Western Counties West

Okehampton 22

Wadebridge 3

OKEHAMPTON rose superbly to the significant challenge posed by the visit of the in-form Wadebridge Camels, and emerged triumphant after a great all round performance.

The visitors arrived on the back of a 90 point victory over Torquay last time out and in the midst of a great run of results.

The Okes meanwhile had to reshuffle after player coach Gareth Evans' injury and the return of Rhys Palmer and Lewis Taylor to the Colts side for their key fixture against Exeter Chiefs. Therefore the significant travelling support following the Camels may well have expected a comfortable victory. Okehampton were having none of it though, and put in an effective all round performance to have the upper hand in virtually all areas and thoroughly deserved their bonus point win.

The pitch was in a much improved state and the cold dry conditions were set up nicely for an open encounter. Both sides began confidently, moving the ball wide and looking to stretch defences.

The Okes were the first with a scoring opportunity, when on seven minutes returning skipper Tom Powell was narrowly wide with a penalty attempt. The visitors responded but Okes' defence set the tone for the rest of the match with its efficiency and effectiveness.

There was plenty to admire in the Okes' play, but there was little in the way of scoring chances in the first half hour.

In fact it was the Camels who struck the first blow when James Grubb dropped an opportunist drop goal after a rare foray into Oke's 22. Then, after 31 minutes Oke hooker Chris Knott saw yellow for an indiscretion at ruck time, and the away support hoped this would be the catalyst for their side to stretch their advantage. In fact, to the contrary, it was the home side that raised their game while down to 14 men.

Scrum half Joey Bruce laid the groundwork for the Okes' opening score with a break from inside his own half; after he was tackled, the Okes maintained possession and via fringe surges and rolling maul alike, they drove up to the Camels' try line. It was fitting that the impish Bruce saw the gap and sniped over to give Oke a lead they never relinquished. The conversion was awry, but Oke had a valuable lead up the slope that boosted their confidence and overall belief.

Knott returned to the fray before the break, but the Okes lost centre Rory Honeychurch to injury and the hosts were forced to a reshuffle their team.

The match was finely poised as the second half kicked off. The Oke pack was starting to dominate at scrum time, and despite the problem misfiring line out, the hosts were now significantly on the front foot. Ten minutes of the second half had passed when the Okes broke through for the second time. There seemed little on when the ball reached stand-off Gareth Espin via a midfield ruck 30 yards out. He hesitated, then set off on a direct line close to the ruck and emerged clean through the fractured opposition defence to dive over under the posts. This time Tom Powell converted and the lead was now nine points.

The Camels responded, but their attacks were constantly mown down by the Okes' defensive solidity. A plethora of sizeable hits from Sam Turner, and a number of tackles from the ever willing Dean Abrams ensured the home side's line remained intact. The frustration was begin to mount for the visitors as first Grubb missed a penalty chance , then after 66 minutes their left winger saw yellow for a late tackle to compound their misery.

Okehampton upped the tempo as the Camels' pack tired and the hosts took full advantage. A fine passage of play by backs and forwards alike eventually created another opening as winger Rob Fishleigh gave a scoring pass to young winger Ryan Lee, who crossed gleefully in the bottom left corner for a try to cap a fine debut. Once more there was no successful conversion, but at 17-3 after 70 minutes Oke were nearly home.

Oke continued to trouble the visitors' defence throughout the remaining minutes as they kept up their intensity in attack and created several scoring opportunities.

The bonus point fourth try finally arrived with five minutes left on the clock. Fly half Espin, demonstrating good spatial awareness, dropped a cross kick behind the visitors' left flank defence where centre Tom Powell was lurking; the skipper gathered the bouncing ball and scooted over in the corner to wrap up the win.

The final whistle arrived and Oke could look back with great satisfaction in a job well done. Despite the absentees, the excellent all round performance bodes well for the season's remaining fixtures.