Sidmouth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Tavistock 1st XV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
AFTER a disappointing few weeks, Tavistock produced a performance to be proud of away against Sidmouth, who are second in the Devon 1 League.
Tavistock opened the scoring with a penalty from fly half Martin Credicott. The Tavistock pack seemed to dominate in the set pieces and were certainly more committed in open play. Sidmouth's strength lay in their backs, who were effective in attack, creating an overlap to provide an extra man. It was from such an overlap that most of Sidmouth's tries came.
The try of the match undoubtedly goes to second row Jim Jefferies, who charged down a Sidmouth kick on the half way line, collected the ball, showed the defenders a clean pair of heels and sped towards the Sidmouth line.
His deceptive pace was such that the defending backs were unable to catch him and he dived over the line to cheers from Tavistock and Sidmouth supporters alike.
Tavistock's next try came from scrum half and acting skipper, Sean Buttle, as he gathered the ball from the back of a scrum and dived between the defenders to score.
In the second half, Tavistock scored again as Mark Baker collected a clever chip from Credicott. A series of tit-for-tat penalties and tries left Tavistock 3 points ahead with less than 10 minutes of the game left to play. Two late scores from the home side, however, ensured a home side victory, resulting in a final score that flattered the Sidmouth side.
After a difficult period, Tavistock players can take a good deal of pride and encouragement from their performance against one of the league's leaders. It is up to them now to reproduce this performance against other league opponents and notch up some deserved victories.