South West one

Okehampton firsts 13

Bridgwater firsts 7

OKEHAMPTON were determined to maintain their long unbeaten home record, but knew they were in for a stern test in the shape of visitors Bridgwater, boasting a huge pack and fresh off a confidence boosting derby win.

Only six-years ago there were four levels between these sides as the Okes languished in Devon one with Bridgwater as high as level four. This encounter was a tight one though with the result in doubt until the bitter end.

Okehampton lost the toss and had the elements in their favour. Intermittent heavy rain showers ensured it was never going to be a try fest, but both sides tried to move the ball in the opening exchanges before Oke were awarded the first scoring opportunity.

Bridgwater were penalised for holding on after four minutes and Kevin Dennis was just wide with a difficult penalty chance. The home centre made no mistake ten minutes later, however, as he capitalised on the Okes increasing territorial advantage to slot another to make it 3-0 to the hosts.

The home side were now growing in stature and slowly getting on top as the half rolled on, Dennis potted another penalty to double their lead after 19 minutes.

The rest of the opening half was proving a frustrating one for the Okes though as they carved out plenty of scoring chances. However, a mixture of white line fever and unnecessary passes when ball retention was the better option, were preventing the extension of their lead that their dominance merited.

Glorious chances came and went, firstly after a charge down kick by fly half Dan Foggarty, and then when winger Brandon Horn failed to gather a bouncing ball with the try line at his mercy.

Just as the half seemed destined to remain try-less, the Okes struck with a try out of nothing. The home side had a lineout just inside the visitors’ 22 and decided to try a short quick one. The ball went to ground and the quickest to react was replacement Jake Shin, the hooker, showed good pace as he raced away from the bemused Bridgwater defence to cross under the posts for his first ever senior try. Kevin Dennis added the extra two and suddenly Oke had a defendable lead to take into the interval.

There was still time for Bridgwater to have their first meaningful spell on the offensive before the break, but the Okes kept them out with strong defence.

Despite battling the elements at the start of the second period, the Okes looked the likeliest side to score next. However, they failed to extend their lead when the chances arose. Firstly they took a quick tap when three points were on offer; they then battered away at the visitors line but just when a score looked likely they tried one pass too many, and a clearance kick saw Bridgwater gain 70 yards to relieve the pressure.

This was a turning point as Bridgwater’s confidence grew as their sizable pack began to assert themselves, particularity in the scrum. After 57 minutes the pressure told. The Oke scrum slid backwards at a close range set scrum and the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try. The visitors’ tails were now up and their pack held sway throughout the last quarter. Oke were on the back foot, and things become worse when centre Rhys Palmer was carried off with a nasty looking knee injury in the 69th minute. Oke also saw yellow twice in the last 20 minutes increasing the workload on their already stretched pack.

This Okes outfit is a resilient one though, and as the match entered the last ten minutes they demonstrated great levels of defensive determination and pure commitment to hold out while camped in their own 22.

As the visitors gained numerous five yard attacking lineouts, supplemented by multiple five yard scrums it seemed only a matter of time before the defensive dam would break. Bridgwater had one last surge as they sought a last gasp victory but the hosts somehow held firm, and when the referee blew for time, a huge cheer of celebration and relief went up from players and crowd alike.

This was a great victory for Okehampton, one built on pure determination and sheer will to win. The Okes have shown they belong at this level but need to be more clinical in taking their chances to ensure continued success.