THE Devon RFU women’s team, featuring a host of Ivybridge players and a number of former Devonport Services juniors, enjoyed victory at Twickenham on Sunday.

They beat Eastern Counties 37-22 to win the Gill Burns County Championship Division Two title, just 12 months after lifting the Division Three crown.

However, there was Twickenham disappointment for Devon’s senior men’s team and their under-20 men’s side.

The senior men, captained by Plymstock Oaks’ Lewis Paterson, were beaten 50-38 by Cheshire in a mad Bill Beaumont County Championships Division Two final, while the under-20 side, skippered by OPMs Matt Smale, lost 36-22 to Lancashire on Saturday.

Devon’s women, captained by former Devonport Services junior Jess Thomas, got a dream start in their final and went 19-0 up after just 17 minutes.

Mollie Pepper got them underway with a fine try on the left, which Ivybridge’s Beth Plumpton converted.

Okehampton winger Izzy Edworthy then scored two dream tries. Her first came on the left on 12 minutes before five minutes later she ran the full length of the field to score a stunning interception try, which Plumpton converted.

East Counties did pull a try back before half-time with a touch-down from close range by hooker Danielle Hall to make it 19-5.

That effort seemed to give Eastern Counties confidence and they scored two more tries early in the second half courtesy of prop Sophia John and Charlotte Mountford to make it a two-points game.

But Devon, who were still down to 14 men after Charleigh Hopkin had been yellow carded, stopped their momentum with Plumpton kicking a penalty on 56 minutes to edge the 22-17 in front.

And Eastern Counties then picked up a yellow card themselves and Devon kicked the resultant penalty to move eight points ahead.

With former Devonport Services youngster Sammie Harris coming on to inspire Devon, the Green and Whites finished strongly.

Replacement Kat Cramp scored a try from close range in the 73^rd minutes, with the ever-reliable Plumpton converted.

And in the 79^th minute former English Schools’ 100m hurdles medallist Harris showed her speed to score a stunning try in the right corner, having picked the ball up on the left.

Eastern Counties did score an injury-time consolation effort, but it did not take the joy away from Devon, who included Ivybridge’s Hannah Lumley, Michaela Dorrian, Chloe Huxter, Hopkin, Plumpton and Katie Bounsall in their squad.

Devon’s men had a bit of a nightmare opening 26 minutes to their Division Two final as they found themselves 31-7 down, but they came back and really threatened and Cheshire needed two late penalties at the end to seal the game.

Devon did get the perfect the start with Brixham’s Andre Simonetti scoring after less than two minutes after Paterson had done really well following a line-out steal by Ivybridge’s Will Peakman.

Joel Ashworth added the conversion, but then it all went wrong for Devon, with Cheshire scoring four unanswered tries and a penalty.

Will Morris scored Cheshire’s first try following a chip-and-chase and Mark Williams added the conversion and he also added a penalty 10 minutes later.

Hooker Joe Saunders, scrum-half Tom Akehurst and Ciaran Connolly added further tries for Cheshire, all converted by Williams, to go 31-7 ahead.

But Okehampton’s Richard Friend gave Devon some hope going into the second half when he went over under the posts in the 34^th minute for a converted try.

Simonetti scored again after the interval to reduce the gap to 10 points, but Cheshire’s impressive scrum-half Akehurst added a second try after good play by flanker Harrison Crowe.

Both sides were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes after a flare up after the try and that seemed to work in Devon’s favour.

Brixham’s Louie Drennan scored under the posts for Devon in the 50^th minute to close the gap to 10 points again.

Williams did kick a penalty to edge Cheshire 41-28 in front, but an interception try by Okehampton’s Leon Horn, which Ashworth converted, reduced the gap to just six points.

Both sides traded penalties to leave the game at 44-38 going in the final 12 minutes.

But Cheshire made sure of the victory with the prolific Williams kicking two penalties in the final six minutes.

There was also disappointment for Devon’s under-20 men who lost 36-22 to Lancashire on Saturday before England’s game with France.

OPMs’ Matt Smale had put Devon ahead with a penalty, but Lancashire replied with a try by Tom Hesketh.

However, Devon went back in front with a fine touch-down by Kingsbridge’s Tom Winzer after good play by Smale in the build-up.

Lancashire, though, took a 15-10 half-time lead thanks to a try by winger Vinny Durcan and a penalty by Dan Slawson.

The northern side extended their lead after the interval with a try by centre Louis Callow, but Devon got back into it with hooker Kieran Docherty touching down from a catch-and-drive move.

The game, though, just got away from them with Harry Coxhill and Olli Mills scoring tries for Lancashire to move them 36-15 ahead going into the last five minutes.

But Devon, with Oaks’ Archie Gray and Jake Parkes in the squad, never stopped trying and they did get a late converted try courtesy of Brixham number eight Rory Medley.