EXMOUTH 46-31 CREDITON RFC 3RD XV

A WONDERFUL sunny day down at Exmouth set the stage for the Dave Butt Semi‑Final against a strong Exmouth 3rd XV. True to their word, the Crediton 3rds fielded an honest third‑team side, albeit a strong one, and arrived ready to give everything in their final outing of the season.

The sun was blazing, the ground was rock‑hard, and clouds of dust hung over the pitch. Exmouth’s youthful side struck first, moving the ball wide to score in the corner within five minutes. The two teams looked evenly matched as both adjusted to the dry, fast conditions, and from an Exmouth handling error Joe Warren pounced on a loose ball, galloping through the defence to score under the posts. Owen Cooper converted to level things up.

Exmouth hit back quickly with a well‑read intercept, racing away to score, before adding another out wide after a clever kick‑through. Crediton responded with some hard graft through the forwards, eventually earning a scrum five metres out. The pack held firm, No. 8 Tom Ayre broke off the base and fed captain Ben Rodd, who crashed over. Cooper added the extras.

Exmouth again used their pace to finish well out wide, but the 3rds weren’t done. Ayre powered over from a tap penalty, Cooper converting, before Ashley Bradnock bulldozed his way through defenders for another score. The conversion drifted wide, leaving the half‑time score at a breathless 27–26.

With everything to play for, the lads knew exactly what was required in the second half, and to their credit, they delivered as much as their bodies had left after a long, hard season. Exmouth, with depth on the bench and plenty of youthful legs, added 19 points after the break, but they were made to work for every inch. Crediton’s defence was brave, committed, and full of heart.

The highlight of the half, and arguably the moment of the match, came with the final Crediton try of the season. Awarded a penalty on the Exmouth 10‑metre line, Cooper spotted something, tapped quickly and fired a long pass to Rodd, who shifted it on to Tariq Sayers. Sayers took on three defenders, sending two of them thudding into the dusty turf, before offloading to 3rd‑team legend Victor Oldland, who finished in style. A perfect moment to sign off the year.

Despite the disappointment at full‑time, every player walked through the tunnel with their heads held high. The effort, the commitment, and the togetherness were clear on every face. They had pushed a strong Exmouth side all the way and represented the badge with pride.

Congratulations to Exmouth on a fantastic game, and we wish them all the best in the final.