Events/News

      Back to earth with a bump on Saturday for Salcombe when a powerful Ivybridge squad showed why they are top of the league as they overcame a spirited Salcombe defence. For many if not all the Salcombe team this was their first experience of playing on an artificial surface where the bounce of the ball is disconcertingly high. This showed right from the start when Salcombe made a mess of receiving the home side's kick off. The speedy Ivybridge follow up secured the ball and going through the phases they went over for their first try for a 5-0 lead after a couple of minutes.

       Salcombe then rallied and gained ground despite playing against a heavy pack before James Lake, the Crabs influential no 8, had to come off with a head injury while the game was only 4 minutes old. Salcombe by and large defended well but slick handling by Ivybridge coupled with a few missed tackles gave them three more tries before half time to bring up a score of 26-3, Lee Clarke having slotted a penalty in reply. For Salcombe the highlight of the half was a shimmying run by Schalk Herselman which eventually set up Liam Wills to go over, only for the ref to decide that he was held up.

      From a Crabs' perspective the second half was a more even affair with their pack holding Ivybridge well in the tight. Despite that the home side scored 3 more converted tries including a brilliant length of the pitch run by their tall no 8. In return Salcombe again crossed the whitewash from a lineout peel but again were adjudged to have been held up. However a similar move a few minutes later allowed Jay Hannon to go over for the try wide out. Skipper Clarke put over an excellent conversion for a final score of 47-10. The try was particularly welcome as Salcombe had 2 more players off the field with injuries, Toby Woods with a knock to the head and Jay Hannaford with a damaged knee.

      This week Salcombe face 2nd in the table Old Techs at Twomeads, ko 2.30 pm, which will be another testing outing for the team currently plagued by injuries. They will need a lot of vocal support from their supporters.