Tavistock seconds 7

Plymouth University seconds 22

TAVISTOCK were forced to make several changes following calls from the first team, but the replacement players drafted in, gave a good account of themselves.

The home side went on the offensive from the kick-off and spent most of the game in their opponents' half of the field. Fly half John Bellamy kept the students pegged back with some fine line kicking, but an absence of any specialist line-out jumpers, meant that Tavistock barely won any clean line-out ball throughout the match.

Although well held in the set scrum, the home forwards dominated the loose play and several times went close to forcing their way over the try line. However, the visitors defence was well organised and repelled everything that Tavistock threw at them.

After absorbing considerable pressure from the home side, after 25 minutes, the students made a rare visit to the Tavistock half and from a scrum close to the home line, the ball went loose and the students' scrumhalf pounced for the opening try. Play continued much as before until another break by the visitors just before the interval, resulted in a second try by the right winger. Half-time arrived with the visitors leading 10-0.

The second half opened with the students applying some pressure and they scored a third try after a good running move from their backs. Tavistock then went back on the offensive and after several good drives from the pack, were rewarded with a penalty try, when the referee ruled that the visitors had illegally halted a try scoring move. Bellamy added the conversion.

The students then scored their fourth try after another quick handling move and with the conversion, now led 22-7. Tavistock took control again and during the last quarter of the game, had several promising attacks by both forwards and backs, but were not able to get through the students' solid defence. There was no further scoring and the visitors moved through to the next round of the cup.

For Tavistock, skipper Will Tomkins and fellow forwards Paul Dunstan; Tony Worle and Joe Elliott all put in strong performances. Among the backs, Lawrence Ellis and Tom Thursby were prominent.