Crediton 19 - Sidmouth 5

IT has been a couple of seasons since we managed three wins on the bounce and we achieved that with this victory over local rivals Sidmouth which was perhaps more emphatic than the score suggests.

The conditions were not helpful to either side, a wet greasy ball made handling difficult but to be fair to both teams there was barely a dropped pass all afternoon.

We did have the better of the scrums and our dominance in that area increased as the game wore on. The line-outs were something of a lottery at times but again we have shown much improvement during the past few weeks.

From the opening, Sidmouth looked as though they would be a threat but once we had settled down, we began to look the better side. Any visiting attack was cut down at source and they seldom got to spend any time close to our “22”.

We opened the scoring on 15 minutes when a series of tap and go penalties led to driving mauls and eventually it was Josh Lee who forced his way over, Ollie Avery-Wright landed the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

We continued to press but Sidmouth were certainly up to the challenge and when we did get within a few metres of their line, we conceded the odd penalty to provide them with an easy exit.

We had done most of the attacking and on 25 minutes some good handling provided winger Josh Woodland with nothing more than an opportunity to run, he was after all 40 metres out, just a few metres from touch and four defenders to get past.

The first two seemed to bounce off him and the next two he outpaced to score a magnificent try in the corner. OAW landed the conversion for a 14-0 lead and the prospect of a bonus point win was eagerly awaited.

However, Sidmouth started to gain some territory and put pressure in our “22” but on a couple of occasions were done for holding on and we had an easy exit.

We then turned to attack and some good handling came to nothing as the visitors defended well enough to keep us out. A rare handling error on our part, just inside the Sidmouth half, got them back into the game.

A wayward pass failed to reach its destination and the ball was hacked through by the Sidmouth backs, their left winger, won the foot race and with some neat soccer style dribbling managed to get the touch down.

The conversion failed, leaving the score at half-time 14-5 in our favour.

The second half began with Sidmouth looking somewhat more purposeful but for all their endeavour, they scarcely approached our “22”, solid defending kept them at bay.

We began to dominate possession and territory and our scrum was giving the Sidmouth eight a pretty torrid time. Chances came and went, a superb break from lock Luke Mingo with a carry of some 30 metres but the opportunity passed through support not arriving in time.

Another opportunity on 52 minutes with a break by centre Ben Wonnacott, but the Sidmouth defence recovered to prevent the score.

Four minutes later and another Woodland effort looked to have been successful from relatively short range but he was deemed to have been held up over the line. Another promising attack was pulled back for crossing.

On 66 minutes though we eventually made the breakthrough and it was Woodland again, this time from 20 metres to score in the corner off a neatly floated pass from OAW. The conversion drifted wide.

The final 15 minutes saw a bit of pressure from Sidmouth but in all honesty they really didn’t look like scoring. We did have a few opportunities late on with driving mauls which Sidmouth defended very well.

A good win in difficult conditions, both sides looked to run the ball and should be congratulated on the quality of their handling.

We looked threatening on numerous occasions but again Sidmouth defended extremely well although we did miss a couple of real opportunities. Dominant in the scrum throughout and shaded the line-outs.

Josh Woodland seems capable of scoring tries from nothing and is a natural finisher. An encouraging debut from new centre Will Castleton. Luke Mingo made some telling runs and caused all sorts of problems. An all round good performance.

Sidmouth Seconds 19 - Crediton Quins 29

Sidmouth was not its normal warm setting, in fact it was bitterly cold but we proved a bit too hot for our hosts.

We scrummaged them off the park, had 75 per cent possession and territory and probably came away wondering quite why we had only won by 10 points.

It even got off to a bad start when we gave away an early penalty try for obstruction on a kick chase and we found ourselves 7-0 down against the run of play.

With the forwards in total control, it was no real surprise that it was tries from two of them that put us in the lead, two veterans Richard Gray and Phil Holmes got them and fly half Tom Ronchetti converted one and also added a penalty.

Sidmouth had the advantage of the slope in the second half and must have thought they would have a real chance with only an eight point deficit to make up.

A try from centre Jordan Pring converted by Tom Ronchetti early in the second half put more distance between us.

However, two more tries from Sidmouth down the hill brought them to within three points until a late penalty try for Crediton from an attacking five metre scrum took the final score to 29-19. A well-deserved win making it four wins and a draw from their last five games, form that has moved us up to fifth place in the Merit Table.

Crediton Thirds 24 - Exeter Saracens Seconds 57

A hastily arranged friendly against Sarries Seconds, who included a few University players plus some of their Firsts who were without a game. Sarries proved a bit too strong, especially going down the slope in the first half.

They built up a big lead that was always going to be difficult to claw back. Nonetheless, the Thirds put in a spirited performance and actually outscored the visitors in the second half.

More importantly though, 30-plus players had a game of rugby which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

For the record, the scorers were father and son Wayne and Jack Reed with a try apiece, Ashley Bradnock and Joe Warren with two conversions from Ryan Styles.

Bideford Colts 14 - Crediton Colts 19

The Colts recorded the double over Bideford with a fine all-round performance in difficult conditions. As with the home game, there was just a single score in it, but we were deserved winners.

From the kick off Bideford went on the attack, using their forwards to try and make an early impact. Our defence was solid and within minutes we had an opportunity to go on the offensive.

Some quality interplay between the forwards and backs saw us advance from our own half to the Bideford line.

We were rewarded with a penalty from which Louie Gulley tapped and drove over to score “Cowan-Dickie style”. The conversion was missed and it was 0-5.

We continued to play some good rugby for the next 20 minutes, using both forwards and backs to good effect. Bideford were struggling for any territory and we were able to counter well from their exit kicks.

Despite this, it was the home side who scored next and went ahead 7-5. A quick throw in caught us off guard, as the ball had been touched by a spectator out of play, and the Bideford fly half went on a darting run to score. A lesson learned there for the lads!

Five minutes later we found ourselves back in front as Kofi Firth finished off another good passage of play with a try. Haydn Gosling added the extras and we were 7-12 ahead at the break. With our performance, we should perhaps have been further ahead but some stout Bideford defence saw us held up over the line twice.

The second half saw Bideford try to pin us in our own half and apply pressure. Defensively we weren’t looking in too much trouble but a couple of poor exits gave Bideford a sniff and again they managed to take back the lead.

A loose ball was hacked through and the race to the line was won by the opposition making it 14-12 with the successful conversion. A slight melee ensued resulting in a yellow card for Bideford and a penalty kick to us from the restart.

Our response was immediate as Freddie Blackburn received the tap penalty on half way, glided through a few defenders before putting Firth in for his second try. Blackburn added the conversion and we were 14-19 up with 15 minutes to go.

We then played some of our most intelligent rugby of the season to see the game out. With a big emphasis on keeping possession, we didn’t offer Bideford any way back and the score remained 14-19 until full-time.

Another week with lots of positives. We have had a tendency to give away penalties far too cheaply, but our discipline showed a huge improvement. We mixed our game up well and the set piece was solid.

We still have plenty to work on and this squad is committed to achieving the very best that they can. Great stuff lads, keep it up!

On Saturday, December 11, the First XV travel to high flying St Austell, coached by former Crediton player Kyle Marriott who also captained Cornwall in the County Championship, a question of Jam on top in Cornwall!

The Seconds have no game and the Thirds host Tiverton Thirds whilst the Colts are at home against Exeter Athletic Colts.

Paul Harris