Kelly College 1st XV 7

Exeter School 1st XV 15

THIS was a match to savour, full of passion, pride and commitment and superbly refereed by Mike Wilcock.

Exeter centre Tom Duggan laid down the gauntlet from the kick off with a bone-shattering tackle on Kelly lock Paul Barnes. In the next few minutes, the Exeter eight threw themselves at the Kelly pack with the same frightening intensity, but the line remained intact.

Gradually, Kelly grappled their way back. Galliford went close on two occasions and only last-ditch tackles from Exeter full back Matt Hopper prevented a score. However, when outside half Will Grainger failed to find touch from inside the Kelly 22, the ball was fly-hacked forwards on the volley by the Exeter right wing. It landed obligingly in the Kelly goal area for a touchdown. Kelly then enjoyed their best period.

At the start of the second half, a badly sliced clearance from captain Ollie Pitts landed obligingly in the hands of the Exeter left wing who strolled in for a score to give Exeter a 10-0 lead. But still Kelly heads did not go down. From a lineout on the Exeter 10-metre line the ball was passed off the top and out to centre Mark Galliford, who deftly held it up as players looped and dummied, before Pitts made up for his earlier error by cutting an exquisite line that took him through the Exeter defence for a try under the posts. He followed it up with the conversion.

From the kick off the ball was moved swiftly wide and centre Phil Jeffery was put clear on the right. With the line beckoning the Exeter full back made another try saving tackle and the chance had gone.

The Exeter forwards then started to take an inexorable grip on proceedings, arriving in greater numbers to the rucks and mauls and providing a stream of possession. As the ball was driven around the fringes, Kelly finally ran out of defenders and Exeter clinched the deciding try.

Exeter thoroughly deserved their first win in Tavistock since the 1980s.

Kelly College 2nd XV 59

Edgehill College 1st XV 0

KELLY were first on the scoresheet after a scrum pushed Edgehill the required half a metre. Richard Heard, scrum-half and captain, passed to Chris Anderson who scored. Nick Boot-Handford converted.

Gary Uglow produced his best surge of the first half, supported by James Bruna, Tim Snow, Chris Baker and Stefan Feichtinger.

The ball was passed to Aaron Howell who ran through the opposition to score his first try for the college. This was converted Heard. Play resumed with another runaway try, Tim Snow scoring his first for the college in his fourth season playing Kelly rugby.

This was followed by other converted tries by Chris Anderson and Nick Boot-Handford to go 33-0 up at the break. After substituting Daniel Langley for Gary Uglow, a rampant Kelly scored three more converted tries against a demoralised Edghill.

Try scorers: Jordi Armitage, Edward Sainter, Matt Treweek. Conversions were taken in turns as before.