Devon one

Devonport Services 18

Okehampton seconds 17

WITH the weather and pitch situation yet again resulting in no rugby at Oaklands, the club’s attention focused on the second’s team’s visit to Devonport Services .

Playing on the Royal Navy’s all weather pitch at Keyham the early exchanges looked ominous for Oke as a large Services’ squad with a starting XV containing a number of powerful ball carriers saw the visitors hanging on to coat tails as the host looked to cut loose.

However, recent results — including excellent wins against the likes of Brixham, Crediton and Cullompton — have been built on an excellent defence and this encounter was to prove no different.

Although Services scored an unconverted try after 15 minutes – no more than their dominance at that point deserved — the score was hard won and a determined Okes soon pushed into the attacking half of the field. There was some excellent ball handling and angles of running with the initial thrust being a mid-field break from Matt Dennis; Deane Andrew delivered the final pass to Ash Poynton for an excellent score that Carl Poynton converted.

The hosts were still holding the upper hand in the forward encounters and used this advantage to score two catch and drive tries from lineouts close to the Oke line before half time, although Poynton kept the visitors well in touch with a well struck penalty to bring the score to 15-10 at the break.

Having weathered the early Services’ storm and with a keen breeze behind them, the second half started with a complete reversal of advantage. The Oke scrum started to dominate with the front row of Langridge, Griffiths and Slater giving their opposite numbers a torrid time with the Services’ scrum going backwards at a rate of knots.

The visitors started to dominate most aspects of the game and were soon rewarded when a turnover in midfield saw a break from the talismanic Drake, which was continued with excellent support from Kieran and Ryan Lee. The ever present Dennis was on hand to receive the final pass to dot down close to the posts, for Poyton to add the extras and put the Okes in the lead for the first time.

While Dennis and Gary Sizmur dissected the defence a number of times only for last ditch tackles to prevent tries that would have been well deserved, the lead was not extended, and with Services regrouping their composure and the visitors relinquishing their dominance with a lack of control on the game, the hosts looked to seize on the Okes’ failure to close the game out with a final push. This resulted in a number of penalty opportunities but it looked like the opportunities might go begging.

Unfortunately the Okes ran out of ‘get-out-of jail-free’ cards and one last carelessly given penalty in front of the post saw the kicker finally get it right to win the encounter with the last kick of the game.

This was an excellent game between two spirited sides and while the Okehampton seconds played some excellent and attractive rugby with many positives, the scoreboard did not lie and it could be regarded as a case of one of those days when defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.

Okehampton seconds currently lie in the middle of a very competitive Devon one merit table.