Saltash 27
Tavistock 0
TAVISTOCK had their Tetley Bitter Cup hopes crushed on Saturday, when they were knocked out by Cornish rivals Saltash.
Although the score indicates a convincing win for the Cornishmen, it by no means reflects the game, which was closely fought.
Half on hour had been played before Saltash opened the scoring, the pack mauling effectively and driving over the line. Until then, all the rugby had been played by Tavistock.
Saltash's strength lay in a strong and well-drilled pack, so Tavistock played to their own strengths, getting the ball out wide to the backs, who forced Saltash to defend furiously. The defence held, however, and in the second half the Saltash pack took the few opportunities they saw, scoring three more tries, all from driving mauls.
For a period of the second half Tavistock had a one-man advantage, when a Saltash flanker was sin-binned for foul play. The Moorlanders did not have time to capitalise on the advantage, through, as scrum-half Sean Buttle was himself sin-binned when the referee object to some zealous rucking.
Tavistock had already lost their hooker, Sleep, to injury and back-row player Will Thompkins took his place.
Full back Paul Allen, covered effectively at scrum half, but forging a make-shift scrum-half-hooker relationship mid-game was a task Tavistock could well have done without. Injured centre, Neil Evans, was replaced by Mike Liddon towards the end of the game, but he had little time to make an impact.
Although disappointed to be out of the competition, Tavistock should not feel disheartened by the result, which is flattering for Saltash.
Tavistock played some attractive rugby and were unlucky not to have scored. Had the Saltash backs not defended so well, the result could easily have gone Tavistock's way.
This weekend, Tavistock will be looking to build on recent league success, when they play host to Ilfracombe at Sandy Park.