South West one (West)

teignmouth 24

Okehampton 40

AFTER blitzing their opposition in the first half, the Okes incurred a second half scare before sealing another five point victory on the road.

Bitton Park has not been a happy hunting ground for the Okes in recent years; however, when the visitors raced off to a big lead towards the end of the first half, few would have expected the second half that was to come.

The Okes kicked off with the benefit of a decent breeze with a surface which suited them and they ran the ball to good effect throughout an open first 40 minutes.

It was the hosts, struggling to escape the confines of the bottom three, who were first on the board.

A loose, wind assisted pass from the Okes gave Teignmouth the opportunity to pile in and gain an early penalty chance. Home out half Lidstone landed the kick for an early three point home advantage.

The next 30 minutes was dominated by the Maroon and Ambers as they took every opportunity to stretch the Teigns outside defensive mettle.

The first Oke score arrived on nine minutes. Captain Tom McGrattan set the Okes on their way, receiving a well timed pass from Dan Fogerty on the short side and scooted through a gap to give the visitors a lead they would never relinquish. Full back Richie Friend added the extra two points.

McGrattan was involved in the Okes second score as well, one that began via a midfield set scrummage. Relishing the conditions underfoot, the Okes broke blind via their skipper who fed scrum half Joey Bruce; the Okes number nine set off at pace and used winger Ryan Lee as a decoy; a slick dummy and step inside the full back followed before a diving climax that stretched the visitors’ lead to 14-3, after another successful Friend conversion.

The Okes were now in full flow, although at times while dominating the first half they failed to get enough men to the breakdown, thus letting their hosts temporarily off the hook. When the Okes did go through the phases though, Teignmouth did not have enough pace to cope.

The Okes scored their third try in the 20th minute when, Kieran Leethe hacked ahead and won the foot-race to make it 21-3. Richie Friend again adding the two additional points.

The scores were now coming thick and fast and it was the prolific Kieran Lee who was soon to bag his brace. Swift, sweet hands by the Oke backline up the flank put the left winger in space to race clear for another slick score. For once Friend was awry with the kick, but at 26-3 the Okes were firmly in control.

Entering the last five minutes of the opening half, knock-ons a plenty were going unnoticed and the Teigns finally gained possession and territory in the Okes’ half. They entered the Okes’ 22 yard line on the front foot before Friend intervened.

The Okes full back pilfered a superb turnover and set off straight through the flimsy ruck cover and set off downfield and had enough pace to run in under the bar for a superb solo score.

The obligatory self conversion followed and at 33-3 the Teigns were shell-shocked and staring down the barrel of a heavy defeat.

To their credit though they came right back at the Okes and were soon on the attack once more. The ball was moved left from a ruck on the Okes’ 22 but a miss-pass in midfield was perfectly read by Okes’ centre.

Bevon Armitage before he set off for what seemed to be the Okes sixth try of the half. However the referee adjudged him offside and awarded a home penalty. Needing no second invitation, the Teigns seized their opportunity via a catch and drive that resulted in Alex Ford crossing for a score, that when converted by Lidstone made it 33-10 at the turnaround. The Okes had made changes from the bench and early stages of part two were littered with unforced errors from both sides.

Teignmouth’s gander was now up and fighting for the South West one lives they slowly started to eat into the Okes sizeable lead. First centre Ford scored his second try between the posts for a try converted by Lidstone. Then five minutes later, centre Matt Laventure cut an angle after a repelled catch and drive attempt, slipping a missed tackle on his way to reducing the deficit to a mere nine points with a quarter of this intriguing contest remaining.

Quite how the match had turned around and the Okes lead whittled away, no-one was sure. The crowd were now sensing an upset, whilst the Okes needed to regroup and reawaken the efforts to match their impressive first half showing.

A first penalty award of the half finally came the Okes way and they started to make inroads into the hosts twenty two, the backs looking threatening again without quite making the required breakthrough. Finally the score to seal the deal and ease the visiting nerves arrived and it was the ever influential Friend who was heavily involved. His initial turnover the catalyst for more Okes attacking thrust, carried on in imitable style by Karl Pearce who made inroads deep into the home 22; he offloaded superbly in the tackle to the supporting Friend who ploughed over by the posts to finally kill off the stubborn home resistance. He slotted the extras, to make it a much more comfortable 40-24 scoreline entering the last five minutes.

There was still time for the hosts to rally once more, as they sought a losing bonus point as result of four tries of their own.

They set up camp in the Okes’ 22, throwing everything at the Oke defence. Admirably though, they refused to buckle and it was centre Rhys Palmer who stole a smart turnover which allowed the Okes to boot the ball off the pitch to bring about the final whistle.

An end to end intriguing battle had finally come to its conclusion. There were some impressive early play by the Okes, enough to secure victory.

Five welcome points were accumulated, with some impressive individual performances to boot.