DEVONPORT Services got their away campaign off to a fine start on Saturday with a 50-19 victory at Royal Wootton Bassett in Regional One South West.
Services did not manage a win on their travels last season in National Two West, but they ran in eight tries in Wiltshire on Saturday against a Royal Wootton Bassett side who had finished eighth in the league last term.
The visitors took less than two minutes to open the scoring at Malmebury Road, and they continued to score at regular intervals over the 80 minutes.
Tom Davies, who bagged their first, and Shaun Crawford both finished the afternoon with two tries, while there were also touch-downs for Bertie Fordham, Kyle Felton, James McFarlane and Billy Sutton.
Sam Brown kicked two conversions and Richard West three.
Head coach Ben Russell felt his team’s backs were a lot more fluid than the previous week when they beat Sidmouth 37-26, but he still believes his team are not at their full potential yet.
“We were much better than last week, although we are still not anywhere near where we need to be,” said Russell.
“But it was pleasing that we were better.
“However, to be honest, I think the scoreline had a bit of gloss on it as two of the tries were breakaway ones.”
The win has taken Services to the top of the table after just two games.
REGIONAL TWO SOUTH WEST
IVYBRIDGE returned home with two valuable points from their tough trip to North Petherton on Saturday.
The Bridgers narrowly lost 37-32 to the Somerset side, having won their opener against Winscombe the previous week 35-34.
“We were on the wrong side of the scoreline this week, but we were still pretty happy,” said Ivybridge head coach Steve Atkinson.
“We were in it all game, which was good, and we picked up two bonus points.
“I’m really happy with the boys.
“We want to win our home games and pick up what we can away.
“It was a bit similar to last week – they capitalised on our mistakes. But not many teams will go there and get a win. Tichs (Matt Tichias, North Petherton’s head coach) has done really well with them.”
Atkinson said it was a really good game of rugby and he was particularly happy with how his side’s maul worked.
Front-rower Owen Garner grabbed two tries, with winger Shay Taylor and prop Chey Bryce also touching down. Harry Newman-Wild converted three of the tries and added two penalties.
COUNTIES ONE WESTERN WEST
WILL MORTON scored a first-half hat-trick as Saltash beat old rivals St Ives 36-25 at Chapel Field to claim their first win in Western West.
The Ashes were really clinical in the first half and led 22-8 at the break, despite playing up the slope on their second team pitch.
But in the second half, the home side found themselves on the wrong side of the referee and had four players sin-binned – three within minutes of each other.
However, Saltash dug really deep with 12 men and were able to claim the full five points and get a welcome victory over the Saints, who had narrowly pipped them for the Counties Two Cornwall title in 2022-23.
The newly-promoted Ashes, who had agonisingly lost 20-15 at Newton Abbot the previous week after conceding a try with the last play of the game, once again showed their strength in depth as they were missing many of last season’s title-winning squad.
Captain James Moriarty broke his leg in their season opener against Newton Abbot and is likely to be out until at least November, while Saltash were also unable to call on Lewis Wells, Danny Snook, Billy Dover, Tom Rixson, Ryan Rayner and Devon Bennett-Murray at the weekend.
“The squad is getting stronger and the depth is better,” said director of rugby Steve Down, who was delighted to hand a debut to youngster Laurie Thomson.
“Everyone who has come in and played for us in the last couple of weeks has done a really good job.
“We’ve just got a really good team spirit here. They are really proud to put the shirt on and they like playing for their town, and I think that is showing in our rugby.”
Saltash had lost at the death to Newton Abbot after picking up two late yellow cards, so there was a bit of concern around Chapel Field when they went down to 12 in the second half on Saturday.
“It was similar circumstances (to last week), but I think the way we managed it was better,” said Down.
“However, we will have to have a look at why we ended up down to 12.
“I’m sure the referee saw them as yellows, but I thought we were a little bit hard done by on a couple of them.
“But I was just pleased with the way we managed it with our composure and the way we kept them out when we were down to 14, 13, 12 or whatever it was.”
He added: “They had a strong pack and they played to their strengths, but in the first half we showed our quality. I think we were the quicker and sharper team by a long way.
“I think what we are starting to see in this league is that you only have to make a couple of mistakes and you can lose a lot of territory quickly and teams can score. So, we need to learn to be on the ball all the time.
“But I was really pleased with the way we took our chances. We cut them apart at times, when we played our patterns and got into shape.”
The experienced Morton and Ryan Cruickshanks, who was making his 300th appearance, were particularly sharp for the Ashes on Saturday.
Morton got them underway with their first try in the right corner in the fifth minute after St Ives had taken the lead in the first minute with a penalty from Will McRitchie.
Morton then scored an almost identical try five minutes later after some great passing from the Ashes following a line-out on the other side of the field.
Jack Pritchard, who had converted the first try, kicked a penalty on 16 minutes to put the Ashes 15-3 up.
St Ives pulled a try back from close range courtesy of lock Will Perkin.
But Morton then completed his hat-trick with a fine try. The home side stole a St Ives line-out and got the ball out to Morton quickly. He broke and then kicked ahead of the final man before winning the race to gather the ball and touch down. Pritchard added the conversion to make it 22-8.
After the interval, Cruickshanks was just denied a try with a last-gasp tackle right in the corner before Morton was yellow carded after he had come close to a fourth try.
With the Ashes down to 14 men, St Ives scored in the left corner courtesy of winger Liam Carlyon after the visitors attacked the extra space well from a scrum.
Yet, despite being a man down, Saltash added a fourth try when fit-again prop Simon Nance powered over from close range and Pritchard added the conversion to make it 29-13.
Within seconds of Morton returning to the field, replacement Ryan Simmons was yellow carded and that was followed a minute later with Nance also getting sin-binned.
St Ives did use the extra two players to score out wide in the 64th minute, but Saltash showed how dangerous they can be in attack, even while short, with full-back Cruickshanks showing his speed to score in the left corner after a turnover. Pritchard added the conversion to make it 36-18.
But then Saltash had James Sutton yellow carded leaving them down to 12.
St Ives’ Rob Baragwanath scored from the back of a scrum in the 75th minute, but Saltash defended well to deny them a second bonus point.
There was disappointment for Plymstock Oaks on their travels as they were well beaten 57-7 at Barnstaple II.
Oaks travelled to north Devon without a host of players, including hookers Robert Hall and Joe Donnelly and backs Corey Jamieson, Lewie Riley, Jack Tweedie and Charlie Watson.
The makeshift Oaks team did okay in the first half at Pottington Road and Barnstaple only managed two first half tries – one in the 18th minute and one just eight minutes before half-time.
But after the interval the home team pulled away with four tries in the opening 18 minutes of the second period.
Oaks did pull one back with a touch-down from young scrum-half Harry Toghill, which Lewis Paterson converted, but Barnstaple finished strongly and added three more tries.
Western West does look like it is going to be a tight league this season with 10 of the 12 teams having all won and lost one of their opening two games.
Only Newton Abbot have won both after narrowly beating Saltash 20-15 with a last-gasp try and then edging out South Devon rivals Torquay Athletic 25-24. Torquay are the only team not to win a game yet, but they have picked up three bonus points from their matches with Oaks and Newton Abbot.
COUNTIES TWO DEVON
TAVISTOCK got off the mark in Counties Two Devon with a hard-earned 28-14 victory at Dartmouth on Saturday.
The Sandy Park club had opened life back at level eight with a narrow 26-20 home defeat to Devonport Services.
They picked up a point in that opening fixture, but returned with a full five from the South Hams, with the experienced Andrew Schuttkacker bagging two tries and backs Jordan Taylor and the returning Jack Easton also touching down. Freddie Fuller converted all the tries.
“It was a very good win,” said Tavistock head coach Leigh Puttock. “They (Dartmouth) are not an easy bunch to play against.
“We had the upper hand in the scrum, but they did hit us with an early try.
“But it was organisation and patience on and off the ball that got us through the game.
“There is still lots to work on, but it was pleasing as it was a banana skin.”
He added: “We had players again drop out and we had two young lads making their debuts – John Hudson and Henry Shaw – and they both did very well. John Hudson came on in the front-row for his first senior game.
“I was looking at the results and there were a lot of teams that had a good win last week but then went away and didn’t back it up. Our lads know there are going to be some weeks where they have to really dig in away from home.
“But the work we are doing, they are taking it on board and doing it on the pitch.”
OPMs had to make do with just a bonus point from their trip to north Devon to take on Bideford, who were in Western West last season.
The Old Boys were beaten 40-24 after they were leading 24-19 with 20 minutes to go.
“It wasn’t too bad, to be honest,” said OPMs head coach James Digweed.
“At half-time we were 14-7 up and it looked like we were on for a win.
“We got 24-19 up, but the 60-minute mark happen and it just got away from us, unfortunately.
“They (Bideford) were superb, but we didn’t look out of our depth. It was just at the 60-minute mark where our fitness let us down.”
Fred Smale scored two tries for OPMs, with Will Varley Eli Hingston also touching down and Matt Smale adding two conversions.
Devonport Services II made it 10 points from their opening two games with a 59-33 home win over Exeter Saracens on Saturday.
Services II did the damage in the first half, where they scored six tries to lead 40-7.
In the opening 40 minutes the home side were all over Exeter Saracens with their pace and support play.
But the visitors did come back in the second to secure a bonus point.
New wing signing Charlie Over got Services II off the mark with their opening try in the 12th minute.
Charlie Groves then bagged their second after good play by Warren Weerakoone.
Backs Toby Moss and Over added further touch-downs before forwards Andy Pond and Ethan Millard crossed the whitewash before the break.
Exeter pulled two tries back after the interval before Moss put Services II 47-19 ahead.
The visitors bagged another couple, but Groves added two more for the hosts to complete his hat-trick.
Ivybridge II are still waiting for their first win since returning to the league after they were beaten 42-26 away at Crediton II.
“We had another young side out,” said Ivybridge head coach Steve Atkinson. “And the boys have to stick with it. If we could get mid-table or top half, I would be very happy for the boys because it is a completely different league. That level nine league is completely different so it is a good test for them.”
COUNTIES THREE DEVON SOUTH & WEST
PLYMOUTH Argaum claimed the biggest win in the division at the weekend after they trounced Salcombe 79-0 at Bickleigh Down.
The match even ended early after the heavens opened over Dartmoor with 10 minutes to go.
Argaum ran in 11 tries on the day, with new signing Jerry Vakalutu bagging four of them.
Jake Turfrey and Andy Milne both collected two, while there were also touched downs for Tom Worboys, Usaia Masuwaleaia and Trevellyan Orton.
Argaum head coach Dean Avery said: “Last week against Plym Vic we played some good rugby, but we just couldn’t sustain it for 80 minutes, but this time we managed to do that.
“We kept the ball flowing with some good off-loading in the tackle and I was thoroughly happy with the performance.
“It was nice to be on the giving end of a result like that as the last two seasons have been difficult.
“We played some really good, running rugby. We are playing a completely different brand of rugby to what we have been playing the last couple of years.”
Old Techs were left frustrated for a second week running after they were narrowly edged out 27-25 away at Torquay Athletic II.
“It was touch-and-go and anyone could have won it at the end,” said Techs secretary Colin Bodenham. “We were in their 22 when the whistle went.
“For a neutral it was entertaining and even they said they had got away with one there.”
He added: “We were short of a few again, but the ones who stepped up put in a real shift.
“Both teams played some good rugby.”
Brett Tunnicliffe, Josh O’Hare and Benn Hill scored tries for Techs, with Sam Matts kicking two conversions and two penalties.
Plymstock Oaks II got off the mark in the division on Saturday with a 33-16 win over city rivals Tamar Saracens at Horsham Fields.
Oaks II had lost 67-15 at Torquay II the week before, but they bounced back from that in style.
Their team on Saturday included Devon player Corey Jamieson, who was unable to travel with the first team to Barnstaple, as well as the experienced Andy Porter, Nathan Akers, Jack Hardman, Lance Davies, Stu Collyer and Stuart Kirkwood.
Porter scored two tries on his birthday, while Kirkwood also crossed the whitewash, as did Ed Coombes and Cobey Bradford.
Tamar Saracens’ points came from tries from backs Dan Downey and Rob Hall, who also added a couple of penalties.
Sarries captain Adam Corbett said: “I was immensely proud of the boys. From how we played against Totnes to how we played this week, we looked like two completely different teams.
“We are still building and there’s plenty to work on but there were more positives this week.”
Plympton Victoria found Paignton II too strong for them away from home, losing 68-13 at Queens Park on Saturday.
Lewis Jeffery scored a try for Plym Vic, with Chris Barratt converting that and adding two penalties.
“There was just a little bit of difference in class, to be honest,” said Plym Vic chairman Chris Hunt.
“They are a good outfit. They are well-drilled and I think they mainly run a first team-and-a-half, so their second team generally have a number of those coming back from injury or trying to get back in the first team.
“One of the bright points for us was our scrummage again, which was strong, and when we communicated well we managed to play some good rugby. But we were always going to be up against it facing a class outfit like Paignton.
“We were a little bit down on numbers again this week. We managed to get a bench out, but the bench was me, Lewis Jeffery and the coach, so that wasn’t ideal, and we had three forwards playing in the backs and a bloke who had never played scrum-half before playing there.
“But the lads stuck at it and defended and pressed quite well, but Paignton took their opportunities very well.”
In a friendly on Friday night, Saltash II narrowly lost 24-19 to higher league Bodmin.
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