Bideford 0pts
Drybrook 44pts
What makes an eight o-clock start on a damp and dismal Saturday morning worthwhile?
A 44 nil victory and your nearest rivals losing isn’t a bad reason.
With a number of changes from the previous week and a Bideford outfit who were keen to dispel the nightmare of the 113 points they conceded at Drybrook earlier in the season, this game had the potential to serve up an awkward obstacle in Drybrook’s quest to continue their unbeaten run.
With the rain abating and the sky showing a sliver of blue over the King George’s Field Ground, the players lined up for a minutes silence in respect of ex Drybrook President the Reverend Cliff Davies who sadly passed away earlier in the week.
The early exchanges were hard fought with both teams expecting and giving no quarter.
Bideford had the edge in the scrum, Drybrook were having to play off the back of some scrappy possession which led to some uncharacteristic handling errors that interrupted the flow of the game.
It was evident that if Drybrook were going to take anything from this game then their big guns would need to start firing and fire they did.
The Drybrook front row had sorted the scrummaging problem out and this allowed Tingle playing at eight to pick up and drive into the heart of the home defence. Bideford were forced to concede penalties at the breakdown and lost players to the sin bin for continual indiscretions.
With thirty minutes on the clock a quick tap penalty saw Tim Stevenson force his way over for the first score which went unconverted.
Drybrook were finally into their stride and good carries from Greenway and Hale set up quick ball for the backs with Captain Ben Large carving holes through the Bideford midfield.
A good break from Mitch Baldwin at scrum half led to Stevenson drawing in the defence and passing the ball to the supporting Tingle who raced over for Drybrook’s second.
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From the restart, with only seconds left on the clock before half time, a good take by Greenway gave Drybrook the possession for Large to break clear and go between the posts.
Treherne added the conversion and the visitors had a seventeen point advantage to take into the break.
The second half began with Bideford throwing the kitchen sink at Drybrook in a valiant effort to get back into the game.
Great defence from Drybrook with big hits coming in from Nott, Greenway and Price saw the ball turned over and cleared. A good catch and chip ahead from the Chiefs fullback had Olly Moore scampering back to touch the ball down over his own line. From the resulting scrum the Bideford number eight picked up and drove for the line but was held up well by Peaper and Baldwin. A rather harsh decision to send Baldwin to the bin for not releasing the tackled player meant that Drybrook were now down to fourteen but rather than hamper
A brief and bloody debut for Fenton Bourne
them it served to rouse them. From an excellent turn over in defence, they went the length of the pitch with Mitch Hale receiving the final pass to power over the line for a score that gave Drybrook the try bonus point.
Treherne’s conversion saw the lead stretch to twenty four points.
Drybrook brought on replacement Fenton Bourne for his debut but his first tackle saw him sustain a nasty cut to his eye which forced him to leave the field.
Tingle then broke clear to go over for his second of the afternoon, the home team’s heads visibly dropped as they realised there would be no way back.
The next attack saw Olly Moore score on his return after a hamstring injury that has side-lined him for a number of weeks.
Drybrook finished the game in exuberant style with Stevenson and Moore both adding their second try’s to give Drybrook an excellent victory.
The manner of this win was especially pleasing given the number of changes in the team with everyone giving their all to ensure that Bideford did not cross the line.
The victory was sweetened by the news that Teignmouth had beaten league leaders Exeter University in a surprise result that now sees Drybrook close the gap with two games in hand on their rivals.
The Drybrook coach was rocking on the way home with D.J Large on the decks and Connor Auker-Howlett on lead vocals.
Next week Drybrook are at home to Bridgewater in the next instalment of this seasons exciting journey.
Drybrook – T. Treherne, R. Gardner, C. Swannock, B. Large,L. Roberts, T. Stevenson, M. Baldwin, M.Renton, D.Jelf, M.Hale, G. Nott, W.Greenway, S. Peaper, D.Price, J.Tingle,
Replacements – O.Moore, F.Bourne, C.Auker-Howlett.
