER last week’s big win over Tavistock, an inform North Tawton side secure another big win, this time away to Topsham. On a hot sunny afternoon the North Tawton side went through their warm up routines with the growing number of travelling supporters not really sure what to expect.

The last couple of times the club has met resulted in wins for Topsham so everybody was expecting a tough close game.

Nobody told the 15 from North Tawton who started the match, yet again right from the first whistle the Tawts were on the attack, the kick off safely gathered by No 8 Luke Mingo who crashed up field for another 10 yards or so.

A scrambled Topsham defence did not get time to draw breath and in the first three minutes of the game Jordan Cornthwaite was over for the first try of the match, the kick added by on field captain Gary Sizmur and we had Tawton 7-0 up.

With the sun shinning down on an already hard, even dusty pitch, the home team re-set and started to form some phases of play of their own.

As if to let North Tawton know they aren’t going to have it all their own way, they hit back with a well-worked try, with the kick missed, Tawton holding onto a slender two-point lead.

Two fast teams, both trying to play running rugby, at this stage developing into a good evenly-matched game until a certain Will Lethbridge cuts fast and loose down his wing with the first of his brace of tries with the conversion missed it’s 5-12.

Next we got a penalty apiece, taking the score to 8-15.

Still close, the second of the Lethbridge tries taking us into half-time, North Tawton the happier team at 8-22 up.

The second half got going with the home team making big efforts to be the next on the scoreboard, the team talk seeming to have fired them up.

As last week, the Tawts defence showed it can hold firm when required, blunting several attacking phases from the Topsham backs.

Almost to order, the Tawts decided to really put this game well out of reach of a tiring Topsham side.

There was some great running play by Si Cox, backed up and finished by Kev Dennis and with the kick by Gary Sizmur it was 8-29.

That was the bonus point safe for the afternoon and now the away side really turned up the heat with tries from Ryan Gross, Matty Dennis and Luke Dennis, all with successful conversions by Mr Sizmur taking North Tawton to their final total of 50  with Topsham adding a somewhat conciliatory try of their own in the middle of this try fest, the final score 15-50.

Make no mistake, this was a very good well-drilled performance from a North Tawton side full of confidence, all playing for each other and enjoying their rugby.

Carry on in this fashion and I feel a few teams will fear a visit from North Tawton, never mind a trip to Taw Meadow.

Long may it continue. MoM was Will Lethbridge, so good to have him back in the side.

Next it is home to Torquay, another tough one but worth a watch, get along if you can.

Chris Phare