DEVONPORT Services suffered a second successive one-score loss as they were narrowly edged out 12-5 away at fifth-placed Luctonians.
Seven days earlier, Services had suffered injury-time heartbreak as Old Redcliffians scored a converted try with the last play of the game to win 26-20.
Had they won both games, Devonport would have only been six points from safety, but instead they remain 14 points away from the third-from-bottom side, which is now Exeter University.
Services head coach Ben Russell admitted it was a ‘real shame’ his side had not got more out of the last two weeks for the effort they have put in, but he was really pleased with their performance in Herefordshire on Saturday against a team who are known for their home form.
“We were brilliant,” said Russell. “The front-row boys were outstanding. They (Luctonians) have one of the best scrums in the league, but we had parity and won more penalties than they did against us.
“Defence from the boys was also brilliant.
“We were trailing at half-time, but the whole of the second half we were in their half. We scored a try, but we just made a few errors at decisive times, but we were brilliant.
“We should have won, but we have come away from Luctonians with a point and only conceded 12 points. We were unreal in defence and in the work-rate the boys put in.
“If we perform like that at home every week, we will get points out of every game we play.”
Luctonians went 12-0 up inside the first 25 minutes with tries by Owen Randell and Owien Harriott-Davis, but then Services started to put the pressure on.
The home side had Charlie Grimes yellow carded just before the break, but Devonport could not make the breakthrough then.
However, within four minutes of the second half they did score when George Pooley finished off a good move in the corner.
Services dominated territory and in the 69th minute Luctonians had Bryn Goodall yellow carded before Rob Bengry was also sin-binned in the closing minutes, which showed the pressure the visitors were putting on.
Unfortunately, for Devonport, Luctonians, who had finished second in the league last season, managed to hang on and claim the four points.
Services did bring on Sam Bennett in the second half after he has returned to rugby after nearly two years out.
REGIONAL ONE SOUTH WEST
IVYBRIDGE were well and truly brought back down to earth on Saturday as they were beaten 68-19 away at leaders Brixham.
The Bridgers had shocked title-chasing Barnstaple the previous week, but after that result Brixham had no intention of under-estimating their South Hams opponents.
The home side stormed into a 14-0 lead thanks to early tries by Tom Drennan and ex-Ivybridge player Mitch Pinkus.
The Bridgers, who lost backs Charlie Teague and Adam Lilley with injuries in the opening 10 minutes, did pull a try back when Mikey Jenson went over from a maul, but then Brixham went 21-7 in front with another touch-down by Drennan.
The home side then had former Albion winger Matt Crosscombe sin-binned and the Bridgers scored a second try courtesy of Adam Northcott, which Giles Clarke converted, to make it 21-12 midway through the first half.
But Brixham finished the opening 40 minutes strongly and a penalty and two tries from JP Simonetti gave the home side a 38-12 advantage.
After the interval, Brixham added another three-pointer before Ivybridge did get a third try through Harry Lakeman to give them hope of getting something out of the game.
But they were unable to get a fourth try and Brixham pulled away with further tries by JP Simonetti, Crosscombe (2) and Scott Puleston, alongside another penalty kick.
“It was a wake-up call, massively,” said Ivybridge head coach Davy McGregor afterwards.
“A neutral might have seen how well we were doing, but, a bit like against Launceston, you give Brixham a sniff and they just score and suddenly you find them four scores in front.
“We lost Charlie Teague and Adam Lilly in the first 10 minutes, which completely killed our reshuffle. Then we had another couple of injured boys just having to limp through for the rest of the game and against a team like Brixham you need able bodies.
“My issue was that we didn’t get a bonus point.”
He added: “Last week was a fantastic win, but you can’t score and concede, score and concede. We knew we had to try and stay in the fight, but we conceded quite early on.
“In the first 10 minutes last week we were exceptional, but this week we kind of fell off system and the intensity and they scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes.
“Also, every penalty they got in front of the posts they took. They played the scoreboard very well.
“Thankfully now we have a week to recover as playing Launceston, Barnstaple and Brixham have really taken it out of us.”
The defeat, coupled with Chew Valley surprisingly beating Exmouth, means that Ivybridge are now bottom of the table, seven points away from safety.
COUNTIES ONE WESTERN WEST
TAVISTOCK claimed only their third win of the season as they edged out fellow strugglers St Ives 16-15 in a nail-biter at Sandy Park.
The victory – Tavistock’s first since mid-November – means the second-from-bottom west Devon side are now just three points behind St Ives and Bude, who sit in the ninth and 10th spots, respectively.
“It was a cracking game and it was nice to get a win,” said player-coach Hammy Kerswill.
“It was one of those games that was great to play in, but it was also one of those games that you would have loved to have watched as it went back and forth.
“After the match, their captain gave us credit and said we were the worthy winners, but it could have been a coin toss.
“Some of his words were probably true as we were camped in their half for a lot, but we weren’t necessarily clinical, but that’s probably because we haven’t been creating scoring opportunities for weeks. They defended quite well.
“But as I said before the game, having possession for lengthy periods will eventually pay off and it did in the end.
“It was brilliant and a really good day for the club.”
Tavistock did go behind early on after Chris Watts was yellow carded for what the referee deemed a deliberate knock-on.
However, they did not concede anymore points while down to 14 men and they did close the gap to 5-3 with a Freddie Fuller penalty.
“Then it was a bit of an arm-wrestle for the rest of the half,” said Kerswill.
“It was just back and forth and a bit of a stalemate, although it was good rugby.”
Neither side could add another score before the interval, but straight after it, Tavistock went in front with another Fuller penalty after St Ives picked up a yellow card.
But the visitors responded with a try to go 10-6 ahead.
However, Tavistock were having plenty of territory and they regained the lead with a catch-and-drive try from hooker Kerswill.
Andrew Schuttkacker then added a second try after a good scrum pushed St Ives back and the experienced number eight picked up and dived over the line from two metres out. That made it 16-10 to Tavistock.
But in a nip-and-tuck contest, St Ives responded with an unconverted try with 20 minutes to go
“We camped in their 22 for the last 20 minutes,” said Kerswill. “We were held up and made a couple of knock-ons and they really struggled to get out until the last five minutes. They worked their way out and got to about halfway, but we turned them over and kicked out.”
There was late heartbreak for Plymstock Oaks at Horsham Fields as they were edged out 32-28 by second-placed Pirates Amateurs.
Oaks were 28-18 up with just seven minutes to go, but the Pirates scored two tries in two minutes at the death to snatch the victory and move just four points behind leaders Paignton with a game in hand.
The defeat has seen Oaks drop down to fourth in the table behind Barnstaple II, who ended Paignton’s unbeaten home record on Saturday with a 33-19 victory at Queen’s Park.
Oaks, keen to prove a point after a 50-3 away defeat to the Pirates in October, made a great start to Saturday’s game with full-back Alex Chapman scoring a converted try within three minutes.
The Pirates cut their lead to 7-5 in the 20th minute with an unconverted try by winger Dan Evans.
However, lock Kieran Jamieson went over for Oaks’ second try straight from the restart. Lewie Riley added the conversion to put the home team 14-5 ahead.
Evans scored a second for the Pirates before Chapman also crossed again to make it 21-10 after 35 minutes.
Just before the break, Ben Wragg kicked a penalty for the visitors to leave the half-time score at 21-13.
Midway through the second period, the Pirates cut the gap further when Eli Williams crossed the whitewash.
But with just eight minutes of normal time to go, Oaks looked like they might have sealed the win when Riley went over for their fourth try of the afternoon to put his side 10 points up.
Yet in the 79th minute, Sam Carroll gave the Pirates hope with a try and almost from the restart, the visitors secured the win with a last-gasp touch-down by centre Josh Semmens.
COUNTIES TWO CORNWALL
SALTASH moved a giant step closer to the Counties Two Cornwall title by beating second-placed Helston 40-17 at Moorlands Lane on Saturday.
The top-of-the-table clash was a lot tighter than the scoreline suggests and the Ashes had to work really hard for the victory, especially in the second half when they went down to 13 players for a spell while playing up the slope.
But they dug deep and with experienced full-back Ryan Cruickshanks bagging a hat-trick of tries they secured another vital five points.
The win should have moved them 15 points clear, having played 15 of their 22 games. However, Veor have dropped out the league and so all their results have been scratched over the weekend, which instead leaves Saltash 10 points clear at the top, albeit with a game in hand over second-placed Helston.
The axing of Veor’s results also means that according to the new table, the Ashes have only played 13 games, although they will still only have seven matches to play.
Saltash, who have only lost once in the league in the last 13 months, will need four bonus-point wins from their final seven fixtures to guarantee the title after narrowly missing out for the past two seasons.
“I know it is a bit cliché, but we are not talking about promotion yet,” said Saltash’s director of rugby Steve Down. “We are just looking at the next job and then the next job.
“We have got Wadebridge II at home next week. It’s an off-week so you don’t know what type of team they might bring. In this league, with only one up, you just can’t afford to take anything for granted or take your foot off the gas at any moment.
“We are just working hard and just enjoying our rugby at the minute.”
In the last two seasons, Saltash have been locked in a tussle right down to the final week, whereas this year they do now have a bit of breathing space.
“In terms of that, I think the pressure is a little bit off us,” said Down. “But I think we have to keep the pressure on ourselves as we know just one or two slips up would mean it is really hairy again.
“Helston are a very good side. The only team they have lost to is us, so I don’t feel very safe at the moment. I feel we need to keep our foot on the gas and keep going.”
Down admitted his team had to work really hard for Saturday’s win.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “We knew they would be strong and would come wanting to try and turn us over. I think we were a scalp that they wanted. Credit to them, they made it really hard work for us.
“But I was really pleased with the battle from the lads. We went down to 13 players, but they (Helston) didn’t score and I think that was a bit of a turning point in the game.
“We have come through two really stern tests now (Perranporth and Helston) and we have ticked a few boxes that we haven’t managed to tick in the last few seasons, so I’m happy.”
He added: “The last couple of weeks have tested my nerves, but I am really pleased with the outcome.
“The boys have really responded well to the stress and the pressure.
“We need to get used to playing under that kind of pressure. When we do hit our stride and do something really magical, we can cut teams apart, but it is about been able to operate under pressure that we are not used to. It is just that speed of thought and being composed, but we will get used to it.”
Saltash made a great start on Saturday with captain James Moriarty scoring on the left after good play by Danny Snook. Jack Pritchard added the conversion to put the home side 7-0 up.
The Ashes were tackling well but gradually Helston got into the game and they pulled a try back when full-back Ayden Earnshaw crossed on the right after a brilliant run through the middle by prop Rowan Lawrence.
Saltash lost a bit of composure then, but they took control of the game in the final 12 minutes of the half with three tries.
Lewis Wells pulled then 14-5 clear when he scored a fine try from a line-out that went to the back. He had actually helped win the set-piece with a kick through that caused Helston problems.
Within four minutes, Cruickshanks had scored Saltash’s third try after some good passing from a line-out on the opposite side. Pritchard again added the conversion.
Helston were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes after a dangerous tackle at the restart and just before the break, Saltash were awarded a penalty try after a good push forward from a five-metre scrum after the visitors had messed up a drop-out.
Saltash, who had played down the slope first, would have been happy switching ends 28-5 ahead.
But Helston came out for the second half fired up and scored two quick tries to threaten a comeback.
Centre Fin Holden scored straight after the interval and then the Ashes had lock Tom Rixson yellow carded.
And within seconds of going down to 14 men, Saltash conceded another try when Helston scrum-half Stevie Trenoweth crossed from close range.
Straight from the restart, the Ashes had replacement prop Ryan Simmons also yellow carded to leave them down to 13 men.
It was looking worrying for the home side at that point, but they really dug deep with 13 players and somehow managed to keep Helston out.
And the Ashes made sure of the win in the final six minutes with Cruickshanks scoring two fine tries.
In the same division, Liskeard-Looe were narrowly beaten 23-22 away at Wadebridge II.
COUNTIES TWO DEVON
OPMs secured a much-needed win as they edged out Dartmouth 12-7 away on Saturday.
It was their first win of 2025 and has given them a little bit of breathing space from the tight relegation battle at the bottom.
They stay in seventh place, but they are now four points clear of eighth-placed Tamar Saracens and five points clear of second-from-bottom Dartmouth.
Considering how tight the league is, it was a match OPMs could not really afford to lose.
“It was really good to get a win,” said captain Fred Smale. “I think the boys deserved it as they really put in a shift.
“I would say we defended for about 60 minutes of the game, but we made the moments count.
“We dogged it out and dug in to get the win.”
Winger Tom Rayner gave OPMs the lead with a try out wide in the first half.
Prop Sonny Rowe added their second after some strong play by the visiting forwards. Fred Smale converted that try to make it 12-0.
Dartmouth did score with the last play of the game to rescue a losing bonus point, which could yet be vital.
Plymouth Argaum are now bottom of the table after they lost 40-32 in a high scoring affair at fellow strugglers South Molton.
Both sides had started the new year well, with Argaum winning two in a row and South Molton beating OPMs away last week.
But Argaum’s run was finally ended at Unicorn Park, where they were left frustrated to only pick up one point.
They should have at least returned home with two points, but they missed a conversion almost in front of the posts with the last play.
“We started slowly,” said Argaum head coach Dean Avery. “I think we went three tries down, but we managed to get ourselves back into the game. Up front we were the better team.
“Second half we came out of the blocks and got a couple of early scores and it looked like we were in a position to win the game.
“But there was a scrum on our five. We pushed them off the ball but it bobbled out and they picked it up and scored. That was a bit of a turning point really.
“With five minutes to go we managed to win a scrum against the head and we moved the ball and we scored under the sticks, but we missed the kick that would have given us a second bonus point. That was frustrating, but it was positive that we travelled reasonably strong.”
He added: “It’s fine scoring 30 points but not conceding 40. Our defence was disappointing and that’s what has cost us the game unfortunately.”
Ryan Neagle scored two tries for Argaum, with Sam Faulkner and Darren Ewers also crossing the whitewash to go with a penalty try.
Tamar Saracens find themselves looking over their shoulders now after they were beaten 38-3 away at fifth-placed Withycombe on Saturday.
It was their seventh defeat in a row and leaves them just one point above South Molton, Exmouth II and Dartmouth and just five ahead of bottom side Argaum.
“It will click,” said director of rugby Pete Lethbridge after Saturday’s loss. “We weren’t overly disappointed with the performance, but it was just the finer detail.
“It is hard as the boys are putting in the graft and they want to turn it around, but it’s a tough league.”
He added: “We showed lots of guts and determination (against Withycombe), but they are good at home.
“Scrummaging and line-outs went well, ruck and mauling went well and the backs played well to a certain degree but we just didn’t have enough ball.”
Rob Hall scored their only points with a first-half penalty.
Withycombe played down their slope first half and went 26-3 in front with first half tries by Joe Parkin, Matthew Edworthy, Joe Blyth and Tom Cooke.
The second half was more even, but Liam Daniel and Liam Cullen added further tries for Withycombe in the final 20 minutes.
At the other end of the table, third-placed Devonport Services II bagged another win with an impressive 63-24 triumph away at Exmouth II.
The visitors claimed nine tries at the Imperial Ground, which were all converted by Leighton Stark.
Services II went 21-0 ahead with touch-downs from Sam Fincham, Cam Donkin and Josh Martin before Exmouth pulled one back.
However, Devonport’s second string finished the half strongly with further tries by Stark and Dan Beer to make the half-time score 35-5.
Elliot Lupson increased that to 42-5 after the interval, before Exmouth II came back a bit with three penalties and a try to make it 42-19.
Yet further tries by Hayden Thomas, Ryan Dunn and Josh Anderson, all converted by Stark, made it 63-19. Exmouth did score a consolation effort late on.
COUNTIES THREE
IVYBRIDGE II moved back to the top of Devon South & West after they comfortably beat Plymstock Oaks II 81-0 at Cross-in-Hand.
The Bridgers’ second string ran in 13 tries and overcame the sending off of the returning Marcus Prout on 43 minutes.
Seb Musgrave, Aaron Joynt, Toby Hosking, Matt Gilbury, Jack Mitchell, Conor Measor (2), Harry West, Sam Wilmington, Ryan Cox and Josh Measor (2) were all among the tries, while Luke Martell kicked eight conversions.
“It was another great win for our twos,” said Ivybridge head coach Davy McGregor. “They have a big game against Old Techs next week and hopefully some of the first team boys will go and watch them.”
Old Techs were without a game, and they dropped down to third with both Ivybridge II and Brixham II picking up five points.
Plympton Victoria were encouraged by their display in a 35-15 defeat to fifth-placed Paignton II, who last week had beaten Old Techs 47-24.
Plym Vic had lost 56-8 to Paignton II earlier in the season.
“It was certainly an improvement on the last time we played them,” said chairman Chris Hunt.
“It was very pleasing actually. The coach is still annoyed as he thinks we should still be doing better, but it is about the small steps forward.
“We battled it out and we are getting there.”
Jordan Blair and Ethan Pringle scored tries for Plym Vic, with Chris Barrett kicking the rest of their points.
In the new-look Counties Three Cornwall, a strong Saltash II side pushed second-placed St Agnes hard away from home before going down 18-7.
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