EXETER SARACENS 5 - NORTH TAWTON 41

ON a wet and very windy Saturday afternoon you could be forgiven the temptation to stay in doors and watch the Chiefs on the tv, but you would have missed a powerful display of running rugby from a rampant Tawts side, who just kept on scoring tries right up to the final whistle.

With one or two faces missing and the Exeter Saracens sitting top of the league, North Tawton could be up against it, the weather also adding to the uncertainty.

Right from the lady refs first whistle, the Tawts were in the home team’s space and the first of the six tries, with Conner Mathis on his way to a hat-trick, the Tawts were on the board with only five minutes gone.

The wind was strong enough to blow the ball off the tee as James Bowden went to strike the ball making it 5-0 to the away side.

A period of defence for North Tawton followed this early try as the home team seemed to rouse themselves and get on the front foot giving the Tawts defence plenty to think about.

Only some good line speed and determination kept the Sarries out.

Just when it looked like the home team might get some reward for their efforts Tawts captain Craig Dennis lead from the front, or from well back in the Tawts half in this instance.

On a loose ball he went over for what turned out to be the first of his hat-trick tries.

It was 30 minutes into the game and it was 10-0 to the away side.

At half-time the home team needed to find something in the pep talk, the Tawts having the wind in their favour during the second half.

With the second half underway, the Sarries got what proved to be their only points of the match with a well-deserved try of their own scored after some sustained pressure on the Tawts try line line-outs.

Scrums all being used, five points was the reward making it 5-10.

A penalty for the Tawts came from an offside move, making the score to 5-13.

It looked like it was going to be a long afternoon from there on for the Sarries as North Tawton, with quick ball from the base of a dominant pack, went on a try fest, adding two more for both Craig Dennis and Connor Mathis, with the conversions added by James Bowden who did very well in the wind all match taking the final score to 5-41, a very good away win for North Tawton.

This was a Devon Cup match so the Tawts move on to take on Totnes away next, looking to carry this run of points scoring with them.

The way the team is playing, all members playing their parts, working for each other, it’s going to take a good side to beat them.

Man of the match could have been any of them but with apologies to Connor, Craig Dennis got it, not only for his try tally but his input as the captain growing every week.

Chris Phare