CREDITON 13 - TORQUAY 26

WHILST it is always disappointing to lose the opening game of the season, or any game for that matter, at this stage of the season it is as much about performance as it is about the result.

With so many regulars unavailable for a variety of reasons, the selectors turned to youth in order to fill the gaps.

It may have been a gamble but one worth taking and it certainly gave us an opportunity to see that there are players coming through the juniors who are more than capable of holding their own against a very experienced Torquay side.

The visitors pack was far bigger but any fears that we may have been shoved around at the scrum were soon dispelled and we proved more than a match for them.

The front row of Henry Gavin, newcomer Jamie Charlton, with Lance Palmer making a welcome return, had the edge over their opposite numbers and provided a solid platform at scrum time.

The combination in the backs with last season’s Colts’ skipper Josh Goldman at fly-half and Oli Down partnering 17 years-old Barrie Karea in the centre at times looked very dangerous with their pace and handling skills.

Where perhaps we did not fare quite so well was taking the ball into contact which tended to play into the hands of the big Torquay pack.

If we had managed to get the ball away from rucks and mauls a bit earlier the three-quarters would certainly have had more opportunities.

It was often a case of driving on one or two phases too many instead of getting the ball away and running the opposition around the park, we certainly had the pace to inflict damage.

The visitors took an early lead when they won their own scrum ball and spun the ball out wide for full-back James Wood to go over in the corner although his conversion attempt missed the mark.

Within minutes he had an opportunity to increase the lead from a penalty but again his effort drifted wide.

It was very much an even contest and it took until the half-hour mark before another score was registered and that was a penalty from the boot of Oli Down after Torquay had been pulled up for a high tackle.

As the clock ticked towards half-time, pressure was building close to our line and eventually Wood went over for his and Torquay’s second try in the corner, this time he added the extras for an interval lead of 12-3.

Torquay dominated the early stages of the second half and their third try came from lock Jon Woodhead off a driving maul, by far the biggest player on the pitch and unstoppable from five metres out.

Several times we had managed to get into the Torquay 22 but each time we simply took the ball into contact and eventually got turned over allowing the visitors to clear their lines.

From one such clearance, we got ourselves into a defensive muddle and allowed winger Jonny Brown in for a simple try to secure a bonus point, Wood converted.

Torquay were prone to conceding penalties and the quick thinking of Oli Down with a tap and go put Barrie Karea in for a try out wide, Torquay simply done for pace.

Within minutes, a Torquay attack was turned over in our 22. No 8 Jake Clarke made a superb break before linking with Karea and another perfectly timed pass found Down again but this time with 50 metres to go.

However, the visiting defence could only get to him when it was too late and he managed to get over in the corner.

Again, Torquay were done for pace and perhaps if we had given the backs more opportunities with quicker ball, it may well have turned out differently.

Scorers: Tries - Karea and Down; Penalty - Down.

Not the best start to the season for all sides with the Seconds losing at Brixham 8-43, the Thirds losing at Exmouth 5-29 and the Colts suffering defeat at Sidmouth 22-29.

However, as one Torquay official remarked, it is amazing that Crediton can get four senior sides out on a Saturday with so many players not available. Torquay struggle to get two sides out on a regular basis, a sign of the times?

Paul Harris