Devon Merit two

Tavistock seconds 36

Exmouth thirds 21

TAVISTOCK seconds completed the double over league leaders Exmouth thirds, in a fine game at Sandy Park.

The match was played at a furious pace by two totally committed sides.

With both teams looking to run the ball at every opportunity, the game swung from end to end. There were five tries in the opening 20 minutes.

The home team were first on the board, when wing Ben Hadfield cut a line through the Exmouth defence to score by the posts.

Exmouth replied with two interception tries in a two minute burst. Centre Nick Lane then finished off a good handling move for Tavistock's second try and this was closely followed by a break from centre Greg Fairchild and lock Steve Long, up in support, crashed over the line.

Both defences held up the opposing attacks until just before the interval, when an astute pass from flyhalf Jon Bellamy saw Hadfield bursting his way through the Exmouth rearguard, to score his second try. Three conversions from Lane, left Tavistock leading 26-14 at halftime.

The second half saw Tavistock on the attack throughout, but some stout defending from the visitors, limited the scoring to just two more tries. The first saw a great run from fullback Sam Smerdon, taken on by Hadfield and flanker Jake Chinn got the touchdown.

Skipper Will Tomkins, who led his side well, then outpaced the cover defence to finish off another fine handling move. Lane added one more conversion. The visitors had the final word, with a good try from a lineout catch and drive.

For Tavistock, Ben Hadfield had an outstanding game; prop Tim Child and Jude Rotton were always in the thick of things; Steve Long was dominant in the lineout and worked hard in the loose. The whole team and replacements all played their part, in a good performance.