Tavistock U15s 10 Ivybridge U15 5 TAVISTOCK emerged victorious from a full-blooded moorland derby played in awful conditions. The game started with a bang as Tavistock retrieved their own kick off, threw the ball wide to Matt Robbins and watched as he beat five men on a 60- yard dash to the line. Ivybridge responded by laying siege to the Tavistock line but could not force their way through a resolute defence. Tavistock broke free and enjoyed a spell of sustained pressure but the Bridgers were in no mood to concede and defended with gusto. Both sides tried to play attractive rugby in the conditons but handling errors were inevitable and these led to some exciting passages of play. The second half started as the first ended with bouts of pressure at one end and then the other. Tavistock had switched their emphasis slightly to a kicking game and Dan Scott and Sean Hill both kicked with accuracy to peg Ivybridge back. A spell of Ivybridge pressure told and from a Tavistock lineout the ball was tapped loosely and an Ivybridge forward reacted first to plunge over from close range. The pattern of cut and thrust continued, Tavistock skipper Carl Rowe was outstanding at full back, with crunching tackles and strong running and Josh Evans revelled in both the loose and tight play in the forwards, while fly half Liam Yeo was a constant threat for Ivybridge. He was powerless to stop the deciding score of the game though as No 8 Matt Langman sprinted over from 20 yards after a free flowing move involving forwards and backs. Tavistock held on for the last three minutes to win a game from which both sides can take much credit for putting on such fine entertainment in appalling weather.
