Topsham 22 Salcombe 20

 

A game that almost slipped away from us was in fact won more comfortably than the score line suggests. Only a bizarre penalty try within the last ten minutes awarded against us allowed Salcombe within a scoring opportunity to win. No one from either side or the crowd could understand the referee’s decision, and this could have been costly.

 

A good quality game, which was played in good spirit, was consistently interrupted by unnecessary lectures for incidental offences by the referee, which was a massive shame for the players and the crowd. To the players credit they never capitulated to let their frustration overspill in to niggle.

 

Ultimately, this was a game we should have sown up by half time. Two clear-cut chances were wasted and this is something we need to sort out before our difficult game at Totnes in two weeks time.

 

This was a game we started brightly and except for pressure we created ourselves by not using the elements we were generally untroubled by the opposition. We had many good passages of player but mistakes meant that we only scored two tries in the first half playing up the slope. After a catch and drive of a line out and some good rucking by the forwards Nathan Mayne cantered in by the posts. George York converted.

 

Salcombe got on the score sheet from a penalty by Chris Drew, before we extended our lead when an overlap developed for Darren Davies to score in the corner. Nathan Mayne missed with a difficult conversation. Half time score was Topsham 12 Salcombe 3

 

The second half continued in similar vein to the first, with us just not being able to finish of opportunities. Our set play, which was generally very good through the match, gave us the opportunity to extend our lead when from another catch and drive from a lineout saw Kevin Ware get the touch down. The conversation was missed. We were in the ascendancy at this stage and extended our lead when Mitchell Ocholla scored in the left hand corner after beating four players from 30 metres out. The conversation was missed.

 

We seemed to relax after this score and allowed Salcombe back in to the game. They were using the wind to pin us back in our own 22 and when we failed to clear well enough it allowed their fly half Chris Drew to score after a lineout. He duly converted his own try. He followed this up when from another mix up in defence provided him with a penalty kick, which he slotted over.

 

We seem to lose our shape and even when attacking deep in to their half we tended to kick away possession instead of retaining the ball. From one of these situations Salcombe cleared their line and from a kick we found ourselves in our own 22. We failed on several occasions to clear the ball and from a missed kick to touch their right wing Mark Lidstone chipped and chased. Three men challenged for the ball and the Salcombe player knocked it forward. Strangely, the referee interpreted that we had taken the player out deliberately and awarded a penalty try. This was converted.

 

Fortunately, we held ourselves together for the remainder of the match and could have scored a try late in the game had the referee penalised their man for deliberately killing the ball at a ruck, instead of penalising us for rucking!