Crediton Colts 21 - Winchester Academy 19

FRIDAY, APRIL 1

IF a certain brewery made weekends of rugby then this particular weekend would undoubtedly be marketed as a Special Brew.

It began on Friday evening (April 1) under lights, at the river pitch, when the Colts entertained Winchester Academy and both sides put on an exhibition of quality rugby that was both physical and full of slick handling and solid defending.

The visitors got off to a flying start and were 14 points ahead in the first quarter with two tries from sheer pace and perhaps a couple of defensive lapses on our part.

They were indeed good value for their lead but the Crediton lads were beginning to assert themselves and gradually gained a foothold. Kofi Firth playing in an unusual role for him at scrum half, made an excellent break from half way and outpaced the Winchester defence to score under the posts, Freddie Blackburn converted. Despite some good attacking rugby from both sides, there was no further score before the interval.

The second half saw the fortunes swing in favour of Crediton and again it was pace, pure and simple, this time from centre Tariq Sayer who proved impossible to stop as he went over for a try and the conversion from Blackburn levelled the score.

Again, both sides worked tirelessly to prevent the other from scoring with some big tackles coming in.

However, it was Sayer again who created space and earned a clear run through for his second try, Blackburn converted and at 21-14 we were certainly in the ascendancy going into the final quarter.

Winchester hit back strongly and another break up the touchline brought them a try in the corner, the conversion was wide of the mark and at 21-19 it was still anyone’s game.

Fortunately, despite a couple of scares, we held out for an excellent victory in a game in which both sides deserve enormous credit.

Sidmouth 35 - Crediton 39

SATURDAY, APRIL 2

Ask any regular follower of rugby who watched this game and they will tell you that games as good as this do not happen very often.

There have been many adjectives used from brilliant to outstanding, scintillating to memorable and the net result was a bonus point win which, although doing nothing for our league position, did ensure a place in the Devon Senior Shield final against Devonport Services.

For those who were not neutral, it was a nail biting affair and neither side managed two successive scores to ease the nerves.

The lead changed hands so many times it was impossible to keep count and, had it been an electronic scoreboard it would probably have blown a fuse.

We had the advantage of the slope in the first half but it was the home side that opened the scoring with an early try.

However, a try each for wingers Bobby Saunders and Josh Woodland plus an Ollie Avery-Wright conversion sandwiching a penalty for Sidmouth ensured we reached the interval with a 12-10 lead.

The hard work was yet to come as Sidmouth usually play their slope pretty well and they soon regained the lead with a converted try, 12-17.

Things looked a bit ominous for us when centre Ben Wonnacott was forced off with an injury meaning a bit of a reshuffle.

Dan Yendell switched to centre with Will Crang coming off the bench to hook, Tom Luxmoore replaced Will Cole at prop, the changes though were quite seamless.

Scrum half Ed Brady snapped up a chance from 25 metres which OAW converted, 19-17.

Sidmouth were then one point ahead with a penalty before Woodland looked almost certain to score in the corner before being high tackled, the resulting penalty try restored our lead 26-20.

Again it was the hosts turn to score a converted try, 26-27.  Next to score was fullback Josh Davey followed by an OAW penalty 34-27 but with time running out, Sidmouth looked to have won it with a try and penalty of their own 34-35.

Our next attack broke down in midfield with 90 seconds remaining. Sidmouth went for the corner but the kick to touch only reached our “22” but still their lineout.

Jumping at two, Josh Pearce stole the ball and we set up one final attack, Brady put OAW away and his offload to Dan Yendell was perfectly timed, Yendell made a further 20 yards before putting Woodland off on a run down the touchline.

Woodland does what he does best with his strength and pace to brush off would be tacklers or simply glide past them, three tried to take him down and all failed and after 40 yards he scored in the corner, 35-39.

We played out the dying seconds for a memorable victory in what was something of a lottery that came down to the simple equation of who would be ahead on the final whistle.

This was not just a league game however, the victory ensured us a place in the Devon Senior Shield final against Devonport Services, scheduled for Easter Saturday, April 16.

Crediton Quins 57 - Sidmouth Seconds 22

The remarkable progress of the Quins continued with another emphatic victory, this time putting Sidmouth to the sword with another powerful forward display combined with some impressive back play.

The game was decided by half-time although the visitors found a bit of form early in the second half to make a comeback but it was short lived.

Sidmouth made a strong start and after several strong carries looked certain to score until a crunching tackle from Tom O’Donnell led to a turnover and allowed us to clear our lines. From then on it was all Crediton and by half-time we had built up a 33-3 lead.

To their credit, Sidmouth battled away and scored an early try to reduce the arrears but again from then on it was business as usual with powerful carries, quick ruck ball we dominated the breakdown and were always going forward as we controlled territory and possession and gradually added another 26 points in the second half.

We did leak a couple of tries late on but the result was never in doubt.

Macca Jones had an all-round strong game and is an excellent ball carrier, Chris Hooper and Ben Rodd had fine games in the back row and the calm experience of Tom Ronchetti at fly half piloted the team to the right areas where we were very accurate in their “22” as we snapped up the chances.

Hooper chipped in with his usual two tries as did Nathan Ronchetti, Matt Pearce touched down once and not for the first time, the entire front row in the shape of Kev Ellis with another 40 yard burst, Macca Jones and Joe Rees each bagged a try. Tom Ronchetti landed five conversions.  A penalty try completed the scoring.

These are really good times for the Quins, they have had a tremendous season and deserve the plaudits that come their way. They have proved and will continue to prove that they can live with the best of the teams in the Merit Table.

Crediton Thirds 24 - Tiverton Thirds 29

Another entertaining encounter with Tiverton Thirds and another defeat by a narrow margin, nonetheless the Thirds are enjoying some great rugby.

The first half saw us with the advantage of the slope but sadly failed to make as much use of it as maybe we should have.

The Tiverton pack had a slight advantage and they did have a few very pacey threequarters who did cut through our defence a few times.

However, No8 Oli Kneafsey crashed over for a try and centre Brad Baker also went over on the end of a good handling move.

With the slope now against us, we did manage to make life difficult for Tiverton, but they were always ahead.

We did score twice through replacement Paul Rachford who went over after a few pick and go’s. Neat interplay between the backs brought a try for Sam Wilson. Hayden Hill landed two conversions.

Crediton Under 16’s 31 - Torquay Under 16’s 12

The ever improving Under 16’s proved too strong for a hard working Torquay side as they eased into the final of the Fisherman’s Shield.

It was fairly evenly contested for the first quarter as neither side could gain any sort of control and handling errors meant that attacks by both sides ground to a halt.

In fairness, the ground was hard and took some getting accustomed to. Once the nerves had settled the Crediton side began to dominate and fly half Tom Cooper opened the scoring with a well worked try which he converted.

Torquay looked to have a chance to get back but a misplaced pass went astray and a superb volley from Charlie Gribble sent the ball deep into the Torquay “22”.

He won the kick chase and managed an offload to Charlie Connor who went over under the posts with a couple of tacklers on his back. Cooper converted for a 12-0 lead. A third try came when after several phases, Harvey Murfitt squeezed over, again Cooper converted and at the interval we were ahead 19-0 and seemingly coasting it.

To their credit, Torquay battled back and scored an early try in the second half for 19-5 and things got a little nervy when their hooker intercepted to score at the posts and with the conversion 19-12 had almost turned the game on its head.

An element of panic was beginning to appear and another score was needed to settle the nerves.

An attacking scrum on the Torquay “22” ended with No8 Ben Harris picking up at the base and racing through to score in the corner, the kick from James Howard just drifted wide.

Torquay were not done and attacked well, causing us to cough up the odd penalty but fortunately we managed a couple of turnovers to clear the lines.

With three minutes remaining, and attacking scrum on the Torquay “22” and again Harris picked up and gained yards before linking well with James Howard who went over to put the game beyond doubt, he added the conversion to complete an excellent victory.

Crediton Ladies 93 - Teignmouth Ladies 0

As expected, Crediton ladies proved far too strong for bottom place Teignmouth and gained an overwhelming victory to secure the league title, well unless Launceston can win their final game by 265 points!

Whilst the game was in all honesty very one sided, Teignmouth must be congratulated for turning up with 12 players and the Crediton girls loaned them players to make equal numbers.

It is extremely difficult to pass too much comment other than to say the Crediton side is certainly blossoming with the young players coming through the age grades and making their mark at senior level.

The team has a blend of youth and experience and there is no shortage of ability either and one special attribute that they have in all areas of the team is pace and that is an asset that opponents struggle to deal with.

Credit must go to the Teignmouth ladies who, with the aid of a few Kirton girls, made a valiant effort to stem the tide but it was an impossible task. Nonetheless they entered into the spirit of the game and never let heads drop. Hopefully, they will stick together and add to their squad next season.

It was five years ago that the ladies team was up and running and in that time they have played 50 games. One player has actually achieved the remarkable feat of having played in all 50 games.

Congratulations to Emma Bolt who after the game was presented with a memento of her achievement. Well done Emma, here’s to the next 50 games!

I cannot let this week’s comments pass without a mention of the Under 15’s sevens competition hosted by the Club and organised by the Under 15’s coaches and parents.

The comments from visiting teams was extremely positive and complimentary.  As a Club we have organised this event every year for the past 32 years and it is one of the highlights of the age grade calendar in Devon.

Each year we see the excellent organisational skills of the Under 15’s group, congratulations and thanks to all.

Tomorrow, Saturday, the First XV complete their league programme with a game against title contenders St Austell.

The Seconds face a trip to Barnstaple whilst the Thirds travel to Ilfracombe.

Paul Harris

• See more match images in the current issue of the Crediton Courier, on sale now!