Western Counties West
Okehampton Chiefs 25
Paignton 6
THIS win and a sound performance compounds the thought that the revitalised Okehampton have not just had a streak of winning luck but are getting better with every game.
Arnie Searle was out with a damaged knee and the in-form Ian Scrivener dropped out with an eye problem at the last minute which gave coach Dave Chowings some quick reshuflling problems. But a call to the assumed unavailable John Davey and the resurrection of veteran Mark Curtis meant the home side looked to have patched up the problem.
The Chiefs played up the slope with a strong cross wind and were in control from the start. They established good territory where a succession of penalties were awarded but due to the conditions only one was converted by replacement kicker for the day Buzz Brimmacombe.
Paignton ran strongly at the home side who defended magnificently. The visitors were often too elaborate in their build up and chose the option of running at the Chiefs? fly half and inside centre, only to be met with the no compromise tackling of the Curtis brothers, Adam and Mark.
Paignton towards the end of the first half were unlucky to lose their influential 22 stone Australian Prop who had pulled a hamstring.
In the second half playing down the slope the Chiefs took total control and the result was never in doubt. The first of three tries came from returning skipper Bruce Griffiths. Brimmacombe made sure of the conversion.
The second was scored from good movement through the middle of the field with several phases of play for the ball to be spun wide to the hands of wing forward Philpott who found himself in space with his winger Gary Carey ready to take the try scoring pass.
But Philpott had other ideas and after throwing an outrageous dummy which foiled the two oncoming defenders he dived over for the score. Brimmacombe from wide out successfully converted.
The final try was scored by Dave Bickle after a terrific passage of threequarter running. The ball initially released by Bickle from a good rolling maul was passed through numerous hands to Sage on the left wing who pinned back his ears and rounded his opposite number.
Having sprinted half the length of the field and about to be tackled Sage looked on his inside shoulder to find Bickle at full tilt accepting the pass and running on to score under the posts. Brimmacombe converted.
This win moves the Chiefs firmly away from the bottom of the table and leaves Bideford, should one team be relegated, facing the Devon and Cornwall League next season. The Chiefs can only hope that results in the tables above do not have the knock-on effect that will mean more than one side relegated.