South West one (West)

LYDNEY 8

OKEHAMPTON 12

THE depleted Okehampton team dug deep to record a remarkable victory in adversity, with a performance brimful of passion, commitment and dogged determination.

The visitors travelled with a much changed side, missing seven of the first team squad. Taking into account they also suffered two yellow cards and lost their talismanic player coach to injury in the first five minutes, this win on the road really was achieved against all the odds.

On a dark afternoon, floodlights were on from the off whilet a sticky surface lay underfoot. Demonstrating the benefit of having a strong, second team to step up to the plate, the Okes’ line-up was a much changed from last week. Back into the front row came Joe Mawle, while Callum Pillivant made his first team debut appearance.

The match kicked off in front of a large partisan Severnside crowd. Almost immediately, the huge hits began and the home number eight was forced from the field with an injury almost directly from the initial drop out. Two minutes later, the Okes suffered another crushing blow when Gareth Evans suffered a broken ankle while defending one of the hosts’ first attacks.

The match was held up whilst the Okes’ player coach  was stretchered from the field – all at ORFC send him best wishes for a speedy recovery.

As a result fellow player coach Rob Dugard, was forced into the fray far earlier than anticipated. Somewhat shell shocked, the Okes were soon forced to defend as the hosts took play to the visitors’ 22 yard line. As they looked to move the ball wide, a pass in midfield was picked off by Okes’ centre Bevon Armitage and he set off downfield forcing the home backline to turn and chase; he had just enough gas to get home to give the Okes’ the lead against the run of play. Kieran Lee, slotted the simple conversion and the Okes were 7-0  up in the tenth minute.

The Okes’ set scrum was holding its own but it was becoming increasingly apparent that the maroon and ambers would spend long periods without the ball, as the hosts dominated possession through their bulky, experienced pack. The home side battered away for the next five minutes but the Okes defence held firm. Eventually Oke flanker Dean Abrams was able to relieve the pressure via another intercept, and he linked with Gareth Espin taking the play back into the Lydney half.

On 19 minutes the ball went blind where winger Kieran Lee hit the line at pace but he was tackled just short of the hosts’ try line. Possession was recycled and Rob Dugard was on hand to force his way over for the Okes second try. The difficult conversion was wide, but at 12-0 down the home crowd looked bemused, wondering how, at the end of the first quarter,  they could be trailing by two scores. The Okes had to live off scraps for the majority of the remainder of the first half.

The Okes’ defence though was magnificent throughout.  The second row of Brad Curtis and Sam Turner tackling tirelessly, ably supported by back rowers Paul Lawrence, Dean Abrams and Callum Pillivant. The front row of Mawle , Dugard and Pat Nash were shoring up the fringes effectively and as half time approached, despite losing Armitage to a yellow card, it looked like the visitors might be able to hold onto their valuable 12-point lead. However, when scrum half Luke Simmons attempted a clearance kick from the back of a defensive ruck it was charged down and it bounced kindly for the hosts and a try resulted. The kick was wide but at 12-5 when the interval arrived, the Okes knew they had another tough forty minute shift ahead of them.

The match restarted and the third quarter followed  a similar pattern to the second; with the Okes on the back foot but defending heroically with the only the occasional bout of respite.

Lydney were monopolising possession and territory, but they failed to break the Okes’ defensive line with the midfield being shored up superbly by Palmer, Armitage and McGrattan.

The penalty count against the Okes increased as the hosts ramped up the pressure, but somehow the resolute Okes kept them at bay until a 64th minute penalty was awarded bang in front of the uprights. The hosts elected to kick and reduced the lead to a mere four points with a quarter of an hour remaining. The backs to the wall effort continued as the home side pummelled the Okes’ defence but with their runners failing to cross the whitewash. It was like the Alamo now as the Okes defensive heroics continued. Replacement Karl Pearce was everywhere and even though the Okes lost fellow replacement Tom Powell to the sin bin, they somehow still held the hosts out.

Into the last minute and the Okes were again entrenched on their own try line.

The hosts had one last surge and thought they had scored the match winning try but were just short.

The ref blew for time and the Okes briefly rejoiced, before falling to their knees due to sheer amount of effort they had put into their defence throughout this nerve wracking encounter. 

This was possibly the greatest defensive effort the Okes have ever put in.

Previously they might have lost this type of tight encounter on the road, but this side is made of sterner stuff and the heart they showed brought a deserved reward.