AIDEN TAYLOR became the first Devonport Services player to score a National League hat-trick on Saturday at Macclesfield, but it was not enough for the Plymouth side to claim their first win of the season.
Services were beaten 47-35 by their fellow strugglers in Cheshire – a result which leaves them 12 points off safety after eight games.
“It was a close game,” said Taylor afterwards.
“We were really in it at least, which was nice, and hopefully when they come to our place it will be a different result.
“We got a bonus point, and we’ll look to go again in two weeks’ time.
“We can’t wait for a rest week and try and get some boys back from injury.”
Services’ head coach Ben Russell added: “We just conceded crucial tries when we were in it and leaked a couple of soft tries through the backline defence.
“We are just leaking too many tries at the moment, that’s our problem and we just have to try and fix that.”
Services will have their first rest week of the season this coming Saturday.
“It will be nice to have a week off and be able to rest tired bodies,” said Russell.
Devonport, who already have a long list of injuries, did pick up another in Cheshire, with back-rower Liam Jarvis having to go off early due to a back problem.
Services were leading at that time after Taylor had put them ahead with a try from a driving maul, which Richard West converted.
Macclesfield pulled level with a converted touch-down from Sam Adu before edging in front with a try by Mason Winterburn.
The visitors responded and retook the lead with a fine try from the 22 by scrum-half Dan Goldstone, which West again converted.
But the home side scored a third try to go 19-14 ahead through Jamie Harrison.
Services thought they had also scored a third just before half-time, but they were ruled to have been held up over the line.
After the interval, Adu and Taylor exchanged tries to leave the game poised at 26-21 after 50 minutes.
Macclesfield scored again but once again Services responded with Taylor bagging his third from another maul.
There was still just five points between the sides at that point, but Macclesfield got ahead after Services had fly-half Richard West yellow carded for what the referee deemed a no arms tackle midway through the second half.
Winger Harrison scored two more converted tries for Macclesfield to put them 47-28 ahead, but Services did score a fifth try in the closing stages through Shaun Crawford.
REGIONAL ONE SOUTH WEST
IVYBRIDGE secured a much-needed win as they beat bottom side Chew Valley 43-35 in Somerset on Saturday.
It was only their second victory of the season – and their first away from home – and it ended a run of four heavy defeats for the Cross-in-Hand club.
However, despite the five-point success, they do remain in the relegation zone as Sidmouth also triumphed at the weekend, but in a tight league, the Bridgers are now only five points off sixth place.
“This has given us a stepping stone,” said Ivybridge team manager Neil Thomson.
“We could easily have won by more, but it’s five points and come the end of the season you might not remember the match, but you’ll remember the five points if it gets you out of trouble.
“It was a positive step, but we have to win a couple more matches now.
“Yet we have got a lot of 19 and 20 year-old boys in the team who are doing a great job.”
Ivybridge were boosted by having on-loan Plymouth Albion lock Dan Collier available for the first time since their home win over Sidmouth.
They were also able to welcome back fly-half Henry Burke, who was once at Chew Valley, while prop Elliot Harwood and winger Harry Lakeman came in for their full debuts.
Ivybridge got off to a great start and went 19-0 up after just 12 minutes.
They were awarded an early penalty try after they looked like they were going to score from a catch-and-drive move. Chew were also reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes for illegally stopping the maul.
Dan Skeemer then scored an interception try from the halfway before Burke produced a nice pass to put Lakeman in to score in the corner.
Burke was then yellow carded by referee Drew Meakin for a high tackle and Chew did pull a try back from a maul, but just before half-time, Ivybridge made it 26-7 with a try by Burke after his half-back partner James Cantin had done well.
The Bridgers started the second half on the front foot, but they could not turn their pressure into points and Chew produced a good counterattack to score under the posts and cut the gap to 12 points.
But the home side were then reduced to 13 men for 10 minutes after two players were yellow carded for a high tackle.
Burke kicked the resultant penalty to put Ivybridge 29-14 in front.
Chew did close the gap to eight points when they broke and scored after Ivybridge had messed up an attacking line-out, but tries by Dan Collier and Ben Fallows put the visitors in a commanding position.
The home side, who have yet to win this season, did score two converted tries in the final couple of minutes, but it could not deny Ivybridge a vital five points.
COUNTIES ONE WESTERN WEST
TAVISTOCK were left kicking themselves after narrowly losing 34-30 to fellow strugglers Bude at home on Saturday in Western West.
Tavistock had been 20-7 up after 20 minutes and were always in front until the 74th minute.
And even when Bude edge four points head, Tavistock still had a number of great chances to score a winning try, but they just could not take one of them.
They could not have come closer to winning the game in injury-time, but there were ruled to have been held up over the line.
Injured captain and coach Hammy Kerswill said afterwards: “It’s a bit difficult to pinpoint any one thing (for the defeat). It just came down to a few moments.
“We said before the game that the only time they are going to score is if they are in our 22 so don’t give away penalties in the middle of the park.
“But that was probably the biggest thing in the second half, we gave away penalties in the middle of the park that has got them into our half effortlessly – they didn’t have to work to get there.
“The first half was arguably the best we have played this season. The opening three tries were phenomenal. There was some brilliant rugby first half.
“But there was probably a 15-20-minute period where they have got back into the game and we have struggled to come back from that. It was the polar opposite of the Redruth game. I just think it was a few moments that allowed them back in it.”
The first half was a bit of a try fest, with both sides crossing the whitewash four times.
Tavistock scored straight from kick-off. They put together about 12 phases before the impressive Liam Watts scored and Soco O’Connor added the conversion.
But Bude did hit back five minutes later with a try from close range from lock Fred Saxton.
Tavistock, though, then had a purple patch. Charles Bowden scored a try in the left corner before O’Connor kicked a penalty and then Liam Watts went over for his second in the opposite corner to make it 20-7.
Bude did pull one back, but Calum Baker then scored a fine try under the posts, which O’Connor converted, to put Tavistock 27-14 in front.
But in the last eight minutes of the half, Bude got themselves back in the game.
Hooker Rory Mead scored from close range for the visitors before O’Connor missed a penalty at the other end.
Bude then scored a fourth try courtesy of number eight Ben Hancock to make it 27-24.
O’Connor did edge Tavistock six points ahead at the break with a penalty with the last play of the half.
Most of the Sandy Park crowd were probably expecting the try fest to continue after the break, but the second half was the opposite and there was not another score until the final 10 minutes of the contest.
There was little action at all in the opening 25 minutes of the second period, but with 15 minutes to go Bude started to threaten more.
Mead was just denied under the posts by some great tackling by Tavistock and then in the 70th minute, Bude did get a fifth try when winger Ollie Rowland went over in the left corner. Will Pharo could not add the difficult conversion so Tavistock still led by one point with 10 minutes to go.
The visitors had their tails up after that try and four minutes later they scored again when Ollie Denford went over in the corner after Hancock had come close.
Tavistock did lay siege to Bude’s line in the dying minutes. The home side got a number of penalties. They went for a five-metre line-out from one but could not make it tell and debutant hooker Eli Horsfield tapped another and looked like he was going to score but somehow was held up over the line.
Tavistock did have one last chance even after that. They did have an overlap out on the left, but they could not find the final pass and eventually knocked on.
Plymstock Oaks bounced back from their heavy defeat to the Pirates Amateurs last weekend by overcoming Barnstaple II 30-25 at Horsham Fields.
The win keeps Oaks in second place, just one point behind leaders Paignton, who had lost to Barnstaple II the previous week.
“They (Barnstaple) were a very decent side,” said Plymstock head coach Lewis Paterson.
“But we made hard work of it. We couldn’t hit a conversion to save our lives. Lew Riley did step up in the end and put over a penalty and the conversion for our last try, which put us eight points up.
“They had a bit of pressure in our 22 at the end and got a penalty and they decided to kick for posts.
“It was a bit of a game of two halves really. In the first half we did some really good things but also put ourselves under pressure and they scored from it.
“However, second half we came out and we were a bit more physical. Ollie White and Mita (Caqara) who came on were impressive and we just had a better second half.
“Barnstaple were a very well-drilled side and they didn’t have much of a different side out to the one that hammered Paignton last week.
“But we had a good training week as the boys wanted to bounce back (after last week’s defeat) and we did. We grinded the win out. It could have been bigger, if we had got a few other things right, but they are things we can fix in training.”
Oaks did have to come from behind at half-time and they were also behind going into the final 20 minutes of the match.
Scrum-half Jack Tompkins had given Oaks the lead, but Barnstaple levelled before Alex Chapman scored a second try to put the home side 10-5 in front.
However, Barnstaple scored two tries in three minutes just before the break to take a 15-10 lead into the interval.
Tries by Paterson and Corey Jamieson after the interval, put Oaks 20-15 in front, only for Barnstaple to go 22-20 ahead with a converted try.
Oaks, though, took control of the match in the closing stages with Riley kicking a penalty and then Duncan Bibby scoring a converted try to put them eight points clear.
Fifth-placed Barnstaple II did kick a penalty with the last play to secure an away bonus point.
COUNTIES TWO CORNWALL
SALTASH showed their impressive attacking threat as they ran in 13 tries to beat St Austell II 83-0 in a 60-minute ‘game-on’ fixture at Moorlands Lane on Saturday.
The Saints had agreed to hand unbeaten leaders Saltash the walkover before the Counties Two Cornwall match as the club had 33 players on the injury list and so travelled with a weakened team.
The visiting side did battle hard, but they were no match for Saltash, who did blow a number of good chances in the first half before they did find their clinical edge.
James Moriarty was a constant threat in the opening 40 minutes and he scored two tries and had another ruled out, while Ryan Cruickshanks and forwards Ryan Rayner and Tom Rixon also crossed for tries in the first period as the Ashes went 33-0 up.
However, probably the most memorable moment of the first half was when centre Danny Snook somehow dropped the ball in the in-goal area as he tried to get closer to the posts after beating a host of defenders.
Saltash may have been playing up the slope in the second period, but they had the luxury of bringing on prolific winger Will Morton, who scored a second-half hat-trick of tries.
Rixon added a second at the start of the second period, while Snook got the try he should have got in the first half and his centre partner Billy Dover also crossed the whitewash.
Moriarty also bagged two more late on to finish with four for the day.
Scrum-half Jack Pritchard had a good afternoon with the boot as he converted nine of Saltash’s 13 tries.
COUNTIES TWO DEVON
DEVONPORT Services II continued their winning start to the season with a hard-earned 43-25 victory away at South Molton on Saturday.
Services II, playing up the slope first half, led 24-10 at half-time at Unicorn Park thanks to tries by Tyler Busfield, Laird Woodward and Cam Donkin, with Leighton Stark kicking the points.
After the interval, Services II went 43-10 ahead with Ethan Hilland, Josh Martin and Woodward adding further tries.
South Molton did come back to secure a bonus point with three late tries.
OPMs are up to fifth in the table after they bounced back from their home defeat against Dartmouth by beating Topsham II 31-29 away.
The Old Boys produced a remarkable comeback as they were 29-19 down with just five minutes to play at Bonfire Field.
“It was a real nail-biting ending, but if you were a neutral it was a fantastic game to watch,” said OPMs team manager Shaun Grundy.
“The conversation we had at the end of the game was that it was nice to be on the right end of a close game after suffering a couple of defeats with the last play of the game.
“The key is staying in the fight until the very end and not letting heads drop.
“It’s about having that commitment and belief and saying we are two tries down going into the last five but we if with try and push hard enough and keep our heads in it, the win is there for the taking.”
OPMs were 17-7 down at half-time, with Matt Smale scoring their only try in the opening 40 minutes, which he also converted.
The Old Boys did go 19-17 up after 66 minutes thanks to tries by Tom Hughes and Zak Mussa, but Topsham hit back with two tries of their own to take a 10-point lead.
But with just four minutes to go, Dave Broughton got OPMs to within one score and then he levelled the match with a second try in the 79th minute, which Matt Smale converted to win the game for the visitors.
Plymouth Argaum were well and truly brought back down to earth after their win over South Molton last weekend as they were beaten 60-26 away at Dartmouth.
Argaum had to play the whole of the second half with 14 men due to injuries and at one point they even went down to 12, but they did at least return with a bonus point after scoring a late try.
“Tom Worboys, JJ von Hagen and Ryan Dingle, who have been our back-row, were unavailable so we were a little bit light,” said Argaum head coach Dean Avery.
“As we were a bit light up front, we tried to move the ball a bit more but that was probably the wrong decision as it didn’t really work out.
“I probably need to look more at how we set ourselves up for away games.
“We had three injuries early on. Jamie Venner and Sam Faulkner suffered serious shoulder injuries and both went to hospital and then James Lovering went off with a hip issue and by half-time we were down to 14 men.
“We played the whole of the second half with 14 and even went down to 12 at one stage so there was space out-wide for them and they did score a few tries, but fair play to the lads when we kept it tight and went through a few phases we ended up scoring some tries and got a bonus point with the last play of the game. Credit to the guys for sticking at it and that could be an important point.
“But I do have to look at our we conceded 62 points.”
Darren Ewers scored two tries, with Dan Smith also touching down and Kieran Burring scored the one at the end to get Argaum a valuable bonus point.
Tamar Saracens did not have the luxury of even picking up a point as they were beaten 31-20 away at Exmouth II.
Sarries had been 15-12 up at half-time thanks to two tries by Lew Harris and a conversion and a penalty by Rob Hall.
But Exmouth II hit back after the break and took a 31-15 lead before a Joey Pook try from a drive did give Sarries some hope.
“It was a bit too late then,” said Sarries’ Pete Lethbridge.
“We were trying to at least get a bonus point, but we just ran out of time.
“It was frustrating again as we were the better side.
“In the first half we were quite good, our structure was good and we played well, but we did let in a soft try for them to come back into it.
“But at half-time we just said, carry on and we’ll be all right, but in the first 20 minutes of the second half we just went to sleep and they scored a couple of soft tries and so we were then chasing the game.
“It was just silly mistakes that cost us. We were missing a few players, but it was just one of those games that we didn’t manage again.
“It is another tough one as I thought we were the better side, but the scoreline does not reflect that.
“It is just frustrating as we know we can play better than that.”
COUNTIES THREE
OLD Techs continued their unbeaten start to the season in Devon South & West as they beat city rivals Plymstock Oaks II 59-12 at Weston Mill.
Techs are now the top points scorers in the league and are keeping pace with fellow unbeaten side Brixham II, who both have a maximum 25 points from their opening five games.
Techs ran in nine tries on Saturday, with forwards Ollie Davey and Josh O’Hare both bagging two and Brett Tunnicliffe, Kieran Hurrell, Sam Matts, Connor McQueen and Jack Williams also touching down, with Matts adding seven conversions.
“It was good as we had quite a few out as well,” said Techs chairman David Evans. “We had 19 players unavailable.
“But we played really well again. Our support play again was decent.
“I think because we are getting good numbers at training, when new people come into the side, they know the way we are playing rather than just coming in and making it up.
“I was quite nervous before the game as you just don’t know what they might bring down.”
Techs did most of the damage in the first half as they lead 45-5.
They did make a host of replacements second half and it did take them a while to get going again.
Ivybridge II’s unbeaten start was ended by Brixham II, who beat them 28-10 at Cross-in-Hand.
The Ivybridge side paid for a slow first half as they trailed 25-10.
Max Bryan scored the home club’s only try, with Aaron Joynt kicking a conversion and a penalty.
In Counties Three Cornwall, Saltash II overcame Camborne School of Mines 45-7 in front of a big crowd at Moorlands Lane.
The Ashes switched this match to their main event of their vice-presidents’ day after St Austell II handed their first team a ‘game-on’ walkover.
The first half proved very even with the lively students team giving the Ashes a good defensive test, but they eventually were unable to contain the home side after the interval as the Ashes stepped up and got their game together.
Saltash took the lead after 15 minutes following some neat handling through Jason Carroll and Nick Blake added the extra points.
School of Mines hit back five minutes later with a well-worked converted try.
The game swung from one end to another before Fin Jones restored the home advantage just prior to half-time with a converted touch down to make it 14-7.
The Ashes were gradually getting a grip on the game and went further ahead when Carroll broke through the visiting defence on 51 minutes for a converted try.
More tries soon followed from Alfie Libby (2), Ryan Thomas and Ryan Wilson, with Blake kicking a total of five conversions.
Devon Bennett-Murray was making a welcome return to the Ashes and made a significant difference to the side but the whole team contributed to a well-earned victory against a student team that never stopped trying to improve upon their score.
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