THE pre-season games are now over and Okehampton Rugby Club is looking forward to the new season starting on Saturday, September 6. Players have been training for six weeks or more now — and have had encouraging run outs at South Molton in a 7's Tournament and at Launceston in a 10's Tournament, before taking on Bude and Brixham at home in a 3-way encounter. Okehampton went down 30-10 to Brixham who play two leagues above the club's level, but new player/coach Gaz Evans was pleased with the effort shown by the players as the Okehampton line-out and scrum held the upper hand for long periods of that game. Okehampton visited Crediton for the last of the pre-season games and ran out 29-19 winners in an entertaining game — a positive performance by the team. Especially encouraging were the performances of the younger players coming through from the Colts to the senior teams. The 2nd XV did not fare so well and were well beaten by an experienced Crediton side, but there were still positive signs in the way the players stuck to their task. The coaches would like to encourage all players to come to the Tuesday and Thursday training sessions to improve on their fitness and organisation. The 2st XV will have a hard season in Western Counties (West), but the early signs are good for a successful year. The 2nd XV have the toughest proposition in the new season, having gained promotion to Devon Merit Table 1 last term, they will face strong opposition. The Colts return to a league structure for the coming season. The Colts teams of recent years have been the club's most successful teams and the club looks forward to a strong performance from them again this year. During the close season there has been a huge effort by some club members to spruce the club up. The equipment is being installed in the new gym and it will open shortly. The changing rooms have undergone a programme of cleaning and redecorating and the pitches are looking good for the start of the season. n The first games of the new season are this Saturday when the 1st XV are away to Torquay, while the 2nd XV is home to Barnstaple, and the Colts entertain Tiverton. The kick off time for all games is 3pm, unless otherwise notified.