Cornwall and Devon

Tavistock 5

Paignton 26

TAVISTOCK welcomed Paignton to Sandy Park on a sunny autumnal Saturday with high hopes of continuing their winning streak; however, it was not meant to be and Tavistock suffered their first defeat of the season.

A slow start from Tavistock resulted in the squad going down 14-0 after the first 15 minutes of the game.

Tavistock picked up during the middle period much to the home crowd delight and the boys dug deep with Doug Lloyd particularly impressive defensively in midfield and Andy Smerdon scoring Tavistock’s only try of the game; however, Paignton continued to drive forward to secure the game as theirs. 

The final score was 26-5 to Paignton and while reflections can be made to player injuries and last minute team changes, in truth, Tavistock’s per-formance on the day did not match that of Paignton’s unbeaten start to the season. 

Tavistock coach Hammy Kerswill said: ‘We were flat to start and after being down 14-0 down after 15 minutes we had a mountain to climb.

‘As soon as we get some consistency with injuries and selection I think we’ll be a difficult  team to beat.’

Although the boys were clearly disappointed with their defeat, the team coaches and supporters were keen to congratulate the squad on their efforts.