North Tawton 28 Torrington II 25 THIS match was as close as the score line suggests and was only decided by virtually the last kick of the game. North Tawton put out a squad of 24 players, and were able to loan two to the Torrington team to make this a meaningful encounter for both sides. With North Tawton?s Keith Knott and James Henshaw making first appearances and others returning from lay-offs, the match was a good shake-down for the team with some positional options being tried out. An early blood injury to Tawton?s Zac Matravers brought on Julian Rice to the left wing, and soon after a break by Steve King and Adam Hooper nearly resulted in a try but the fly-half bounced over the dead ball line. Having gained territory the home side took a scrum about 30 metres out from which Keith Jones, playing well in the flanker position, broke and made more ground. The North Tawton line out was working well, with hooker Adam Davis throwing in with deadly accuracy and Tawton using the options of Jones or King as jumpers. The pressure finally told on Torrington as they were penalised twice; a tap penalty about five metres out was fed to the forwards and Tawton?s Number 8 Steve King completed the drive to break through for the first try of the game. Torrington responded immediately and their attack also resulted in a penalty about 10 metres from Tawton?s line. From this their scrum set up a drive and prop Stuart Ellis touched the ball down. The try was converted by fly-half Mark Bettiss to take them into the lead 7-5. Now it was Tawton under pressure and a sin-binning for joining a maul from the side left them a player down. Torrington soon capitalised on this with another try for their scrum, driving over the Tawton line. This one went to guest North Tawton player John Griffiths and was again converted by Bettiss, taking Torrington to 14-5 ahead. The visitors consolidated their lead as they dominated this phase of the match, and a break off a 20 metre line out by Neville Phillips (the other North Tawton guest player) was followed by one of his characteristic rampaging charges to score a good try. The conversion was missed, and from the restart an excellent follow-up to the drop-out by Tawton?s Julian Rice regained the ball for the home side. Rice?s jinking run into the defence was stopped by an illegal high tackle and a penalty try was awarded, and this was converted by fly-half Paul Fewings. North Tawton worked themselves back into the match but a missed penalty and good tackling by Torrington to stop Tawton?s prop Danny Wonnacott on a break for the line meant the score remained 19-12 to the visitors at half-time. With some substitutions at half time Tawton had the advantage of fresh players, but Torrington were equal to the challenge and the early part of the second half was evenly contested. Finally Tawton found a way through as a maul close to Torrington?s line broke down and the ever-reliable Richard Lethbridge jinked into the melee and, at full stretch, touched the ball down. Fewings converted to level the scores at 19-19. A quick reply from Torrington came as Tawton were penalised in range for Mark Bettiss to kick the penalty but, as the whistle began to dominate proceedings Paul Fewings took his place at the penalty tee twice more to edge Tawton into a 25-22 lead. Torrington?s Bettiss was able to return the compliment with yet another penalty kick and the scores were level at 25 each into the final minutes. A Tawton scrum about 20 metres out was won well and a quick pass out to centre Ross Lawrence gave him space for a neat drop kick which sealed the match in Tawton?s favour at 28-25.