CREDITON 33 - FALMOUTH 0

HAVING gained 19 points from their last 20 in the league with four successive victories, Falmouth arrived full of confidence on Saturday, February 3, although fully aware that they would have a game on their hands as we had already won in Cornwall earlier in the season.

The early stages were evenly contested although the visitors did dominate territory but they lacked any penetration mainly due to our defence which again was outstanding.

The first score came on 23 minutes thanks to a piece of quick thinking from centre Jason Luff whose inspired chip over the Falmouth defence found full-back Rob Milton up in support and his superb catch and quick pass back inside to Luff was perfectly timed for the centre to race in for a try at the posts, centre Oli Down converted.

It was indeed a magnificent bit of improvisation thoroughly deserving of seven points and on such incidents do games turn.

We gained in confidence as each minute passed and wherever Falmouth had possession we chopped them down such was the quality of the defence.

Our second try came from a lost lineout 10 metres off the visitors line. Their tap back was fumbled over their own line and hooker Phil Holmes was the quickest to react and he pounced on the loose ball to score, Down converting.

With a 14-0 interval lead, the bonus point victory looked a possibility and 10 minutes into the second half that chance improved even further when, from a period of pressure close to the Falmouth line, we earned a five-metre scrum. The ball quickly moved down the short side and full-back Rob Milton was on-hand to crash over.

Falmouth realised their predicament and began to force the game and for 20 minutes they battled away and kept us pinned in our 22 for almost 20 minutes.

With lock Ben Lumley in the sin bin after a high tackle, it seemed inevitable that the visitors would get something on the scoreboard to reflect their efforts.

However, such was the quality of our defence they simply could not find a way through, indeed we gained our bonus point try when still a man short.

Replacement fly-half Mark Lee put in a towering kick which the visitors fielded on their 10-metre line.

However, the visiting winger was collared and stripped of possession by the chasing pack, led superbly by skipper Ben Wonnacott, who spun the ball out wide.

Another piece of individual brilliance, this time from centre Oli Down, whose superb 40-metre mazey run left the Falmouth defence floundering in his wake for a score at the posts which he duly converted.

The scoring was completed after a period of sustained pressure on the Falmouth line, indeed they were unable to clear from their own in goal area which gave us a five metre scrum.

No 8 Mark Nott picked up and set up a driving maul and forced his way over, Down converted.

This was an excellent performance against a side that had been on the up with four successive wins and averaging 30 points a game.

The fact that we prevented them from getting on the scoreboard at all is testimony to the quality of our defence.

That was only the fifth occasion in 127 games in Western Counties West this season that one side has failed to score and two of those games have been down to our defence.

The win moved us up a couple of places although with other teams in the bottom five winning, the situation is precarious for every team from seventh placed Chard on 38 points to 13th placed Paignton on 31.

CULLOMPTON THIRDS 17 - CREDITON THIRDS 22

The Third Fifteen travelled to Cullompton for a friendly fixture aided by a few second year Colts and worked hard for their five point victory.

Cullompton led for much of the game but Colts winger Tom O’Donnell changed the game with his pace running in a couple of tries, another Colt, Kai Williams-Clifford, bagged a try as did prop Maca Jones. Phil Anning added a conversion.

Fixtures tomorrow, Saturday, February 10: First Fifteen v Kingsbridge away, kick off 1pm - fixture rescheduled from January 20; Second Fifteen v Okehampton Seconds home, kick off 2.30pm; Colts v Okehampton Colts home, kick off 2.30pm.

Paul Harris