NORTH Tawton Rugby Club welcomed the team from New Cross for the first game back after the holiday period, albeit in a bitterly cold breeze it promised to be a close encounter.

The teams were side by side in the league not too far off the top spot.

North Tawton had won the away match, a match you could say had started a new belief in the Tawts side and form they were keen to continue today.

In the cold conditions it was the New Cross side that started the brightest, North Tawton struggling to get any ball for the opening minutes.

The Tawts defence were given plenty to do, keeping out spirited attacks by the visitors a task they warmed to as the game went on, all afternoon pushing back from well inside their own 22 time after time.

It was the visitors who struck first, a well worked try missed conversion giving them an early lead, 0-5.

It was quite strange that a game with only two tries scored they came within minutes of each other but, as if stung by the nerve of the opposition, the home team went up the other end and dually took the lead with a try from Rob North and the kick by Jack Phare, 7-5.

Now I could say the game settled in to a regular pattern but I am not sure it did, the referee becoming more and more annoyed by the back chat from both teams and seemingly questioning his judgment more.

It has to be said from the home team and 10 or more verbal warnings were given before a yellow card was shown to Simon Quick, reducing the Tawton to 14 for 10 minutes.

The visitors were by no means innocent parties in all this, they also got their share of verbal warnings, a side effect of this was to appear to unite the teams in keeping on the ref's right side.

While there were no more tries scored there were several close attempts from both sides, some hard tackles stopping many a promising run.

In the end, it was the two penalties that proved to be the difference, both scored by Liam Pyle taking on the kicking duties giving us the final score of 13-5 to North Tawton.

It has to be said that Tawton ground out a win in difficult conditions battling the cold weather, good opposition and a referee that was rightly going to have the last word.

Next North Tawton travel to table toppers Crediton II.

Chris Phare