A LAST-gasp penalty by Ben Fallows secured the Plymouth Combination a narrow 15-14 victory over Torbay Sharks at Brickfields on Saturday.
The Combination representative side had not been behind until the 78th minute when the Sharks scored a converted try to go 14-12 in front.
But the home team got an attacking scrum 30 metres out in the dying seconds and from the set-piece the Sharks were penalised and University of Plymouth student Fallows calmly slotted the ball between the uprights to win the match for his side.
It was the Combination’s second win in the space of eight days after coming back to beat the Plymouth Academicals 33-26 also at Brickfields.
They had almost a completely different team to that one on Saturday to face the Sharks, who included players from Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Dartmouth, Torquay and Brixham among their side.
Last year the two teams had played out a high-scoring thriller at Newton Abbot, which the Sharks won 34-31.
However, tries were in short supply this time around as both teams made a lot of errors and tried to force passes.
The Combination, captained by Liskeard-Looe’s Adam Powell, got a good start when Devonport Services and University of Plymouth centre Charlie Groves scored a fine try on the right after the home team had turned the Sharks over following a line-out on the other side of the field and then threw the ball out wide quickly.
But that was to be the only score of a first half that did see both teams reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes following a touchline scuffle.
The Sharks did pull level eight minutes into the second period when they were awarded a penalty try following a catch-and-drive move.
However, the Combination restored their lead in the 60th minute when Tamar Saracens centre Greg Parrott went over on the right for an unconverted try.
Billy Evans came within inches of increasing the Combination’s lead 10 minutes later, but he was just held up on the line under the posts.
And with time running out it look like the Sharks might have won the match when lock Jon Arnold touched down from close range and Dan Force added the conversion.
But the Sharks then had a man yellow carded and with time up the home side were awarded a penalty that Fallows put over to secure the victory.
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