DEVONPORT Services’ Charlie Groves scored two tries as Devon made sure they topped their pool in Division Two of the County Championship by beating Somerset 43-33 at Brixham on Saturday.
Devon had been handed a walkover in their opening match against Buckinghamshire so they knew victory over Somerset would move them another step closer to a Twickenham final appearance.
As well as Groves, Services’ Shaun Crawford, Tom Davies and Bertie Fordham started against Somerset, while Tyler Busfield and Plymstock Oaks’ Harry Toghill were replacements.
The first half was tight, with Devon just edging it 21-14.
But they had moved 40-21 ahead by the 65th minute, only for Somerset to come back and close to within a score with six minutes to go.
However, a late penalty by Brixham’s Joel Ashworth ended Somerset’s hopes of a stunning comeback.
As well as Groves, Dan Armstrong scored two tries, with Ashworth and his Brixham team-mate Kai Kidd also touching down.
Meanwhile, the Plymouth Combination representative men’s side were edged out 29-20 by Torbay Sharks at Plymstock Oaks’ Horsham Fields on Sunday.
The Sharks had gone 12-0 up, but the Combination responded with a try by Saltash’s James Sutton.
But the visitors scored in first-half injury-time to go 19-5 ahead.
The Combination, though, came out for the second half fired up and went 20-19 ahead.
Oaks’ Duncan Bibby scored their second try before the home side closed to within one point with a try converted by Tavistock’s Freddie Fuller.
Fuller then kicked a penalty to edge the Combination ahead, but the Sharks scored two tries in six minutes to snatch the win.