DEVONPORT Services II, Liskeard-Looe, Old Techs and Plymstock Oaks II were all winners as the Plymouth Combination held their annual cup finals on bank holiday Monday.
For the first time, the Combination opted to host all their finals on the same day as a festival of rugby.
However, unfortunately the powers-that-be in charge of the Rectory, decided that only two of the finals could be held on the main pitch, with the other two taking place on the neighbouring Stonehouse Creek field.
It was a disappointment for the teams and players that had to play on the Creek, but at least there were good crowds for all the finals, with people taking advantage of the nice bank holiday weather to take in a whole day of rugby.
The highlight of the day was the Ellis Trophy final between Old Techs and Devonport Services III.
The match had everything – comebacks, good tries, a fight and a last-gasp injury-time winner for Techs.
Report and picture galleries of all the finals are below.
PEDRICK CUP FINAL
PLYMPTON VICTORIA 22 PLYMSTOCK OAKS II 50
TEENAGER Harvey Searle scored a hat-trick of tries as Plymstock Oaks II overcame a spirited Plympton Victoria side 50-22 in the Pedrick Cup final.
There was little to choose between the teams in the first half, with Oaks switching ends just 12-8 ahead.
But in the hot sunny weather, the younger Oaks team took command of the game in the opening 20 minutes of the second half.
Plym Vic did finish strongly, but Oaks II just had those three or four players with higher level experience and the youthful quality to seal the victory.
Plym Vic did start the game well and kept the ball for most of the opening 10 minutes, but without threatening.
However, they did take the lead in the 11th minute when scrum-half Chris Barratt kicked a penalty.
But six minutes later full-back Searle, who is still a colt but has already featured for Oaks’ first team, scored the first of his three tries. It came from a scrum, an area Oaks II did dominate with Sean Wills, Josh Waters and Josh Breed in their front-row. Plymstock got the push on but quickly threw the ball right and after some good hands, Searle went over.
Plym Vic, though, did go back in front when hooker Jayson Cleverley scored an impressive try with a strong run in the 19th minute.
Both teams wasted good chances but in first-half injury-time, Oaks II regained the lead when Searle scored an almost identical try to his first from a scrum to make it 12-8.
Within two minutes of the re-start that had become 19-8 when scrum-half Charlie Kirkwood somehow scored from a Plym Vic scrum on their own line. He also added the conversion.
And almost straight from the restart, youngster Searle bagged his hat-trick to make it 26-8.
Oaks II centre Sam Bancroft then scored their fifth try before replacement Connor Thompson went over in the left corner for number six.
Bancroft then scored another after a great counterattack move after Plym Vic had missed touch with a penalty at the other end.
But Plym Vic finally got going again. They were held up over the line before Lewis Jeffery did finally get their second try after a tap penalty. Barratt added the conversion.
However, Oaks II centre Ed Coombs, another youngster with first team experience, scored after Plym Vic had lost a line-out on the other side of the field and Plymstock passed it quickly across the line.
Plym Vic, though, did have the last word when flanker Jimmy Bore scored from a tap penalty.
ELLIS TROPHY FINAL
OLD TECHS 35 DEVONPORT SERVICES III 34
BEN HOCKEY scored a last-gasp try 12 minutes into injury-time as Old Techs claimed a dramatic 35-34 victory in a memorable Ellis Trophy final.
The match was always expected to be the highlight of the day, and it certainly lived up to its billing.
It was a game with everything, including some old-fashioned fisticuffs late in the game as tensions rose.
But there was also plenty of quality on show at times with both teams scoring some well-worked tries.
Techs stormed into a 15-0 lead, but they then made some mistakes that allowed Services III to take a 17-15 half-time advantage.
Techs then went 20-17 up, but mid-way through the second half, Services III found themselves 31-23 ahead and looked on course to complete a club clean sweep this season. But Techs had other ideas and snatched victory at the very death.
Services III, who intend to enter league rugby next season, were able to include players with higher level experience who have just not been around all this season, alongside some promising young players, who have just not forced their way into their second team.
But they soon found themselves 15-0 down as Old Techs, who had finished fourth in Counties Three Devon South & West, made an impressive start.
Sam Matts put them ahead with a penalty after less than two minutes.
That was quickly followed by a great try on the left finished off by winger Jack Williams after Ben Hockey had started the move on the right with a strong run.
Williams then added a second try nine minutes later after Josh O’Hare fed him following an initial break by full-back Kieran Hurrell through the middle.
But Services III scored with their first real opportunity in Techs’ half on 19 minutes. It came after a couple of silly penalties gifted Services III territory and a five-metre scrum and eventually flanker Finn Hosking scored.
The experienced Olly Whitfield then scored after Joe Wyatt put him in following a five-metre line-out. Rohan Johnson added the conversion to reduce the gap to three points.
And Services III took the lead eight minutes before the break when Techs lost the ball attacking and Services kicked the ball forward and replacement Harry Pickett won the race to gather the ball and score.
Techs had Rudi Baker sin-binned at the start of the second half for a high tackle but within two minutes of that, they had gone back in front when the influential Ollie Davey scored after Billy Evans had done well to keep a penalty kick in field and run it back hard.
However, within three minutes, Services III regained their lead when Pickett scored again after Techs had been penalised in possession again.
Matts reduced Services III lead to one point (24-23) with a penalty on 52 minutes.
Techs were dominating the scrums and mauls but just kept giving away silly penalties or making uncharacteristic mistakes that kept giving Services III points.
That happened in the 62nd minute when prop Jack Jones, who has previously played first team rugby for Ivybridge, scored from a line-out move and Johnson added the conversion.
That put Services III 31-23 ahead with time running out.
Techs did up their game and they came close before Josh O’Hare did close the gap to one point when he used his speed and strength to score a try from close range, which Matts converted.
With the game on a knife edge, it all kicked off in the 73rd minute following a high tackle. Services’ Joe Wyatt, a former Tamar Saracens player, reacted badly to it and then everyone got involved.
The officials eventually regained control and after a lengthy discussion they decided to only card Wyatt for starting the fracas when they could easily have been other cards handed out.
But the incident did mean there was plenty of added-on time to play.
Services III thought they had won it when Johnson kicked a penalty in the 80th minute to make it 34-31.
Techs failed to make two penalties tell, but just when it looked like they might lose, they created one last chance which they took brilliantly with Hockey scoring on the left with the very last play of the game.
The Techs players were over-joyed, while the Services players looked heart-broken, but it was a great final that kept everyone entertained.
RNEC CUP FINAL
UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH 15 LISKEARD-LOOE 36
LISKEARD-LOOE’S impressive pack secured them victory in the RNEC Cup final against a strong University of Plymouth XV.
The students took the lead after less than two minutes with a try by Chris Wilson.
But Liskeard-Looe, who dominated the scrums all game, hit back seven minutes later with a try on the right through centre Jack Badnell, which James Noel-Johnson converted.
Winger Kieran Knight then made it 14-7 with a converted try from a tap penalty on 18 minutes.
And it got better for Liskeard-Looe five minutes later when full-back Kieran Underwood scored on the right after good play from a scrum. That made it 21-5.
But the University of Plymouth dug deep and finished the half strongly.
Full-back Dylan Armstrong got them back into the game when he scored after the students had charged down a clearing kick by the Lions.
Noel-Johnson kicked a penalty to edge Liskeard 14 points ahead, but in first-half injury-time, University fly-half Harry Starkey scored from close range to make it 24-15 at the break.
Liskeard-Looe increased their lead in the 54th minute when they were awarded a penalty try after some intense pressure in the left corner and in the final minute number eight Adam Dack wrapped up the game when he scored from the back of a scrum.
LOCKIE CUP FINAL
DEVONPORT SERVICES II 45 PLYMOUTH ARGAUM XV 7
DEVONPORT Services II claimed their third trophy of the season as they overcame a spirited Argam XV in the Lockie Cup final.
Services II had already won the Counties Two Devon title and the Devon 2nd XV Cup and they were always in command on Monday night.
Harrison Coonick, who has missed most of the past two seasons with injury, showed his class after just seconds as he ran around half the Argaum team to score a stunning try.
Services II then wasted two glorious chances to score again before Coonick did get them a second on 32 minutes with a long-range effort after Argaum had been turned over attacking at the other end.
And in the final two minutes of the half, Services II scored two tries to take a 26-0 lead into the break.
Talented teenager Elliott Pocknell ran in from distance for their third before they were awarded a penalty try after Tom Davies had been stopped from scoring with a high tackle.
However, their first half display did come at a cost with winger Sam Fincham suffering a gruesome compound thumb fracture, which required hospital treatment. However, the team wanted his kit before he headed off and so he just took it off there and then before trudging off to get treatment.
At the start of the second half, replacement James McFarlane scored from a catch-and-drive move to increase Services’ lead to 33-0.
Fin White was then gifted a try by his team-mate Reece de Jersey, who broke through from deep.
The Cominbation had allowed Argaum to boost their Counties Three squad with some guest players due to bank holiday unavailabilities and they did keep battling well against a strong Services II side.
And there was a big cheer when they did score in the 74th minute courtesy of Mitieli Caqara, which Stuart Giles converted.
But the final word did go to Services II with Coonick gifting De Jersey a try in the 80th minute.
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