Okehampton U15s 7

Barnstaple U15s 42

THE Okehampton side with eleven players unavailable knew this was going to be a tough physical battle against a big Barnstaple side. It was however Okehampton who scored first when Alex Browne darted down the touchline from the 10 meter area to score under the posts; Liam Pyle converted.

Okehampton must of been feeling upbeat at this stage and started to take the game to Barnstaple. It was however not to be, whether Barnstaple upped their game or Okehampton lost their concentration or both.

The away team started to use their pace and strength both out wide and in their forwards.

Although the Barnstaple team came out deserved winners Okehampton competed very well with a lot of players playing out of position. Notably Harry Finley having his first game for the club at centre produced some of the best tackles of the game.

Launceston U15s 20

Tavistock U15s 44

LAUNCESTON scored first in this fiercely contested local derby. Their forwards recycled good ball for their backs to score in the corner.

This seemed to snap Tavistock into life and their pack gave clean ball to outside half Chris Watts who passed along the back line to winger Ben Milligan who raced in from the half way line to open Tavistock's account. He shortly added a second after Ethan Lamerton tackled his man and turned the ball over, giving his outside backs space. Milligan broke clear and scored under the posts with Chris Watts adding the conversion.

Steve Kirby, Harry Jeans and Ben Luke started to dominate the breakdown and this led to possession for Will Gardner who darted in to score Tavistock's third try.

After the break Tavistock's forwards continued to apply pressure and Ben Luke powered over from close range.

Launceston continued to battle and forced their way back into the game with a score in the corner, which their full back was unlucky no to convert.

Theo Cousins tackled his heart out for the away side and this led to more turnover possession which enabled Ben Milligan to score two further tries, one of which he converted.

Again Launceston fought back and scored two well worked tries of their own moving the ball to the right wing on both occasions to score. Tavistock had the last word though. Sam guesting for the visitors from the home side scored their seventh before Ben Luke rounded proceedings off with another impressive drive over the line from close range.

Teignmouth U14s 5

Okehampton U14s 43

THIS was a first visit to Bitton Park for several years for the Okehampton but it did not take long for the them to feel at home though as they came away with seven tries in the bag.

Prolific winger Ben Mckenna-Smith was soon on the score sheet after a typically strong run up the right flank after only five minutes. He added the conversion to make it 7-0. The whole Oke side then began to string phases together to really stretch the Teigns. A smart handling moved released Ben for his second try as he scorched over in the right corner. Oke were rucking well and a big victory looked likely.

It was to the host's credit that they only conceded twice more in what was a shortened first half. Powerhouse Oke number eight Greg Daniel was next over the whitewash after a typically direct charge from a set scrum, Ben adding the extra two.

The visitors' best try came just before the interval as they recycled nicely, then moved the ball before contact to create space for centre Leon Horn to slice through the midfield and dot down between the uprights. Ben converted, and Oke's lead was 26-0 at half-time.

Almost direct from the kick off Greg Daniel put in a contender for hit of the season on the home centre. He got his reward as the ball came loose, and the Oke number eight plundered his second of the match. Teigns rallied, but fell further behind mid-way through the half when Greg Daniel struck again from close range for his hat trick score, which Ben converted once more. Teignmouth never gave up, and scored a well-deserved try out wide on Oke's left to briefly reduce the arrears. The last score went to the visitors though as they finished in the ascendancy when Ben Mckenna-Smith touched down for his hat-trick. This was a strong all round team effort by Okehampton.

Tavistock U13s 20

Brixham U13s 17

A FINE clear day saw Tavistock U13s win a tremendously close game of rugby against Brixham in the Devon Cup.

It was Brixham who got off to a flying start with two quick tries which immediately put Tavistock on the back foot. However, some resilient work from the Tavistock forwards and the team started to find their game. The front row of Archie, Jason and Joe were winning the scrums with the help of Pete, John and Tom.

Tavistock pressed forward and Lachlan made it over the try line only to be held up by Brixham. The resulting scrum saw Tavistock win the ball again and Freddie Williams darted over the line. 

An early try in the second half for Brixham again gave them a two try cushion, but fitness and the will to win kept Tavistock going. A string of tries from Tom, Joe and Connor put Tavistock's nose in front. Joe Burbage's try coming after sustained pressure on the Brixham try line.

A nervous last few minutes could have seen Brixham sneak a win but the scrum held fast and continued to win the ball. Luke marshalled the line with authority and Jacob dug the ball out brilliantly in his scrum half role. The defensive line including Zac and George worked extremely well. The whole team was awarded man of the match for their shear grit and determination and now the side go into the quarter finals' draw.

Teignmouth U13 19

Okehampton U13s 40

COASTING along at 26-5, Okehampton switched off and let a tenacious Teignmouth side come within one converted try of levelling the game.

For Oke this was definitely a game of the good, the bad and the ugly. The good, was the individual performances by some of the new players, In particular Liam B and George on the wings. The bad was the lethargy of the forwards, who at times ambled around the pitch, oblivious to the game going on around them. And, to the ugly — rucking! That being said though, Oke U13s dug deep and ran out comfortable winners in the end.

The scoring was started by Mo, who, after several phases of play by the entire back row, touched the ball down for the first try. The second came after Teignmouth kicked the ball down field to Noah, at full back. With quick feet he broke down the wing towards the opposition try line. Matching him stride for stride, Jim F was on hand to receive the pass and score. The third was almost a carbon copy of the second, with Nathan on hand to receive the pass from Noah and score. This try was then converted by Jim F. Just before half time, ill discipline by Okehampton resulted in a penalty being kicked to the corner. From the resulting line out, the Teignmouth pack bundled the ball over for their first try.

The second half started with Okehampton on the attack. From their first attack the ball was kept tight before being spun out down the line, landing in the hands of Okehampton's Tom S at number eight, taking the ball at pace and proving unstoppable from five yards out.

Then Okehampton took the opposition for granted with players making solo breaks in their quest for glory. The result of this was two quick tries by Teignmouth, who at the time looked like they were going to make an unlikely comeback and win. All credit to the Okehampton boys though, who dug deep to create the best team move of the match, with forwards and backs combining effectively for Mo to score his second. From the resulting kick off came the moment of the match. Noah received the ball almost at his own try line, turning defence into attack, running the ball the length of the pitch to score under the posts.

Teignmouth U10s 130

Okehampton U10s 10

PLAYING home at North Tawton on a high from last week's win was short lived as Teignmouth took the play throughout most of the game. Okehampton took some warming up against a team that was well drilled and showed some excellent skills.

The first game was a learning curve for Okehampton but we soon caught on and started showing what we're made of, some great hard and fast tackles and team effort.

The second game was better matched with Okehampton getting more aggressive in their tackles, with Morgan flying in and Joe, Aedan and Elliot putting in some impressive work. The whole Oke team played well with each player putting in their all making Teignmouth work harder this time but with a few fast runners they got through to score. The score did not reflect how hard Okehampton played but Teignmouth were a better side and deserved to win.

Stonehouse Sharks U9s 30

Tavistock U9s 75

BOTH halves saw superb play by all the boys with impressive tackling, excellent use of space and some tremendous passing. 

James scored the first try for Tavistock and more swiftly followed as Ashley demonstrated some good running out on the wing to score the second. Luke T displayed his customary dodging of the opposition to score three further tries. 

The Sharks seemed helpless in the face of Tavistock's relentless tackling. A further two tries from James and another from Max left the score much in Tavistock's favour at the end of the first half

The second half team were just as determined to keep up the pressure. Finn had several long runs resulting in three tries, Matthew B saw off numerous tackles to break through the Sharks defensive line and scored another. A repeat run by Matthew B set up another try for Matthew D. One more try for Matthew D and another for Ryan left the final score at 30-75 to Tavistock.

This was a well deserved win by Tavistock.

Okehampton U9s 30

Plymstock U9s 20

THE first game was captained by Ben who was also awarded player of the match for his superb tackling. The game started briskly with Archie making the first break, he was run into touch. Quick passing from Lachlann to Saul was seen while Shea tackled well.

The games were played as a seven tackle turnover which the Oke lads reached more than once. Shea was reading the game in advance passing to Adam before being tackled. Saul ran from one end of the pitch to the other to score one of his two tries, Archie sprinted a great distance too for his try. Callum worked strongly throughout the game while Lachlann powered along with Plymstock players hanging off him trying to bring him down. Adam scored two tries, Lachlann one. The Oke boys played well as a team showing a strong defence.

Okehampton U9s 15

Plymouth U9s 50

OKEHAMPTON were captained by Alex who scored two tries. Toby and Alex threw themselves into the tackles whilst noticeable passing was seen between Josh, Alex and Will. Will made a good run to score a try while Josh never gave up. Jacob when tackled presented the ball quickly ready for the play to continue while Chris and Liam both joined the others in attacking the opposition.

Okehampton U9s 9

Launceston U9s 1

THE home team reached the six tag turnover in the opening minutes of the game plus a few more times after that. A strong defensive team all passed well and provided outstanding support to one another. Shea ran from one end of the pitch to the other for one of his two tries. Will showed some superb tagging today and scored 1 try. Other trues by Lachlann, Archie S (2), Adam (2) and Callum (1).

Okehampton U9s 7

Launceston U9s 4

ANOTHER fast paced game again saw the six tag turnover reached more than once. Toby tagged well and was unlucky not to score as he went into touch so close to the tryline. Will, who scored one try, weaved well through the opposition to cover valuable ground throughout the game. Archie S caught an unsuspecting player with his high speed tagging while Callum tagged and passed well. Shea ran at length to score his two tries. Adam worked well and scored four tries.

Okehampton U9s 4

Launceston U9s 11

A KEEN team who again all worked well together which was captained by Ben who tagged superbly. Sam tagged well and used his speed to score three tries. Some impressive running was seen from Chris and he tagged well too. Max is gaining confidence in his play and scored one try. Additional tagging and constant support play was provided by Alex, Callie, Jacob and Liam.

Okehampton U9s 7

Launceston U9s 6

ANOTHER strong game with great teamwork, tries were scored by Liam (2), Ben (2), Jacob (1), Alex (1), Sam (1). All were outstanding and were putting 100% into the game using the methods they are learning at training.