NORTH TAWTON 37 - OLD TECHS 5

THE first home league match of the season and the first chance for this season’s Tawts to show the home supporters what and how they want to play this year was against the Old Techs.

While it took the home team a bit longer than last week to get the scoreboard ticking along, once it started, for the first half at least, that’s what it did - four tries and the bonus point secured by the half-time whistle.

The opening phases of play saw both teams testing out the others defence maybe more in the Old Techs half than the Techs would have liked.

There were some big hits going in from both sides, the Tawts might have got some fast backs but they were not afraid up front with Dan Quinn back from his travels adding to the pack.

James Millar made some very important tackles at every opportunity keeping the away side on the back foot.

After last week there is a confidence around Taw Meadow and the points will come.

It’s that man Matt Baker who strikes first on a loose ball and he’s gone, the kick added by Gary Sizmur and it’s 7-0 to the Tawts.

Soon after its 10-0 with a well-taken penalty by Gary Sizmur giving the Old Techs coach plenty to consider, a couple of injuries not helping his cause.

We now start to see North Tawton backs start to run some wide lines around the Old Techs big boys, quite a few marines included in this week’s line up I am told.

A good kick forward, well run onto by James Bowden who went over for his first of the season albeit with a missed kick making the score 15-0.

The Tawts found the key to the Old Techs defence and in quick succession on the other side of the pitch Luke Dennis was over with Gary Sizmur adding the conversion to make it 22-0.

As last week, the opposition was a little bemused.

In no time they have gone from competing well to 22 points down, some of it their own making, too many handling errors at critical times left the home team light at times.

Half-time whistle was on its way and North Tawton wrapped up the bonus point with a second try from the try machine.

Matt Baker grabbed the intercept ball and with a missed kick it was 27-0 at half-time.

The second half saw the away team trying to up the physicality more, big hits going in and some purposeful running lead to the Old Techs first and only try, with the conversion bouncing off the up right, 27-5.

We got into a period of the game where the referee had to make sure he was understood with the Tawts not willing to give any more points away and the Old Techs straining to at least make the scoreboard acceptable. It was a full on match in every sense.

A nasty injury to James Miller resulted in him leaving the field and not taking any further part other than to pick up the Man of the Match award, which he much deserved with some good work at the business end of the game.

With the match all but gone from them the Old Techs contrived to concede another well-worked try by Gary Sizmur who added with his kick, 34-5.

A late yellow card for the Old Techs resulted in three penalty points added, making the final score 37-5.

There is no away game this weekend but the Tawts are away to Tamar in a weeks time.

North Tawton sit top of the table.

Chris Phare