Teignmouth RFC U14s 5 Tavistock RFC U14s 48 AN excellent display of running rugby and defensive tackling by Tavistock saw the team produce one of their best performances of the season with seven different players running in tries. Early pressure produced good handling which resulted in the ball being passed across the field for George Rogers to score in the corner. The second try came from forward Bob Finbow who received on offload from Dan Oner to score under the posts. Pressure from the home team resulted in their fullback pulling back a try. With the Tavistock scrum dominating, the ball was worked wide for Tom Thursby to score in the corner. In the second half Tavistock were now threatening the Teignmouth line at every opportunity and a kick and chase by Dan Oner saw him gather and touch down. Another drive by the forwards saw them push Robin Jones over for a try and then quick thinking by scrum half Niall Murphy saw him take a tap penalty 10 metres out and go over for a try. A superb kick over the home team defence by fly half Phil Snell saw Tom Rickard chase, gather and run in another try. The final score came from Tom Thursby who also kicked four conversions. Bude U13s 12 Okehampton U13s 28 AFTER last week's sluggish performance at Barnstaple a better showing was asked for and delivered, all aspects of the team improving. With Chris Courtier playing in the back line things seemed quieter in the pack. After good pressure from the forwards a clearance kick from the Bude backs fell into Sam Ewen's hands and managed to jink his way through and score the first try under the posts, duly converted by Matthew Johns. Johns went over himself for the second try after putting Bude under pressure, picking up a loose ball and running in to score a try. The next try came from hard work by the forwards with Leigh Hughes, Buster Francis and Thomas White working hard allowing Graham Bennie to be held up close to the line and managed to get the ball away to George Speak to score. Bude managed to get an early score in the second half and Okehampton replied with Chris Courtier powering his way through to score under the posts. Crosesgrceiliog U13s 10 Okehampton U13s 15 THE second game of the day was against a touring team from South Wales. Another good performance from Okehampton against a fired up Welsh team brought the best out of the side. Tom Fogerty, working hard at the base of the scrums, rucks and mauls, led to good play from the Okehampton backs. With good pressure Matthew Johns went over for the first try but the opponents came back with a reply of one of their own. The second half started off strongly by both teams and with some good mauling near the line allowed Sam Cooper to sneak over for a try. Good drives by Leigh Hughes, Buster Francis and Thomas White kept the pressure on. Good support by George Speak, Harry Jones and Graham Bennie, linking well with the backs, led to Johns getting the winning try. l THE OKEHAMPTON squad travelled down to new territory on Sunday to take part in the Devon RFU under 12s tournament at the Plymstock Club. Teams from all over the county and were scheduled to play a series of sectional games before going into the final rounds Okehampton had a difficult draw and put up a good defence against their old opponents Sidmouth followed by a tough match against Ivybridge. The next game was against Newton Abbot and after a close fought match Okehampton earned a place in the semi finals for the shield event against Cullompton. Okehampton took up the challenge and were soon showing their skills and superior play to their opponents over the two 10 minute halves. Luke Vincent and Luke Dennis both crossed the line to score and put their team in the final. The final saw the boys take on Brixham, who had larger players but this did not deter Okehampton, who went into the attack with gusto. Robert Dunn managed to score the initial try for Okehampton but unfortunately the power of the Brixham squad told and by the final whistle they had scored two tries against Okehampton's valiant defence . l THE combined Tavistock RFC U11 and U12 squads experienced an exciting time when they spent a weekend on tour. They enjoyed a match each with their equivalents at Thornbury RFC, a day at a Premiership club with a stadium tour, and a training session on hallowed turf before forming the tunnel for the Gloucester and Leicester Tigers teams at the Kingsholm ground in Gloucester. The U11 team is now playing well and this touring match against strong opposition was another opportunity to show its improvement on the previous game's victory against Crediton. Effective use of the good ball won by the forwards meant that Tavistock were contesting the game in Thornbury's half when man of the match Dan Dawes broke from the back of a maul and broke through several tackles to score. Tavistock U11s' tackling and passing was good throughout but they conceded one try to a classic inside centre dummy move and another while defending a deep kick in the second period. Rather than buckle when they went behind Tavistock rose to the challenge, attacking from all areas of the field and passing well as they gathered momentum. Glen Fuller scored for Tavistock from a move starting deep in their own half to even up the scores. In the final period Tavistock were on the ascendancy and it was only valiant defending from Thornbury that prevented the visitors winning the game as the took the ball over the try line three times only to be held up. This was a good game with both sides deserving of the 12-12 draw. The U12 squad was out in force enabling a strong showing against the unknown opponents. After the previous lacklustre outing against Crediton, the opening moments by the team, captained by Jonty Newton, showed an entirely different approach with a clear focus on playing to win. The availability of the ball to the centres and backs enabled some spectacular open rugby with successive passes and excellent handling. This Tavistock performance was rewarded with two tries in the corner, both of which were converted. Thornbury possessed the stronger pack and soon realised that they could not afford to let the ball get to the Tavistock backs. The Tavistock pack responded with their best performance of the season holding up rucks on their line and delivering effective tackles with a low turnover rate. Thornbury managed to score in the second half and achieve a 14 -14 match draw with a second try on the final whistle. A draw was a true reflection of the match with a team of strong forwards pitted against a team with running ability in open play. The Premiership clash between Gloucester and Leicester Tigers was a superb game for the boys to watch and learn from. Jonathan Bayliss, for the Tavistock teams, thanked the squad parents for their organising and fundraising efforts, the sponsors for the teams' new kit and to Thornbury Broncos for their warm welcome and hospitality.