TAVISTOCK’S George Hillson and Ivybridge’s Charleigh Hopkin both scored two tries as the Devon men’s and women’s teams claimed Division Three County Championship titles at Twickenham on Sunday.
The Devon men triumphed 39-20 over North Midlands in the Bill Beaumont Cup, while the women convincingly beat Cumbria 53-12 in the Gill Burns Cup.
The men’s side had to work a bit harder for their Twickenham success. They only led 15-13 at half-time, but they pulled away with two tries and a penalty in 11 minutes after the break.
The team featured eight of Devonport Services’ title-winning squad – Rikki Bentham, Aiden Taylor, Andy Pond, James Hocking, Shaun Crawford, Richard West, Matt Gregory and Liam Jarvis – as well as Plymstock Oaks’ Ollie White and Corey Jamieson, Ivybridge’s Henry Trudgill and Tavistock’s Hillson.
Devon, with their scrum impressing, started well and Brixham full-back Joel Ashworth was unlucky with a long-range penalty attempt and then the Green and Whites wasted a glorious chance to score a minute later.
But against the run of play the North Midlands went in front with a hopeful kick forward. The bounce of the ball caught Devon out and winger Tom Saddler touched down and Will Tanner added the conversion.
Former Plymouth Albion winger Matt Crosscombe was just denied a try with a last-gasp tackle that pushed him into touch on 10 minutes, but four minutes later the Brixham man did score.
Ashworth missed that tough conversion, but he did add a penalty on 24 minutes to put Devon into the lead for the first time.
Scrum-half Hillson, who is moving to Launceston next season, then scored his first try of the afternoon after good play by Mitch Pinkus and Robin Edbrooke. Ashworth added the conversion to make it 15-7.
But the North Midlands responded with two Tanner penalties before the break to leave them just two points behind at the interval.
However, the impressive Hillson put Devon back in the driving seat after the break with a fine converted try that was started by a strong run by Gregory.
That made it 22-13 and that quickly became 32-13 with an Ashworth penalty and then a try by replacement Kai Alton after North Midlands totally messed up a line-out close to their line. West, who had come on to orchestrate play, added the conversion.
Sam Brown ran in under the posts to pull a try back for North Midlands, but the final word went to Devon with the powerful Crosscombe going over for his second in the left corner and West, who impressed when he came on, brilliantly converting from the touchline.
The Devon women also produced a dominant second half performance.
They led Cumbria 15-7 at the break.
Ivybridge winger Hopkin had given them the lead with a fine try down the right wing, but Cumbria responded with a converted try by full-back Bethan Lloyd.
However, Devon hit back with a try by Abby Woollett after great play and an off-load by fly-half Mollie Pepper.
Just five minutes later prop Charlotte Gale crossed in the corner to make it 15-7 before Devon had Enya Surtees sin-binned.
It was basically one-way traffic in the second half with Devon scoring six more tries.
Hopkin got the first of those when she scored a stunning length-of-the-field effort down the right wing.
Scrum-half Phoebe Reed then scored from close range before powerful number eight Megan Heath scored two tries back-to-back.
Marjon University student Chloe Huxter then scored a brilliant try from the restart before Pepper finished off the scoring with a deserved try.
As well as Hopkin and Huxter, the Devon team also included Plymstock Oaks full-back Zelah Morgan and Ivybridge’s former Services and Tavistock player Hannah Lumley, who came close to scoring after coming on in the second half.