DEVONPORT Services have opened up a six-point lead at the top of Regional One South West after beating Lydney 38-18 at the Rectory on Saturday.
Services were nowhere near at their best in a match that was switched from Regentsholme on Thursday afternoon due to a waterlogged pitch, but they still did enough to claim another five points.
And with title rivals Chew Valley dropping a point at Matson, Devonport now have a little bit of breathing space at the top of the table with just five games to go.
“We got five points, which is what we wanted, but performance wise it was nowhere near what it could have been,” admitted head coach Ben Russell afterwards.
“We did some silly things to allow them to come back in the first half, so it was a lot closer at half-time than it should have been.
“But we dug in and we scored some lovely tries. Then, when the weather came in, we did what we are good at, however, it was nowhere near a good performance. It was average at best.”
He added: “We have Exmouth next week which is a massive game and if we play like we did this week then we will lose.
“We went off as individuals and didn’t play as a team.
“I think it was just one of those days. We had a few boys missing and the boys that came in did well, but we can’t play like that at Exmouth.”
Services, who were boosted by powerful forward Mark Friend passing a fitness test, started on the front foot and had two attacking line-outs in the opening five minutes, but sixth-placed Lydney defended them well.
However, Devonport did take the lead in the eighth minute when Matt Neyle kicked a penalty in front of the posts.
But their lead only lasted six minutes as Lydney full-back Alex Nelmes scored an unconverted try on the left after Services lost a scrum at the other end of the field and then they got caught out by a kick forward.
The hosts, missing captain Matt Gregory and fellow forward Mike Rickard, just could not seem to put anything together in the opening 25 minutes. But they did finally get a second try when Aiden Taylor ran in under the posts after scrum-half Dan Goldstone had made a half-break and managed to get the off-load away to his hooker.
Neyle added the simple conversion, but straight from the restart Lydney got a penalty that fly-half Drew Roberts kicked to leave his side only two points behind after 30 minutes.
Two minutes later the visitors had winger Henry Sleeman yellow carded for a high tackle on the lively Harrison Coonick.
Services then wasted a glorious chance on the left by trying to over-play, but it actually worked out okay for them as Lydney’s clearing kick was picked up by Coonick, who ran it back from his own half to score an outstanding solo try, which Neyle converted.
But the last word of the half went to Lydney, with Roberts kicking another penalty to make it 17-11 after Services had messed up at the other end by tapping a penalty and losing the ball rather than kicking for the corner.
Devonport did move clear of their visitors 10 minutes after the break when the referee awarded them a penalty try after a great catch-and-drive move was illegally stopped right on the try line.
That made it 24-11 to the hosts and then the heavens opened and most of the rest of the game was played in torrential rain.
Midway through the second half, Services secured the all-important bonus point when replacement Tyler Busfield scored from a line-out move to make it 31-11.
Busfield was then yellow carded as Lydney pressed and the visitors did get a second try when winger Conal Mills scored on the right.
However, the final word went to Services and the impressive Coonick, who showed his great speed to win the race to a kick forward to score his second try of the match.
Old Techs and Tavistock III both progressed in the Ellis Trophy on Saturday.
Techs came from 12-0 down to beat the Peninsula Medical School 22-17 at Weston Mill and set up a semi-final meeting with Plympton Victoria.
Dale Thompson and Dan Pullen scored unconverted first half tries as they trailed 12-10 at the break before Billy Evans put them 17-12 in front after the interval with a touch-down, which he also converted.
The Medics came back to level at 17-17, but a second Pullen try secured Techs the victory.
“It was another positive for us,” said Techs chairman David Evans.
“They (Medics) went 12-0 up in the first 20 minutes. As you would expect, they had some strong young lads who could all play rugby and it just took us a while to get to terms with them.
“But it was good and there is a good vibe around the club at the moment. The only downside was we did pick up a few injuries.”
James Douglas, Josh O’Hare and Sion Norville were among those to pick up injuries.
Meanwhile, Tavistock III narrowly overcame Plymouth Marjon II 10-7 at Sandy Park.
Dan Yeatman and Ben Palmer scored unconverted tries for the hosts, who had to defend strongly in the second half to secure the win.
In the Duchy Shield, Saltash II reached the final by beating Bude II 33-24 at Moorlands Lane in a tie that saw the lead change hands several times.
The home side took the lead in the 10th minute with a try through Ryan Wilson, converted by Ollie Crawford, but that was matched shortly afterwards by the north Cornwall side to make it 7-7.
Bude then took the lead with an unconverted try and it was not until the 32nd minute that Saltash II went back in front courtesy of number eight Devon Bennett-Murray, with Crawford again adding the conversion. That made it 14-12 and that soon became 21-12 when flanker Alfie Libby went over on the left for another converted effort just before the break.
Bude rallied in the second half and they closed the gap to 21-19
However, the Ashes were not done and extended their lead once more through Wilson after he ran a sublime line to slice through the defence to score a try and make it 26-19.
The Ashes made sure of the victory when winger Pete Reis was put clear and Crawford again added the extras.
Bude II ended the scoring with a try late on in what became difficult conditions as a downpour made continuity difficult.
Pictures are low resolution and are protected by copyright so should not be used without permission.