ILFRACOMBE 12 - NORTH TAWTON 0

JUST a few words this week as I am not sure what I witnessed at Ilfracombe on Saturday afternoon.

We all of us who love to play or watch the game know that rugby is a winter sport played outdoors on grass.

Sometimes it’s cold, sometimes it rains and just sometimes the pitch cuts up a bit and makes it hard work for all concerned but we get on with it, come what may, cos it ain’t football!

In all honesty, this was a silly game from the start.

On a pitch that was clearly holding water from the recent heavy rain the grass soon turned into mud, not just where the scrums had been but everywhere, even down the wings.

I, like a lot of people, could only wonder why the referee had not had a really good look at the conditions and said let’s come back another day.

Having said that, he left a lot of people wondering about a lot of things but let’s say no more on that subject.

As it was, the conditions were the same for both sides, albeit they did seem to suit the bigger home team taking advantage of the quicker Tawton backs failure to get any grip in the mud soup.

Try as they might, and you can’t fault them for trying, the Ilfracombe try line was always too far or deep in the mud, hence the nil score for North Tawton.

A couple of tries with one conversion gave the home side the winning 12 points, depriving the Tawts of even the losing bonus point.

To finish, as I picked my way back to the club house barely recognising my own son, he said we can’t moan whatever it was we were playing, they won, how right is that!

PS Buckfastleigh lost to the OPMs so for our next game bring all you have got and pray for some sunshine!

Chris Phare