OPM 5 - NORTH TAWTON 8

NORTH Tawton travelled to Plymouth for their last league game of the season knowing a win would crown them champions, a losing bonus point would see them go up in second place, or a big loss could mean another year in Devon League Two, so as they say it was all to play for against an in form OPM side.

The OPM side had won their last five matches and don’t give tries away at home.

It was never going to be a classic match with too many nerves from both sides.

If OPM lose they finish third and stay in Devon League Two, so both teams started with plenty of fire in their bellies, along with a few butterflies from both sets of supporters.

North Tawton got straight down to the job in-hand which mainly included keeping the home team from dominating the way they wanted to play the game. Right from the start you could see they were a well-drilled side that was used to having things their own way but the champions elect were having none of it and they scrapped for every ball, loose or not.

It wasn’t pretty to watch but it was working and it was North Tawton that got the first points on the board with a well-taken penalty from James Bowden, 0-3.

The Tawts got their noses in front but it was going to be a long afternoon.

OPM turned up the gas and really started asking questions of the North Tawton defence.

The next 20 minutes seemed to be spent closer to the Tawts try line than some of us would like but it held firm.

Almost against the run of play North Tawton found themselves up the other end and a clever passage of play lead to the last points that the away side scored with a try for Conner Mathis. A missed kick made the score 0-8 to the relief of the Tawts fans.

You could see and feel the Tawton players growing with belief and, if anything, they fought harder.

Some heavy tackles were going in OPM, which weren’t used to.

There was a try down at home, they lost their discipline and had a player in the sin bin.

Just before half-time they struck back with a try, a missed kick taking the score to 5-8 at half-time.

The second half got underway with the Tawts playing into the wind and facing a very pumped up OPM.

The Plymouth side was playing for promotion but a missed penalty didn’t do their cause any favours keeping the score at 5-8.

We then saw how much the men in amber and black wanted it. They wanted it, tackle after tackle, and while it got a bit desperate at times, working as a team with the prize within their grasp and their heads up they were going to be champions whatever OPM chucked at them.

I am sure the rest of the travelling faithful would agree it was a very long final 10 minutes but the ref did blow eventually and with neither team scoring in the second half, the first half score was the result and North Tawton RFU go back to Devon League One as champions of Devon League Two 2017-18.

Every North Tawton player in not just this match, but all season, has played a part in what was a reasonable target at the start of the year, to get back into Devon League One.

It was also a good reward for the back room staff who put in so much effort to enable the whole show to go on.

Chris Phare