Bridgwater 17 - Crediton 3

A DISAPPOINTING performance to start the New Year on January 8 and whilst conditions were not good, it was the same for both sides and it was certainly the home side that adapted to them more easily.

We were certainly not helped by some refereeing decisions which were at times bewildering.

When reporting on games over the past few years, I have never been one to criticise match officials, after all without them we have no game and of course they are human and can make mistakes. However, on this occasion it was felt that we were harshly dealt with and there was a general lack of consistency with the decision making.

However, his performance was not the reason that we lost, indeed we had the opportunities to at least have earned a draw.

We were ahead as early as the third minute when Ollie Avery-Wright landed a penalty but by the time anyone had caught their breath, Bridgwater had levelled with one of their own.

From then on, it was something of a stalemate with the home side dominating territory and possession but seldom looking like making a breakthrough.

Twice we had penalties which were kicked to the corner and the resulting driving maul ended with a penalty for the home side, surprising as the maul had collapsed as we approached the line. Quite why we would collapse it at that stage seems at odds with the reality, there was no reason for us to do so.

Another useful looking attack and a clever kick over the Bridgwater defence from AOW and winger Tyler Farley looked to have won the race but the skiddy surface took the ball away from him as he tried to pick up and the chance was gone.

A Bridgwater penalty rebounded off the post and new recruit, second rower Rowan Braunton, took the rebound one handed and made a good 20 metres, brushing off tackles to clear the danger.

As the interval approached, Bridgwater also had a penalty to the corner and they too drove for the line but they did score from it and ended the half with a 10-3 lead.

The second half saw much of the same, some penalty decisions when we were in good attacking positions, allowed the home side easy exits and created some frustration amongst the players and, it has to be said, for the supporters who had travelled.

Throughout the game, the home threequarters in particular had handled the ball extremely well and began to put us under pressure but generally, our defence held out. We also had periods of pressure and a break from centre Devon Hosegood looked to be a certain score but he was caught just short of the line and the ball spilled forward in the tackle.

In the final minute, just when it looked as though we had earned a losing bonus point, a penalty to the corner allowed Bridgwater the opportunity to set up a driving maul and as the maul went down over the line, we felt the ball had been held up for a goal line drop out. There was some surprise when the referee awarded a penalty try. We had time to restart but the ball was safely put into touch by the home side and it was game over.

It is fair to say that on the day, the better side won but we at least deserved the losing bonus point. It is important to understand though that match officials can have an enormous bearing on the outcome of a game, sometimes decisions go with you and at other times not. This was not to be our day.

Crediton Thirds 27 - Ilfracombe 12

The Thirds enjoyed an entertaining game at home against Ilfracombe in the Merit Table and recorded a 27-12 victory.

The pitch did resemble something of a mud bath but for all that, it will recover quickly.

Stand-off half Hayden Hill scored a try and conversion and there were tries for flanker Liam Stait, scrum half Joe Warren, winger Rob Somerwill and full-back Owen Cooper.

Paul Harris