Cornwall and Devon

Torrington 7

TAVISTOCK came back to winning ways against newly promoted Torrington in torrential conditions at Sandy Park on Saturday in the Cornwall and Devon League.

After a last minute pitch change the Moorlanders played on the second XV pitch which has a notable slope to add to the difficult weather conditions.

Stand-in captain Martin Budden won the toss and bravely chose to play against the elements in the first half; this proved a good decision for what was to come.

Early possession for the home side was welcomed as a feeling of damage limitation was needed to stay in the game against the conditions.

On the 10 minute mark this persistence was rewarded when prop Charlie Charlton went over from close range.

The rest of the half saw Tavistock with little ball but defending heroically inside their 22. A long passage of play did see the North Devon visitors score their first away points of the season at Sandy Park to make the half-time score 7-5 to Torrington.

Having survived the first half, the second was a much different affair as Tavistock upped their game to dominate the rest of the match.

The set pieces was a telling factor when the next two tries came from dominance at the scrum.

The Tavistock pack marched Torrington back from five yards out to see Richard Cann bagging five points and in almost identical fashion, colt scrum half Jack Easton did the same. Ben Hadfield converted both efforts.

Some intelligent kicking from Tavistock’s Mark Webber and good hands from Hadfield and Andrew Craddock saw the ball being moved well despite the greasy conditions. Charlton bagged a brace when he skipped through a tackle from five metres out, three phases after a heeled scrum.

With the result in the bag, the Tavistock backs freed their legs and produced some aesthetic rugby, Hadfield eventually getting on the end of a fly hacked kick to close the game in style.