Salcombe played badly in this match against a side who themselves are only mediocre. This game leaves the Crabs uncomfortably close to the relegation zone in a league where with the exception of Wessex, all the sides played so far are eminently beatable. The problem comes from two things in the main; a tendency amongst all the players to panic and to try to play 7s rugby, eg. the silly offload when taking the hit would be better and a complete lack of penetration in midfield. These coupled with some bad decision making, errant kicking and a lack of concentration have been enough to undo Salcombe in matches they should have won by some margin.
Individually the Crabs have some talented players but they are not welding as a team and some are not being played in their best positions as they fill holes left by injuries or absences. The pack competes well week in week out securing their fair share of ball both in the tight and the loose. But they are easily turned over when they take it on themselves and if the ball is fed out then the lack of threat midfield allows the opposition easily to contain the attack and often to profit from an error. A video of a match is needed where the errors can be highlighted and in a classroom training session alternative courses of action suggested.
As to this match there is little to say. Chris Drew kicked a penalty against the wind to give Salcombe a 3-0 lead for the first 35 minutes but in a dreadful 5 minute spell they then conceded 13 points to two penalties and a converted try when Plymstock's centre was allowed to charge through the middle to bring the half time score to 3-13. The second half saw the Crabs battering away at the visitors but never really causing them any concern until flanker Ian Smerdon, who with lock Scott Lowry were the pick of the Crabs side, put in a great run close to the try line and the recycled ball found its way to Anthony Squire for the try close to touch. Drew missed the kick and a subsequent penalty which would at least have given Salcombe the losing bonus point as Plymstock had already scored a penalty to take them to 16 points.
Next week its the Boxing day match at Kingsbridge.............
Salcombe got off to a flying start and didn't ease off until the final whistle. Led by captain Chloe putting in some big runs with support from Tilly, Lucas and Jess the ball quickly finding its way out wide for the trio of Daisy,Jack and Hallie who linked magicaly with their pace and silky footwork to all score a hat-trick of tries each - with Lucas and Jess adding a try a-piece. Devonport didn't give up but Salcombe's defence held like a wall, which they only broke on four occasions. Great team effort well done. SQUAD Chloe, Daisy3), Jack(3), Hallie(3), Tilly, Lucas (1), Jessica(1).
Captain for the day Tom led his team to a fine win scoring six tries. The first half was fairly even with both teams trading points and at half time it was 6-5 to Salcombe.The second half saw Salcombe tighten their defence and the pressure forced Devonport to make mistakes. George's great support play paid off when he went over for his first try of the season and Freya jinking runs caused problems for Devonport as she went over for four tries.
With regular no 10 Chris Drew away on his stag do and his two possible replacements injured plus several other players missing through injury, Salcombe fielded an odd looking back line last Saturday. Everyone did their best but the balance and understanding wasn't there allowing gaps to appear which the speedy OPM backs exploited to their full. Kicking duties fell to the young 2nd row Scott Lowry who after a couple of early misses in the swirling wind, found his range to convert two of Salcombe's three tries, one in particular a great kick from wide out.
The game went away from the Crabs from the start with OPM kicking a penalty immediately for an infringement in front of the posts and then from the resultant Salcombe kick off the visitors gathered and went over for an unconverted try wide out. They followed this up with another penalty and Salcombe were 11-0 down inside 10 minutes.
By this time the Crabs had experimented with three different options at no10 before settling for Rupert Bevan who, even if his passing had a touch of the serendipity about it, at least kicked well out of hand to give the Crabs' hard working forwards some field position. Winning a scrum on the 22 Salcombe put in a massive shove to win the ball cleanly and then drove some twenty yards before wheeling efficiently to allow Stuart Winzer the just reward of the try for his superb control of the ball at the back of the scrum. Inevitably brother Lewis was there to add his weight to the touchdown. Lowry then slotted the difficult conversion and the score was a more respectable 7-11 to OPM, a lead they increased just before half time with another penalty to make it 7-14 to the visitors.
Turning round with the wind and towards their favourite clubhouse end Salcombe may have relaxed but OPM didn't. In the first 10 minutes of the half they scored three unanswered tries, two converted, as they crashed through the Crabs' central defence and were cruising at 33-7 in the lead. Salcombe rallied and made some positional adjustments allowing Stuart Winzer his debut at centre. A long penalty kick to touch by Bevan set up the line out on the OPM 5 yard line and with visitors' hands in the subsequent ruck Salcombe took a tap penalty to give Winzer his second try of the match. The kick failed.
From the kick off Sean Baker safely gathered and the rest of the forwards joined in a good drive to the half way line. The ball was then delivered to Lewis Winzer who put in a lovely box kick which Darren Hopkins skilfully caught on the full and then evading the OPM full back raced to touch down under the posts for Lowry to convert and bring up the final score.
While not wanting to make this report sound to much like a Winzer family eulogy, it would not be fair not to mention Chris and Jim who both had storming games dominating their opposite front row, tackling and carrying well. Nick Trant too showed up well when he came on for veteran Martin Gloyns, called up an hour before kick off who showed that there is still plenty of life left in the old dog yet!
At the time of writing it is not certain whether the 1s will have a match next week but the 2s are due to play DHSOB 2s at home, KO 2.30.
Torquay started this match like a steam train and, unlike the previous week, Salcombe's defence didn't hold its line and too many players committed to the first and second tags opening up gaps for Torquay to storm through and take a convincing lead at half time. The second half started better for Salcombe with Daisy first to score, quickly followed by Tilly. Salcombe's third try came from a burst of pace by Tilly to break through and find Daisy on the wing to sprint in for her second. Unfortunatly Torquay's determind defence held tight and stopped any kind of come back for Salcombe.
Although Torquay won by three tries, this was a fairly even match with both teams trading points early on.
Angus and Freya both had a great game in defence and attack scoring a pair of tries each, with Fin picking up any lose ball and offloading quickly creating space out wide, Henry and Douglas both showed great pace to score a try each. Unfortunatly Salcombe seemed to rush things late on and make to many unforced errors for Torquay to gain the advantage.
The wind was a major factor in this match both sides scoring 3 tries with it and only one each against it. Thus both sides scored 4 tries with the difference between them being that Chris Drew also kicked 2 penalties and 2 conversions where his opposite number managed only one conversion.
That makes it sound a fairly even match when in fact Salcombe were very much in control for long periods of the game and two of Dartmouth's tries were distinctly lucky, one coming from an interception and another when the lively visiting scrum half appeared to have kicked the ball out of the back of the Crab's scrum while the ref was unsighted.
Playing with the wind in the first half, Salcombe started at a gallop with Drew putting over a penalty after 10 minutes and following a nice move through the backs Oli Masters on the wing backed himself to beat the cover and for the second week running scored a well taken try in the corner which Drew narrowly failed to convert.
At this point although the scrums were pretty even Salcombe were generally faster to the breakdown and Kevin Wreyford and Ian Smerdon were enjoying turning over the visitor's ball regularly. Indeed following a typical Smerdon play ripping the ball away from Dartmouth, Darren Hopkins came in off the blindside wing to take a neat inside pass and then blast his way over for another unconverted try to bring the score to 13-0 to the Crabs.
Drew then kicked another penalty and another great move by the backs allowed Hopkins to get his second try which Drew converted to take the score to 23-0. Just before half time Dartmouth scored as the ball appeared to the crowd to have been kicked out of the Crabs' scrum and quick work by the scrum half moved the ball to their back row for the unconverted try. 23-5 to Salcombe at half time.
With the wind now at their backs, Dartmouth were an altogether different proposition in the second half. Using their heavy pack they quickly scored two unconverted tries to bring the score to 23-15 and hearts to the mouths of the Salcombe faithful! With Stuart Winzer off for 10 minutes following a difference of opinion with the ref, always a vote loser that, Salcombe knew they could lose the game and pulled out all the stops. Possession and territory were won and yet again Hopkins came off his blindside wing to make ground before passing to Liam Wills for the try which Drew converted to bring the score to 30-15. Salcombe were now comfortably cruising to full time when an unlucky pass was intercepted by a Dartmouth player for an easy canter in under the posts to bring up the final score with the conversion to 30-22.
Next week it is back to league action with the 1s at home to OPM and the 2s away also to OPM both games kicking off at 2.30.
Salcombe scored an early try from Devon Graham after good work by Thomas Broadgate but then relaxed allowing Totnes to score three converted tries. However by moving William Winzar into the centre Salcombe started to cross the gain line and were rewarded with tries for Josh Woolard and Devon Graham. Then only a try saving tackle from Elliot Vooght stopped Totnes increasing their lead just before half time. From the restart Salcombe played with more confidence and with the forwards dominating the scrums and rucks they were able to provide plenty of possession enabling them to score five unanswered tries from Issac Dundas and two each for Seb Tooke and Devon Graham, before Totnes scored a late converted try. With the last play of the game Max Clacy set up Josh Woolard who crossed to complete the scoring for what was a very entertaining match. Salcombe converted four tries, two by Nathan Dundas with one each from Charlie Preston and Devon Graham.
A fine team effort in defence kept Totnes pinned back and Salcombe with a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time with tries coming from Hallie, Jack & Tilly. Salcombe were caught napping after the break and Totnes came back with two well worked tries. With a quick re-group Salcombe came back to dominate, with great direct running from Chloe, Amy and Jess to open the space out wide for Hallie to get her second. Daisy showed her pace to burst through the defence and score. A great restart by Lucas after Totnes' third try saw the ball floated to Jack on the wing who raced in for his second and finished a great team effort. Squad Daisy, Tilly, Jack, Lucas, Amy, Jessica, Hallie, Chloe.
Salcombe came up against a well drilled Totnes side who were quick off the mark and onto the scoreboard. Salcombe tightend up their defence & several try saving tags from Angus kept them in the game. With good link-up play and quick passing Salcombe's try came through Douglas, Freya and Matthew with two. Totnes' defence held tight late on and they left with the win.
For the second time in three weeks Salcombe didn't turn up for the first 30 minutes and found themselves 13-0 down due to a penalty and two unconverted tries, albeit one coming from a fluky fly hack and similar bounce. In tight league matches this just isn't good enough. Although they scored 11 points without answer in the following 50 minutes and once again superior fitness meant that the Crabs were pressing hard at the end, they still came away with only the losing bonus point as a consolation for their endeavours.
The catalogue of errors in the first period reads like any minis coach's list of things to ensure his players have grown out of by the time they are 10. Going into a ruck from the side or going straight in off their feet; trying to hold an opposition maul stood upright when the other side have driven you back with good body positions; taking a ball back into the 22 and then kicking direct to touch; knocking on a no pressure ball that has been kicked ahead when it could be stopped with the feet.
Once the Crabs decided to play some rugby they looked generally in charge with the lineouts and sets going well and with Rupert Bevan particularly amongst the backs having some good runs. Liam Wills, Darren Hopkins and Oli Masters also looked threatening and amongst the forwards yet again Sean Baker and Scott Lowry got through sterling work. When he came on to replace the injured Jez Foster, Jim Winzer made his mark and a great drive by him set up the position for the backs to move the ball swiftly to Masters on the wing who went over in the corner. On a difficult day for kicking Chris Drew narrowly missed the conversion having already in the first half put over a great penalty from 40 yards out. He followed that up with another penalty late in the second half to move the score to 11-13 but the New Cross defence held out to deny the Crabs another chance.
Next week its league again this time away at North Tawton ko 2.30. The 2s, following their 40-29 win at Paignton, will be at home to Ivybridge 3s, ko again 2.30.
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This game was always going to be tough with Stonehouse Sharks fielding a strong team against Salcombe's small contingent of spirited players. The first two quarters was all Sharks with their well drilled rucking helping their ball retention. On the few occasions when Salcombe kept hold of the ball through the phases, they managed to get past the Sharks' defence and scored on two occasions.
With a good team talk and socks pulled up, the second two quarters were an exact reverse of fortunes. Salcombe's determination showed through and consistent pressure on the Shark's pack resulted in a number of well worked tries.
The first game was a close encounter with both sides tagging well and posing a threat when in attack, with Salcombe getting the win. In the second game, the Sharks blitz defence forced Salcombe into mistakes, forcing the turn-over and leaving the young Crabs with their first defeat of the season. Try scorers Daisy (4) Jack (2) Hallie (2) Tilly (1) Jessica (1).
This was Salcombe's first home match of the season, having beaten Newton Abbot, Dartmouth and Brixham away. Salcombe were caught napping to start and Sharks ran in a couple of unanswerd tries. Tom started the come back with a great jinking run to put him in for the first of his two tries. Sam later found a gap to race through and score. Some quicker passing after being tagged opened up the gaps and Angus showed great pace to score a hat-trick.
The second match was all about Salcombe's great defence, praise to the whole team for some great tagging and only allowing the Sharks to score three tries. Mathew had a great game scoring a quad of tries, Tom scored a pair with Freya and Angus both adding to the score board.
For the second week running the Crabs travelled up to Exeter, this time for the Devon Junior Cup match with Wessex, and came away with no reward. The difference between the two sides was that Wessex made the most of the few opportunities that came their way where Salcombe just couldn't quite turn their considerable territorial and possession advantage into points.
Salcombe played well against the side that is looking like the standout club in the league and showed they meant business from the start securing the ball from the kick off and rumbling through a number of phases to set up camp in the Wessex 22. But the home side's defence was well organised and no amount of battering away produced a result. In contrast a rare excursion into Crab's territory by Wessex produced a well worked try for them which they converted.
Salcombe once again used their considerable superiority in the pack to set up field position with Jez Foster, Sam Viles and Scott Lowry all making a welcome return and adding a solidity to proceedings that was missing last week. Indeed Viles at hooker took several against the head as he and Foster ably assisted by the ever reliable Chris Winzer at loose head looked capable of dealing with the Wessex set piece without the assistance of their back five colleagues. The Crabs reward was a penalty calmly knocked over by Mark Lidstone deputising for Chris Drew to bring the score to 7-3 to Wessex. However another breakaway by Wessex saw them get another converted try to leave the score at hlaf time at 14-3 to Wessex.
The second half went much as the first and with plenty of ball from all areas of play Lidstone was able to distribute the ball judiciously so that Liam Wills, Rupert Bevan and Darren Hopkins all had good runs but throughout the Wessex defence held firm. In defence the backs were solid with James Williamson and Ian Smerdon in unfamiliar positions on the wings being particularly prominent in the tackling department. In the loose Sean Baker, Scott Lowry and Chris Winzer all carried well and it was disappointing that Wessex managed another try wide out to bring up the final score.
Next week its a return to league action with the 1s entertaining New Cross at Twomeads, ko 2.30, while the 2s travel to play Paignton 3s at 2.30.
Salcombe didn't really turn up to this game until late in the first half when Sean Baker was climbed all over in the lineout. As this was not the first time and with no protection from the referee, he dealt out his own retribution and was yellow carded for his pains. But at least as the rest of the pack happily joined the ensuing mayhem Salcombe woke up and started to play some rugby.
But by then the Crabs were 15-0 down and Wessex had scored two tries and a penalty almost entirely through their dominant pack, one try coming from a pushover and the other from a rolling maul which saw Salcombe pushed back some 20 yards or so. Salcombe just lacked fire up front and where Wessex clattered into rucks at top speed, the Crabs seemed reluctant to commit and were regularly turned over. Given that ball was hard to come by in the first place it was heartbreaking to see it thus wasted.
The two positives Salcombe can draw from this performance was that their defence was generally excellent with Rupert Bevan, Liam Wills and the flu' ridden Simon Keen putting in tackle after tackle. This was just as well or else a cricket score threatened.
The other positive was Salcombe's fitness which was clearly superior to their adversaries and enabled the Crabs to dominate the last 20 minutes scoring two unanswered tries in that period. The first came as Salcombe recovered their kick off after the fourth Wessex try and going through the phases the ball came to Chris Drew close to the try line who dummied the pass and went over. Having an off day with the boot he missed the conversion and also the next when good runs by Bevan and James Cooper set up field position and enabled brothers Lewis and Stuart Winzer to complete a neat scissors for Stuart to get the try.
Next week its back to the same opponents and the same ground for the first round of the Devon Cup, ko 2.30, and it is to be hoped that the Crabs don't leave it to the last quarter to start playing.
A week is a long time in rugby! Topsham came with a stronger side than last week, especially up front, and Salcombe were weakened by attendance at a wedding. Come on guys don't let your other halves commit you on Saturdays in the season and especially not on league matches.
That said Salcombe still fielded a strong side and the causes of their downfall lay entirely in their own hands. Topsham only created one good try; the other two were gifted to them by Salcombe mistakes. All the old favourites were there: dropped balls, poor kicks, panic stricken offloads and questionable decision making.
It was evident right from the start that the visitors were much stronger in the forwards than the week before and that this area of the game was going to be much more even. Salcombe's cause was not helped by an early injury to Neil Elliott at hooker which meant he had to drop back to flanker before eventually being forced to go off completely. His place at hooker was taken by the starting flanker Kevin Wreyford and when Elliott went off Nick Trant came on at 2nd row with James Palmer moving from there back to flanker. All this change rather upset the balance of the Crab's pack who nevertheless managed to rescue the situation on three occasions in the first 20 minutes when errors at the back gave Topsham great field position well inside the Crab's 22. Chris Drew's touch finding was as ever spot on once the forwards had rescued the ball and in a cameo performance as a blood replacement for Lewis Winzer, coach Mark Lidstone showed he was still no slouch at the kicking game.
The deadlock was broken, somewhat against the run of play when a good box kick from scrum half Winzer was gathered at pace by wing Mark Parnowski. Topsham snuffed out the immediate threat but field position had been established and from the breakdown a chip ahead was well juggled by Palmer to give flanker Ian Smerdon the touchdown. The difficult conversion failed but once again Drew made up for it quickly with a penalty to give Salcombe an 8-0 lead. However just before half time an error in the backs gave Topsham the opportunity to score to make it 8-7 at the break.
The visitors started off the second half at a gallop kicking a penalty and then following a Salcombe dropped ball in midfield they scored a converted try to take the score to 8- 17 to Topsham. Salcombe responded well with a great rumble through the forwards and after Salcombe had been held up over the line several times Palmer found a way over by the posts which Drew duly converted to bring the score back to 15-17. Topsham then kicked a penalty before showing what a combination of hard running and slick passing could do by tearing the Crab's defence to bits. Only a try saving tackle by Liam Wills kept Topsham out but the recycled ball allowed the visitors to set up yet another good move by their backs who crossed for the try under the posts. The conversion brought up the final score of 15-27 to Topsham.
Next week its the first of two visits in successive weeks to Wessex. This Saturday its league, ko 3.0 pm, and the following week its Devon Cup round 1. Salcombe hope to take both the 1s and 2s to Wessex but some of the 2s players will need to show a bit more commitment to away games as this week's game against Topsham had to be cancelled with only 5 players willing to make the trip.
In this hard fought final of the Devon section of the National Junior Cup both sides went out to play hard open rugby and provided good value for the large crowd. That Salcombe won was down to the dominant performance of the Crab's pack justifying the old saying of “the forwards decide who is going to win and the backs by how much”.
With Sean Baker having yet another storming game controlling the lineout ably assisted at various times by James Cooper and Ian Smerdon, possession was not a problem especially as the Crab's pack regularly made a mess of the Topsham put-in to the tight and indeed Sam Viles took several against the head. The contest for the loose ball was more even but again the Salcombe back row generally shaded it, all the more so when Kevin Wreyford and Smerdon came off the bench and added their strength to wrestling for the ball in contact.
Salcombe had all the early pressure and territory and were rewarded after 10 minutes with a Chris Drew penalty which was quickly followed by a pushover try with Stuart Winzer controlling the ball well to get the touchdown. Drew's conversion failed but he made amends for it with a well struck penalty to take the score to 11-0. Salcombe's defence in the middle was great with Drew, Rupert Bevan and Oli Masters putting in some hard tackles thereby closing down Topshams threatening backs. But unfortunately an isolated case of mis-alignment left a gap for their outside centre to run through for the converted try to bring up a half time score of 11-7 to Salcombe.
10 minutes into the second half Drew again notched up a penalty but with veteran heavyweight tight head Jez Foster off and promising second row Scott Lowry also off with a knock the game became more even for the next quarter of an hour or so. However as Topsham tired Wreyford and Smerdon began scooping up the loose ball and in a wonderful bit of play Smerdon secured the ball which came to Darren Hopkins on the Topsham 10 yard line. Hopkins then put in a fabulous mazy run winding his way through half the visitors team to score under the posts for Drew to convert. 21-10 to Salcombe. Another Topsham try brought the score to 21-17 with a bit over 5 minutes to go. But although Salcombe supporters were anxious the Crabs seem to have learnt this season to play the game out clearing their lines effectively for the well deserved victory.
Next week with the idiosyncrasies of the fixture list Salcombe again play Topsham at home in the League on Vice President's day before then having to travel to Wessex on two successive weeks in the League and the 1st round of the Devon Junior Cup. Next week the 2nd team also play Topsham away with both matches kicking off at 3.0pm.
Salcombe staged a spirited second half comeback after falling behind 10-3 in the first half down at Defiance Field, home of St Columba & Torpoint.
The Crabs were made to make a late change to the team when heavyweight prop Jim Mole pulled out with an Injury. Jeremy Foster was brought in as cover to give the forward pack some more mobility. The home side came out of the blocks and attacked Salcombe right from the start. They were soon 3-0 up after Salcombe gave away a cheap penalty. As the half wore on Salcombe struggled to get a foothold on to the game and they were caught in midfield when the Torpoint centre crashed through to score under the posts. With the simple kick added, Salcombe found themselves 10-0 down. This seemed to wake up the visitors as they began to piece together some phases of play. The Salcombe line-out was truly dominant for the entire game. Hooker Sam Viles found his men with ease with great accuracy. Sean Baker and James Cooper rose the highest each time to secure the ball and to steal several of the opposition line-outs. Salcombe should have scored two Try’s of their own after some sustained attacking play but both of these chance went begging when it seemed easier to score. The only reward for the pressure was a 3 point penalty from Chris Drew.
Into the second half playing down the slope Salcombe were able to use field position well and with the dominant line-out unit in action it gave more ball for the backs to use. Centres James Palmer and Rupert Bevan carried the ball strongly but were well contained by the spirited defence from Columba. The pressure from the visitors soon paid off when Drew slotted a penalty for an offside offence. Almost immediately after the score a turnover by flanker Ian Smerdon led to the ball being passed down the line. Captain Darren Hopkins received the ball on the half way line and used his pace to score a great try in the corner. With the conversion missed the game was still in the balance with the Crabs leading by a single point. The home side rallied but couldn’t breakdown Salcombe’s resilient defence. The Crabs had the final word when Drew added a final penalty to secure victory.
Salcombe’s victory takes them to the top of the league.
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It was as well for Salcombe that Chris Drew had his kicking boots on and that Ryan Wotton ,the New Cross kicker didn't. If Wotton had kicked any of the 3 easy penalties he missed plus converted all 3 of the visitors tries New Cross would have won. Yet that would have been an injustice as for long periods of the game Salcombe were well in control and indeed at one point were 23-5 up. However they seem to have an unhappy knack of going off the boil spectacularly and conceding easy tries. Moreover the forwards in particular need to play with their customary urgency right from the start of the game rather than ease themselves gradually into top gear. At several early rucks up to 5 Crabs forwards could be seen ambling gently to join their outnumbered colleagues and looking mildly put out that the ball was emerging on the opposition's side by the time they got there.
This lack of urgency also manifested itself at the first scrum where Salcombe were shunted back yards by an admittedly strong visiting pack. This gave New Cross field position for a missed penalty in front of the posts, an error they soon rectified by charging straight through the Salcombe defence to score a try close to the sticks where once again the conversion failed.
Salcombe now woke up dominating play and scoring an unanswered 23 points. The tackling was hard and Stuart Winzer, Sam Viles and Jim Winzer all were conspicuous putting in some crunching hits. At the breakdown Kevin Wreyford won some good turnovers and Sean Baker and Scott Lowry showed some delicate handling for big men in the 2nd row when they made the hard yards. All this pressure resulted in Drew putting over a penalty and then Simon Keen at full back collected a New Cross kick well outside the visitor's 22 and decided that with nothing much on to drop a fantastic goal worthy of Johnny himself to bring the score back to 6-5 to Salcombe. Just before half time an error in the New Cross defence allowed the ball to come to Anthony Squire who raced in for a try under the posts which Drew converted, 13-5 to Salcombe.
Straight after the break a similar lapse by the visitors allowed Rupert Bevan to run in a try which Drew converted. Further Salcombe pressure saw Drew slot yet another penalty to bring up a scoreline of 23-5 at which point the Crabs went off the boil conceding penalties and allowing New Cross to put together a great forward drive resulting in a converted try. Further mistakes gifted New Cross another try, unconverted, and a penalty to bring the score to 23-20. Drew then slotted another penalty when Squire was tackled round the neck as he was going to score. The crowd thought a penalty try was in order but the ref thought otherwise and in the end Salcombe then saw out a tense last few minutes for the win. This now puts Salcombe in the final of the Devon section of the National Cup against Topsham on 15 October, venue yet to be announced.
Next week its league with the 1s away at St. Columba, ko 3.0pm and the 2s at home to Plymouth Barbarians also 3.0pm.
But now for the serious bit. John Sprague, Salcombe's Chairman says that this season will be tough for Salcombe and we need to be at full strength as far as possible. There appears to be an outbreak of weddings in the area and a number of players have indicated that their other halves expect them to attend no matter how reluctantly. The Club expects players to play and unless it is the wedding of a close member of the family or you are the best man then you are expected on the pitch. In any case as all the affected players have said to me they would still be able to attend the Reception which is the good bit and all they would miss is the ceremony and then some amateur David Bailey dragging out the photos interminably. I hope this helps Chaps.
After last week's cup match at South Molton it was the turn of the Crabs to host the North Devon opposition and for the second week it was Salcombe who came out on top. Much of the credit for this must go to the Salcombe half backs Lewis Winzer and Chris Drew who between them bossed the Crabs game and ensured by and large that the players stuck to the game plan. Chris Drew also had a great game with the boot slotting 3 penalties, a drop goal and a conversion to end up with a personal tally of 14 points.
Playing into the stiff wind and with the sun in their eyes Salcombe dominated both territory and possession and looked consistently threatening. In order to keep them out South Molton inevitably infringed and Drew kicked two penalties in the first quarter to ease the Crabs ahead. However Salcombe made mistakes at the restarts and put themselves under pressure needlessly but were sufficiently disciplined to defend well and get themselves out of trouble. At the back Simon Keen was all calm composure fielding kicks out of the sun and kicking well to snuff out the visitors attacks and the Salcombe back row of James Cooper, Kevin Wreyford and Stuart Winzer mopped up most of the loose ball. All was going to plan when a lapse of concentration by Salcombe allowed an unpromising bit of visitor's ball on the half way to develop into a well taken try as a number of defenders slipped off the tackle. The fairly easy kick failed leaving Salcombe 6-5 ahead. Salcombe then regained control and were rewarded when Drew dropped a goal to bring up the half time score of 9-5 to the home side.
Turning round at half time the elements decided not to favour Salcombe as the wind dropped and the sun clouded over thereby taking the advantage that South Molton had had in the first half. Nothing daunted the Crabs set about securing the victory with two great tries in the first few minutes of the half. Both were set up by the pack winning good ball and livewire Lewis Winzer choosing to attack down the blind side. The first released captain Darren Hopkins who ran in spectacularly for 50 yards to go over under the posts and the second saw Anthony Squire put in a great run to score wide out. Drew converted the first try but missed with the second, his only failure of the afternoon. With the score now at 21-5 to the home side there were hopes of a bonus point for four tries but it was not to be. South Molton rallied and defended well before a loose pass from Salcombe was grabbed by the visitor's centre who ran in for the try which was not converted. Thereafter there was an exchange of penalties to give a final score of 24-13 to the Crabs.
This was a heartening win for Salcombe at the start of the league season and everyone played well. Inevitably mistakes were made and in particular the re-starts were terrible both receiving and following up with no one apparently wanting to take ownership of the ball. But that aside it was a good performance. Next week the 1s are at home to New Cross in the second round of the National Cup Devon Eliminator and it is hoped that the 2s will have their first outing of the season at DHSOB with President Paul Roberts taking on the management of the 2s. Both matches will kick off at 3.0pm.
Salcombe bounced back from their crushing defeat by Brixham last week by securing victory away at South Molten to progress into the next round of the national cup.
The Crabs were strengthened by several players who were missing the week before and they started the game off to a flyer. Stand off Chris Drew reclaimed his own kick off, which led to a passage of fifteen phases right up to the home teams line. Returning scrum-half Lewis Winzer commanded the forward pack with authority dictating play around the park. Sean Baker was having another fine game dominating the line-out securing quick ball to the Salcombe backs. A Winzer combination led to the first score of the day when Lewis popped the ball back inside to brother Stuart who forced his way over the line. Drew converted to give the visitors a 7 point lead. Playing down the hill and with the wind at their backs Salcombe were on the offensive again pinning down their opponenents inside their own half. Kevin Wreyford pinpoint accuracy at the line-out found Baker allowing quick ball off the top. Centre Rupert Bevan timed his run to perfection and beat the last man to score a great try under the posts. Drew added the extras then popped over a penalty after more great work from the Salcombe pack to finish the half 17 nil up.
Playing up the slope into the wind the Crabs faced a tough second period when the home side started to apply the pressure. With the Salcombe scrum struggling to cleanly hook the ball back the home side had several turnovers and chances to attack. Full Back Simon Keen making his return to 1st team action showed the Crabs what they had been missing with a couple of try saving tackles. Molten persevered and it was in the final play of the game when they broke through some tired Salcombe legs to score a seven pointer of their own.
The two teams will face an immediate return match as South Molten visit Twomeads tomorrow in Salcombe’s opening Devon One league match. The Crabs will be looking to do the double after the strong showing away from home. Kick-off 3pm.
Salcombe won their first match for three months against a frisky Bucks side who although a league below the Crabs nevertheless gave them a fairly stern examination. The difference lay in Salcombe's speedy backs and the ability of their forwards to get around the park quicker than the heavy visitors pack. In the tight, Bucks were more than a match for Salcombe who lost their tight head Jez Foster with a badly dislocated thumb before the first scrum had even occurred. His replacement, the young Jim Winzer, came through a tough test with flying colours but the extra stones that Foster brings to the party were missed.
The game had hardly started when Bucks were penalised and Chris Drew put in a long kick to touch. From the lineout Salcombe won the ball and a swift pass put Darren Hopkins in space with 20 yards to go for the try which Drew converted from wide out. Salcombe were winning posession more at less at will and only a few dropped balls stopped further scores. Salcombe then decided to slug it out with the Bucks pack and this resulted in a rather sterile spell when throwing the ball around would have produced more rewards. The visitors then kicked a penalty but just before half time a teeth rattling James Cooper tackle caused the Buckfastleigh centre to throw the ball up and a vigilant Oli Masters caught it and made useful yards before passing to Anthony Squire for the winger to use his pace to score close to the posts. Drew converted to bring the half time score to 14-3 to Salcombe.
The second half started with Buckfastleigh dropping a long range goal when it became clear that the Salcombe defence was not going to yield to their pressure. Further Salcombe posession kept play in the visitor's half and was rewarded eventually when Cameron Johnstone coming on as replacement full back burst through for an unconverted try. Just prior to that Drew had slotted a penalty and these two scores eased Salcombe into a comfortable 22-6 lead. Soon after Salcombe won another penalty and opting for the tap the ball was moved swiftly along the line to replacement winger Mark Parnowski for the try. A great attempt at the conversion saw the ball bounce off the upright and at 27-6 Salcombe went somewhat off the boil to allow Bucks a try in the last minutes of the match.
Next week's Easter Festival of Rugby has the 2s playing the Exiles on Good Friday and the 1s playing Torquay 2s for the Charlie Allen Cup on Easter Saturday, both matches kicking off at 3.0pm. The 1s match will be followed at 4.30 by an “invitation” side playing Wolverhampton Wizards on their 11th visit to Salcombe at Easter. On Easter Sunday the 28th Annual Sevens Tournament will kick off at 11am and this year sees the return of the Young Guns from Kingsbridge as well as teams from up country. Admission is £3 on Friday and Saturday and £5 on Sunday or £10 for the weekend.
This was a game that Salcombe could have and should have won. Playing down the slope and with the stiff breeze behind them the Crabs had just been awarded a penalty try for yet another scrum infringement by the weak OPM pack. With Salcombe 19-25 down and 25 minutes still to play the home side played their trump card by calling for passive scrums as they had run out of props. But to the Salcombe eye there appeared to be nothing wrong with the injured player other than he couldn't take the pressure. This made all the difference because the admittedly superior OPM backs now had some ball to play with and scored two killer tries, both converted, to take the score into a flattering margin for OPM.
In the first half OPM had run up 20 unanswered points with their very pacey left wing scoring two of them in a straight run for the line. Additionally they had kicked a penalty and got a soft try when a Salcombe kick out of defence was charged down close to the line. Salcombe playing well had a lot of territorial advantage and were camped out in the home side's half for long periods but just couldn't score. Eventually the break came and Stuart Winzer forced his way over from a penalty and although the kick failed the Salcombe supporters thought that a 20-5 deficit was surmountable in the second half given the wind,slope and the Crabs' forward dominance.
An unfortunate bounce of the ball from the kick off right at the start of the second half gifted OPM a try to take the score to 25-5 but the next 15 minutes saw a period of total Salcombe domination with Stuart Winzer going over for his second try and Salcombe being awarded a penalty try, both converted by Chris Drew, to take the score to 19- 25 to OPM. At this point the home side's coach played his master card, passive scrums were called and following an exchange of penalties OPM got two more tries in the last 5 minutes.
Thus ended Salcombe's league season in which they had moved from top spot after winning their first three matches to being just out of the relegation zone at the end. The last league victory was back in mid January against the league whipping boys Tamar Saracens and since then it has been downhill all the way. This season there hasn't been the usual excuse of injuries etc. and spectators are left wondering what the failings are. In the main it seems that decision making under pressure has let us down often gifting opponents territory that has been hard won. More discipline is needed on option to take when awarded penalties but above all Salcombe must learn to protect the ball better both in contact and when driving forward. Once this is achieved they can rumble through more phases securely and only give the backs the ball when they are in a position to do something with it rather than giving them slow poor ball in bad positions.
With the pressure of league off, next week is a much more light hearted affair when the Crabs host Buckfastleigh in the Barry Cup match. Bucks won the Cup at the start of the season in a match rearranged from last season and Salcombe will no doubt wish to make amends at home (ko 3.0pm) The following week is Easter with the 2nds playing the Exiles at 3.0pm on Good Friday and the 1s playing Torquay 2s in the Charlie Allen Cup on Easter Saturday again at 3.0pm. An invitation side will then play Wolverhampton Wizards after the Torquay match and on Sunday there is the annual Sevens tournament which kicks off at 11.0 am.
If the Crabs had played for the first 60 minutes the way they played in the last 20 the score would have been very different. In this last period they played with passion and commitment and the home side were kept pinned back in their own half while Salcombe ran attack after attack at them. But by now Salcombe were already 22-3 down and although they got their consolation try through Stuart Winzer barging his way through a packed defence, it was too little too late.
The game started fairly evenly with Salcombe winning almost all the lineouts with James Cooper and Sean Baker both in dominant form but the scrums were a mess with Salcombe being shunted back at speed. Mistakes crept into the Crabs game, turnovers were conceded and the ball dropped and from one such bit of poor handling Tawton intercepted to score a converted try.
Immediately after the try a scrum collapsed and Sam Long playing his first league game at prop broke his arm. The game was held up for half an hour while an ambulance was called but after the restart Salcombe did not improve. The home side then got a penalty and followed it up fairly quickly with an unconverted try when an awkwardly bouncing ball wrong footed the Crabs defence. Chris Drew then kicked a penalty to leave the half time score at 15-3 to North Tawton.
The second half started much as the first half had gone and Salcombe found themselves furthur behind to a converted try scored following a period of heavy pressure on the Salcombe line. Salcombe then rang the changes bringing 2nd row James Palmer into his alternative position of centre. Palmer had already had a good game with some forceful running and his introduction to the backs signalled the start of Salcombe's revival. Linking well with Lee Clarke who also had a good game play moved down into the Tawton half and a period of pressure brought a touchdown for Salcombe which the referee ruled out because he had seen an earlier forward pass. Furthur pressure resulted in Stuart Winzer's try which Drew converted but Salcombe could not manage another score before the game finished.
Both sides were let down by their original oponents so were glad of this hastily rearranged match. But that is far as any goodwill went in a bruising encounter that saw an number of niggling incidents one of which resulted in 2 players from each side being sent to the bin for 10 minutes.
Salcombe fielding a light weight pack found themselves heavily outmuscled in the tight and although much quicker about the park, the contact area was still a problem for them if Dartmouth arrived in force. The tight improved dramatically when Jez Foster came on and it was clear that the home pack were rather put out that they no longer had it all their own way in the set and that their hitherto effective rumbles were breaking down.
Dartmouth opened the scoring with a penalty but Salcombe soon showed their skill and speed in a beautiful move only spoilt by the final pass 2 yards out from the line being spilled. However they quickly recovered and another nice move saw James Palmer and James Cooper combining nicely to put Cooper for the try which Chris Drew converted. Almost immediately Dartmouth replied with a try of their own to take the score to 8-7 to the home side. They then added a penalty to give Dartmouth an 11-7 half time lead.
Following the fracas and outburst of yellow cards Rupert Bevan then put in a splendid solo effort for a long range try which Drew converted but then immediately from the kick off Salcombe conceded an unconverted try to put the score to 14-18 to Dartmouth. James Cooper then rounded off a fine match by scoring again wide out and Drew narrowly missed the conversion. With the score at 19-18 to Salcombe and only seconds on the clock a deserved Crabs victory looked assured only for them to yet again make a mess of the kick off and allow Dartmouth to score a converted try with the last move of the match.
Next week it is back to League for the 1s with a difficult away trip to North Tawton while the 2s have a blank week.
Salcombe fell to their biggest defeat of the season to the team that, despite the league situation, the Salcombe players felt are the best team in the league. Nevertheless it was an entertaining match and throughout there was a feeling that Salcombe might just spring a surprise. Indeed with 15 minutes remaining and the score at 22-30 to Wessex, Salcombe had realistic hopes. But as the constant battle to keep the hard running visitor's out took its toll on the Crab's fitness so they leaked 3 tries,2 converted, in the final quarter of an hour to end up rather unlucky to be this far adrift.
Wessex opened the scoring with a penalty after 5 minutes and followed it up with a try when they won a Salcombe line out and put together a good catch and drive to go 10 nil ahead. Salcombe opened their account when 2nd row James Palmer put in a bullocking run for about 40 yards and Wessex infringed at the resultant ruck. Chris Drew slotted the kick but almost immediately the score went to 13-3 to the visitors as they in turn got a penalty. Palmer then featured in the next Crabs score as he booted the ball on when Wessex dropped it and Darren Hopkins racing up the wing gathered superbly a bobbling awkward ball from around his ankles and then raced the final 25 yards for the try which Drew converted.
Wessex then scored two more tries, one converted,through their fast backs before Salcombe then scored a beauty of their own straight from the restart after the Wessex try. Rupert Bevan put up a high hanging kick and Sean Baker won the aerial battle to tap the ball back for Chris Winzer to pick up and flick the ball to hooker Sam Viles who charged down the wing for the remaining 25 yards to score wide out. The kick failed but at half time Salcombe were only 15-25 behind.
Wessex then scored an unconverted try soon after the break and midway through the half Salcombe scored their third try of the game when the forwards won good posession to give the ball to Bevan on the wing. Using his pace and strength Bevan ran through several attempts to tackle him over 30 yards before finishing the try with something of a Chris Ashton flourish. Drew converted to bring the score to 22-30 to Wessex. Thereafter it was all Wessex as the Crabs looked tired and the visitors got their three unanswered tries.
There was some consolation for Salcombe in the second match of the afternoon when the two second strings met. Salcombe with a much heavier and more mobile pack dominated the proceedings and ran out 41-0 winners to avenge their narrow defeat in Exeter when the 2 teams met in the autumn.
Next week it is a week off for the 1s but we will try to get a fixture for a club side if anyone wants to play us on 6 Nations Super Saturday!
Having beaten New Cross twice this season, once in the league at Twomeads and once in the Cup, also at home, Salcombe went out expecting to win again an admittedly tight game. However they came up against a side fighting to avoid relegation who quite simply wanted it more than the Crabs who cannot achieve promotion and are mathematically safe from relegation.
From a Salcombe point of view the game was memorable for two things: Chris Drew getting all Salcombe's points with two fine tries and a conversion and for the first time all five Winzers in the Club getting on the teamsheet together even though only four were on the pitch at the same time. Particular mention should be made of the two youngest of the clan, Jim Winzer at tight head prop who played well for 60 minutes before elder brother Chris returning from injury came on in his place and Richard Winzer making his first team debut at wing who showed great promise under the high ball and ran it back at New Cross with verve and pace.
From a Salcombe point of view there was little memorable about the first half which the home side totally dominated putting together some fine driving by the forwards which gave them almost constant good field position. Indeed it was only the Crab's fine defensive work that prevented a much higher half time score. However inevitably the pressure took its toll and from a catch and drive close to the Salcombe line New Cross scored a converted try to open the scoring and followed it up with two penalties to leave the half time score at 13-0 to New Cross.
The second half started brightly for Salcombe and within five minutes of the restart the forwards won good ball in the turnover which went straight to Drew and with the home defence out of position the no 10 backed himself as the gap opened up and raced the 25 yards to the line touching down wide out. The conversion failed. New Cross responded with yet another catch and drive for a converted try to bring the score to 20-5 but Drew wasn't finished yet. The forwards put together a good drive of their own which took play on 20 yards or so and again the ball came to Drew who made a half break before putting in a delicate little chip over the cover which he then caught himself. This manouvre mesmerised the opposition who then parted like the Red Sea to allow Drew in under the posts for the try which he converted to bring the score to 20-12 to New Cross. New Cross then completed the scoring when Salcombe were caught out by an awkward bounce and despite at least two apparent knock ons, the try was awarded.
Next week it is a double header at Twomeads with both the firsts and seconds playing Wessex at home. The 1s will kick off at 2.30 and the 2s at around 4.15. Both sides lost to to Wessex when we played the double header in Exeter and with Wessex chasing promotion and keen to hang on to second spot ahead of Plymstock they will be tough opposition.
Salcombe move into the semi finals of the Devon Junior Cup with a thrilling late win over their League rivals. Playing into a strong wind the visitors started the better side and controlled the ball well inching their way up the field. Salcombe on the other hand tried to force the play and were let down by some poor execution of set plays and backline moves. The game sprung into life when New Cross turned a spell of dominance inside the home side’s 22 into a five point lead.
Almost immediately Salcombe responded. Flanker Jamie Laban who gives the visiting teams a torrid time on kick offs rose magnificently to reclaim possession. From this Salcombe were able to build a platform and start putting phases together of their own. Recently converted to the front row, prop Kevin Wreford charged through a couple of tackles before linking well with the in-form Number Eight Stuart Winzer who finished powerfully next to the posts. Fly-half Chris Drew somehow managed to miss the usually routine kick when he struck the posts. Drew was soon to make amends when he put over two long range penalties to give the home side a six point lead at the interval.
A New Cross penalty after the interval put the visitors back in touch and when Salcombe were reduced to 14 men following a sin binning the hosts took the lead through a forward drive in the clubhouse corner. The conversion was missed but a further penalty was added to give New Cross a 16-11 lead with ten minutes remaining.
New Cross could have put the game to bed if it wasn’t for some great last ditch defending by the Salcombe pack and winger Mark Parnowski who stopped a certain Try with a great tackle. Back came Salcombe as they threw everything at the New Cross defence. Some great charges by new signings Scott Lowry and Steve Gatland put the visitors on the back foot which allowed the backs to find some more time and space to attack. From quick ball by the pack, the ball was spun down the line and Captain Darren Hopkins, playing at full back entered the line at pace and tore through a gap to score in the corner level the game. The conversion stood no chance in the wind so it was down to extra time.
Salcombe played with the wind into the first half of the extra period and began to contol all aspects of the play. Second row Sean Baker capped a great game by controlling all of the restarts single handedly. The crabs were rewarded with their play when New Cross gave away a penalty and were reduced to 14 after a sin binning. Drew making no mistakes as he gave the Crabs a three point lead.
Salcombe’s superior fitness really showed into the second half of the extra time as they pressed for the killer score. The home side controlled possession and territory well and the game was over as a contest when Drew added his fourth penalty of the game to see Salcombe through to the semi-finals who they will face league leaders Plymouth Barbarians at home.
Salcombe lost to the better team although they did it by conceding three soft tries, two in the space of a minute just before halftime to leave the half time score at 22-10 to Plymstock.
The game started well for the Crabs playing into the wind but down the slight slope and the early exchanges were pretty even with the Salcombe pack shading it over their heavier oponents. Plymstock conceded a penalty and Chris Drew's kick bounced off the posts for an ever alert Oli Masters at centre to catch at speed and crash over. Drew converted and soon after was late tackled to give the fly half another shot at the posts which was successful to put Salcombe 10-0 up after only eight minutes.
This roused Plymstock who made good use of their large and hard running backs to work their way back into the match. Missed tackles did not help the Salcombe cause and the home side's outside centre forced his way to within a few yards of the Salcombe line before being brought down. At the resultant ruck Salcombe were penalised and from a tap penalty the Plymstock 6 foot 6 inch second row used all his height to touch down. Again hard running and quick passing gave the home side a good position and as Salcombe infringed Plymstock were able to kick the penalty to bring the scores level after 20 minutes.
Play continued fairly evenly for much of the half with Salcombe securing a good share of the ball. The set scrum with new signings Ty Sherburn at prop and Steve Gatland at hooker joining Kevin Wreyford in the front row were very solid and regularly gave the scrum a nudge in the right direction. In the lineout Salcombe did particularly well with Sean Baker, Jamie Laban and Ian Smerdon providing a stream of ball and together with Stuart Winzer at no8 secured reasonable posession in the loose. The difference between the two sides was that Plymstock moved the ball more slickly and were the more incisive runners and when in defence they kicked long to get behind the Crab's defence.
Just before half time Salcombe suffered two killer blows as Plymstock broke tackles at will to set up a two man overlap for the converted try. Almost immediately poor alignment by Salcombe allowed gaps to appear and the home side's winger cantered over for the unconverted try.
The second half repeated much of the pattern of the first and was even for the first 20 minutes when a mix up at the base of the scrum ten yards from the Salcombe line left Drew scrabbling for terrible ball and with the Plymstock back row around his ears. The ball was grabbed by their no8 for the softest of tries which remained unconverted.
Five minutes later Salcombe put together their best move of the match when a great offload from Stuart Winzer left Darren Hopkins with 30 yards to go. Skinning his winger for pace on the outside he then evaded the cover to go over wide out for the try which Drew converted with a huge kick. Despite pressure by Salcombe for the last 10 minutes of the match Plymstock kept them out for what was in the end a fair reflection of the difference between the two sides.
Next week the 1s are at home to New Cross in the Devon Junior Cup, ko 2.30 and the 2s are away at Sidmouth 3s also at 2,30.
After their almost traditional poor first 10 minutes, The Crabs were in charge of this game throughout, dominant in all aspects of play except the set scrum where the two Saracens props, reckoned by the Salcombe front row to be the best in this league, evened things up somewhat.
Salcombe conceded a soft try after 5 minutes allowing the admittedly pacy Saracens' centre to waltz through missed tackles for the touchdown which was not converted. Salcombe then put together a nice move winning the ball from the back row and then spinning it wide for Oli Masters on the wing to score the first of what proved to be his hat trick. This was Oli's second hat trick in successive league matches that he has played and Salcombe hope that he will be more free of work pressures for this second half of the season. Chris Drew converted but the advantage was given away by some sloppy play allowing the visitors to gain good field position and win an easy penalty to take the score to 7-8 to Tamar.
Thereafter it was all Salcombe and a series of pick and go's took play well into the visitor's half before another smooth backs move saw Liam Wills and Rupert Bevan combine well to put Masters in again wide out after the winger had shrugged off a couple of tackles. The conversion was missed but Drew made amends by converting the next try which he started off by making a clean break and as the cover overhauled him he passed to no8 Stuart Winzer who skillfully gathered a difficult ball. Charging on he found cousin Chris Winzer who wisely changed the direction of the attack but the ball was dropped in the middle of the park. Salcombe then took the ball against the head courtesy of a quick strike by hooker Sam Viles and as the Crabs surged forward Tamar infringed and from the quick tap penalty Stuart Winzer barged over.
The second half started with Tamar competing strongly and although the Crab's back row of Jamie Laban, Stuart Winzer and Ian Smerdon were all over their oponents and provided a plentiful supply of ball, a degree of nervousness crept into Salcombe and a number of good balls were fumbled. This gave the visitors hope of a come back which was only extinguished when Masters got his third following a nice combination of forwards and backs and a good burst from Wills in the centre. The conversion was missed but as Salcombe scored 4 times in the last 20 minutes Drew slotted 3 conversions in the difficult wind. The first of these tries came when Chris Winzer scored as a good catch by Sean Baker in the lineout was driven forward with Chris in charge of the ball. Further tries came from the increasingly confident Salcombe backs and the game plan of suck in the forwards and then spin it wide resulted in tries for Lewis Winzer at full back, Rupert Bevan at centre and replacement wing Mark Parnowski in the dying seconds of the game. Drew's conversion of the last try brought up the 50 points as the final whistle blew.
This win takes Salcombe to 3rd in the table with a game in hand over the two leaders but 10 and11 points behind them. Salcombe have a gap next week before a string of crucial matches in the league and Cup. However it is hoped that the 2s will pick up a fixture to give some of the contenders for first team places a chance to show what they can do.