THE Girls from Crediton RFC went their separate ways last Sunday, November 6.

The Under 13 and Under 15 squads took off to South Molton to play against, and with, teams from South Molton and Exeter Saracens, while the Under 18s took the short trip east to play their first club v club fixture of the season against Cullompton.

As the accounts below show, there was a feast of rugby from all teams with impressive performances and results all round and more community rugby involving the Kirton girls as they shared players with other teams to get everyone playing as much as possible.

UNDER 13 GIRLS

The coaches agreed to play a rotating round robin of quick games ensuring all the girls got plenty of rugby, with the first draw seeing the Crediton girls face off against their regular rivals, Exeter.

The Kirton and Sarries girls have met at a number of different fixtures this season and due to their fairly even matching, always enjoy some good rugby.

Sarries started with vigour and put some early points on the board, giving a few of our girls a bit of a wakeup call, which seemed to work very well.

After a somewhat lethargic start, the Crediton girls responded with some fire of their own, demonstrating good breakdown play, decisive tackling and some vastly improved offloading, enabling a better continuity of play which undoubtedly set up some of the scores.

The assertiveness of Crediton’s response to Sarries’ early play allowed us to maintain the momentum, resulting in a 25-10 win to the Kirton girls.

Next up were South Molton who, although a physically bigger team, appeared to lack the experience and skill of their Crediton opposition.

This allowed the Kirton girls to move the ball around and create some opportunities, and in turn made for some entertaining rugby.

The end score of 35-0 to Crediton reflected the different experience levels evident between the two teams, but that said, the Creddy girls put in a great performance evidencing their ability to go forward with ball, provide support and create some good continuity by creating their own opportunities.

After a rest, Crediton had a second game against Sarries, which was a much closer affair with a slightly different line up than the first game.

The teams were well matched, but this time some gaps in the Crediton defences and tackling, allowed Sarries to come out on top, 10-5.

In Crediton’s second and last game against South Molton, a few of the more experienced Kirton girls volunteered to play for South Molton, putting in some strong performances, irrespective of the fact they were playing against their own side, which led to a slightly different scoreline than the previous engagement!

This was a common theme throughout the afternoon, with a number of the Crediton girls playing for some of the other sides to even out the numbers, but they all put in some great performances and it was especially telling to see the Kirton girls scoring for the other teams as well as their own, showing that they can play great rugby within a completely unfamiliar team environment.

As has been the case throughout this season, some of the newer and more inexperienced players put in some cracking performances alongside their more experienced team mates, which is incredibly encouraging to see and bodes well for the future.

What is great about this Under 13 team is that although there are different experience levels and of course, different levels of ability, every single player is putting in 100 per cent effort when on the pitch, which of course also bodes very well for the future of this team of girls.

UNDER 15s GIRLS

Crediton girls showed their typical strength early on against Exeter Saracens.They spent most of the first half camped in the opposition 22, this being a common sight in recent games.

When the opposition did get themselves out of their own half the Creddy girls reacted smartly to counter and send them back. The game became very one sided with the Black and Ambers in command.

Crediton then took to the field again and played a combined South Molton/Sarries side but it was a similar story.

The key weapon for the girls was their ability to set up and win rucked breakdown ball.

In the final fixture South Molton were due to play Sarries, but needed seven or eight players to make up their team.

As a demonstration of rugby values we had a brace of volunteers to play in a third game and Kirton soon bonded with South Molton to make an effective team helping to win that fixture also.

It is hard to single out any individual, as the teamwork proved to be excellent.

Ruck support, supporting runners on the shoulder of the strike runners, a well marshalled defence, and slick passing led to space being created and the girls going through to score.

It’s always a bonus for coaches that they don’t have to rely on individuals and this Under 15 squad is very much in that mould. The team is developing nicely as the season goes on and now that preparations can start for the move - post Covid - to previous and "proper" Under 15 rules this talented squad is in a great position to take those changes in their stride and move up to the next level.

UNDER 18s

Away to Cullompton, on the main pitch, perfect conditions, vociferous crowd, contested scrums and lineouts! and a fifteen-a-side "us versus them game" for the first time this season. And what a cracker it was. Cullompton away is always a tricky fixture and always a close game and this proved to be no different.

We’ll get the obvious out of the way first. Slow Start, resisting the opposition with good defence while we sort ourselves out - Check.

Cully girls got themselves organised quickly and, initially, had the upper hand in the scrums, the advantage of having had contested scrums before telling and allowing them a platform to build on.

The Creddy girls knew they were in a contest from the off and were tackling for their lives as they came to terms with almost constant pressure from the girls in red and black.

Some outstanding work on the Crediton line kept the scoreline from starting to tick over against them and then, as is the Kirton Girls way they built their way back into the game.

Composure in passing what had previously seemed like a soap bar came back, rucks started to yield fruit and the Black and Amber line moved forward in increments. Ominously for the opposition as it turned out. A try was beckoning out wide at first but to no avail and then Crediton did what Cullompton hadn’t managed and a string of pick and goes at the line ended with a forceful and successful effort to put the first points on the board.

To give you an idea of how even it had been up to this point, the score happened with just four minutes of the 30 minute half left to play.

But that was by no means the end of the first half action as Crediton then stretched the home side’s defence once more with a break down their left for their second, both converted, try. However, there was still time for the Cully girls to force a score of their own as the Creddy girls looked forward to the break, taking on water and inspirational words from the coaches.

In essence the score did Crediton a favour in the guise of reminding them this was going to be a hard fought contest and any relaxation would be tested, if not punished in full.

The second half proved this to be the case. An early Black and Amber score kicked it off. A superb run through the middle was held up just before the Cully line but with great support and a couple of pick and goes they crashed over the line with a score very reminiscent of their opener.

But the Red and Black girls came back again to remind us that they were not going to be taken lightly, breaching Kirton defences whilst concentration dipped from the 100 per cent required on a day like today.

It was then though that the Crediton Girls really got the bit between their collective teeth and exerted pressure all over the pitch, with some outstanding rugby that had the home side scrambling to cover the relentless go forward play from Kirton.

But, try as they might to repeatedly fend off the inevitable, the inevitable happened. And then happened again.

This brace of tries gave Crediton a new found cushion to relax on and although Cullompton came forward they were being handled, one spectacular tackle in particular thwarting what looked like a certain score. Then some confusion around some of the refereeing led to confusion amongst the ranks and it seemed another score was inevitable. But it turned out that the home side were just crashing themselves against a wall of disappointment clad in Black and Amber hoops, cemented by a sense of indignant righteousness not to concede again.

And so it transpired.

The closeness of the game was highlighted by the girls’ surprise at a final score of 10-33 when they thought it had been closer than that. And as clichéd as it sounds though, rugby was the winner.

A fantastic contest left everybody who’d participated or been lucky enough to witness it buzzing at the end.

All of the players, the coaches and the crowd created the ingredients for a proper game of rugby by two valiant teams who worked hard and refused to give an inch. Every point scored had been earned and deserved.

Thank you to everyone who came along to add your presence and voices to the occasion.

Andrew Drayton