ON yet another unseasonably warm early autumn day the Girls from Crediton Rugby Club tasted their first fixtures away from the comforting surroundings of their Blagdon home.

In the reverse fixtures of last week’s impressive performances they made the short trip to Exeter Saracens to engage yet again with the girls in red and black and the Ivybridge girls in green.

They say that lightening doesn’t strike twice but in virtually clear blue skies it did.

With even more power than before as a Black and Amber thunder rolled over all three pitches at the Exeter Arena ground, as the Kirton girls went to work.

Crediton U13 Girls

The Kirton girls went out with a game plan to be quicker to the ruck and to try and run the ball down the line more regularly, which they certainly tried to work from the off.

This generally snappier (most of the time…!) rucking with improved support play, allowed the girls to dominate from quite early on, only to be brought to a temporary halt due to a Saracens’ player going down with an unfortunate injury in the early stages of the first half.

Once back on, the Kirton girls continued to dominate a slightly weaker Saracens side than faced last week, with some encouraging movement of the ball around the team from the improved support and the girls starting to offload and pass with more confidence rather than just running into the next contact and rucking.

This improved ball play made for several periods of really entertaining and more flowing rugby, with the enhanced support allowing the team to bring more continuity to their game.

Another area where the girls really impressed was where they clearly gave more thought and planning to their tactics, particularly when defending. There were two moments when in their own 22, the ball was deliberately passed to a competent kicker who cleared the danger and due to the assertive chase that followed, the girls were able to regain significant ground and turn the flow of play to their advantage.

Due to the shortage of numbers on the Sarries side, at all times during the game at least one Crediton girl happily played for the opposition, with a couple putting in some cracking runs against their own side.

This was a great demonstration of sportsmanship and the rugby family at its best and was much appreciated by the Exeter and Ivybridge coaches.

As well as some really strong performances from the more experienced girls, today again saw some of the newer players continue to improve and grow in confidence and it’s plain to see that after a few more fixtures there will be little to tell between the two groups.

With the fantastic sunny, almost summer temperatures the girls finished their game with very flushed faces, big smiles, and a satisfying 65-15 win. Well done girls!

Crediton U15 Girls

A busy day away at Exeter Saracens for the U15 girls this week.

Four separate matches playing Exeter Saracens and Ivybridge twice.

Saracens 0 Crediton 20

A big Crediton performance against a strong Saracens Team. Dominant play led to Crediton taking an early lead which they would never relinquish. Consistent pressure in defence from Crediton led to numerous Sarries mistakes which allowed Crediton to capitalise and push forward in attack. Four impressive tries in total for Crediton, with no reply, was a great start for the girls. Try scorers: Immy, Erin, Natasha and Meika.

Ivybridge 15 Crediton 20

Crediton took an early two try lead against a well drilled Ivybridge team.

A number of girls let their minds wander and Ivybridge scored three quick breakaway tries.

But Crediton being as they are they dug deep to score two tries in reply.

The girls continued to dig deep to ensure Ivybridge could not get a hold in the game again. Try Scorers: Izzy, Katy, Charlotte and Poppy Symons.

Saracens 5 Crediton 30

After the Ivybridge game the coaches Chris and Chris led a strong motivational talk. With the riot act read, the girls had two choices.

Get their heads down and sulk or head back on to the pitch and play their hearts out. Unsurprisingly the girls chose the latter.

The girls arrived on the pitch with an urgency in their game.

Those found a little wanting in the Ivybridge game stepped up producing some fantastic play, great support and committed tackling.

Six quality tries demonstrated the girls dominance. Try Scorers: Poppy Symons, Poppy Harris (2), Immy, Erin and Isla.

Crediton 30 Ivybridge 0

What a change in performance, you would not have believed these were the same two teams that played earlier in the afternoon.

Crediton showed complete dominance, Ivybridge only managed one spell in the entire match in Crediton’s half.

Quick defensive play by Crediton restricted Ivybridge’s options and forced mistakes. Six tries from the Crediton girls were unanswered.

The last two minutes of the match were played on Crediton try line.

The defensive play of the Crediton girls was incredible. Keeping the Ivybridge girls out.

Overall a very positive day for the U15s, great preparation for our cup game next week, the coaches were so proud of the girls today.

Crediton U18 Girls

Having worked hard for a victory last week the Kirton girls went to town in their first away visit.

With numbers of squads more even for this fixture no girls had to be lent to the opposition so it was truly a ‘them v us’ match. And the Black and Amber hoops swarmed all over the pitch, the opposition and the scoreboard running in 11 tries to rack up a hefty 67-10 winning margin.

The girls of Sarries and Ivybridge though must be commended for their indomitable spirit and never-say-die attitude as they worked hard from the first minute to the last.

Indeed their tries came when the Creddy girls had already piled on more than 40 points. And when teams of lesser character may have given up, or turned angry they continued to play their game and finished with smiles on their faces.

They have a lot of injuries and it will be an interesting fixture when they meet Kirton again later in the season.

However, the ethos of the Creddy Girls can be summed up when, at the end of the game, with the congratulations made, the coaches walked over to where they were huddled together to listen to them discussing how they can improve and correct the errors that they made in the game. They are a very special bunch indeed.

It is no coincidence that Crediton girls perform wherever they go as they can rely on the kind of support that travels with them.

The touchlines of every game last Sunday thronged with the voices of a small army of elated hordes.

The coaches of all of the squads thank the parents that made the away day seem like a home fixture. Your support really does make a difference.

Andrew Drayton