HAVING won the Devon Merit Table two the previous season, the Second Fifteen faced the challenge in the top tier of the Merit Tables as the lowest ranked club. However, it was generally felt that we would compete very well although realistically it would be difficult to get the better of Exmouth, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot and Brixham. The other sides in the competition whilst being strong opponents, were certainly teams that were beatable and a mid-table finish was well within our own capabilities. The season began with a couple of friendlies against Bude and North Tawton before the first Merit Table game at Ivybridge which was lost very narrowly 13-15. It was certainly a tough start to the season and the next two games against Barnstaple and Brixham resulted in defeats (13-27 and 0-25 respectively) but, despite losing, we had indeed performed very well and certainly were not disgraced. Indeed against Barnstaple the forwards had the edge and made Barum work extremely hard for their win. Three successive wins then balanced things up, Paignton (22-0), Devonport (18-10) and Kingsbridge (27-18). By this time, there were a number of players beginning to push for an opportunity to play in the First Fifteen. Unfortunately, another run of three defeats, Cullompton (10-34), Newton Abbot (20-38) and Sidmouth (15-29) pushed us back into the bottom three of the table. Newton Abbot, perhaps, was not a surprise but losing to Cullompton and Sidmouth was something of a disappointment. Things looked a bit brighter after a 24-0 win against Torquay but then our neighbours Tiverton inflicted another defeat (17-31). By this time we were in the bottom four but relatively safe from relegation as Paignton looked doomed at this early stage. A victory against Ivybridge (17-10) was perhaps unexpected as they had made a dramatic rise to second in the Merit Table after a run of victories but it was back to earth with a bump as once again Barnstaple and Brixham followed in successive weeks and both games were lost rather heavily (5-38 and 7-38). A disappointing 5-10 defeat at Devonport was followed by a remarkable 39-38 win at Torquay, a game which we did not realise that we had won until the final whistle, fortunately the referee was better at maths than the players! The following week's trip to Newton Abbot was not as fruitful as we suffered a 10-43 defeat but certainly bounced back a week later with a 41-3 win at home against Sidmouth. By this stage of the season, any fears of relegation had been dispelled although there were still some tough games remaining or so we thought. We surprised ourselves with an excellent 22-0 win at home against Exmouth followed by a 54-5 thumping of Tiverton. The final Merit Table game was at Exmouth and an outstanding performance saw the 'Quins record a memorable 46-7 victory over the Cockles at the Imperial Ground. We ended the season in sixth place in the Merit Table and probably exceeded our own expectations with nine wins and eleven defeats. In total, the 'Quins playing record was P30 W17 D0 L13 F664 A 519. In Friendly fixtures, the double was achieved against Bideford and North Tawton and other victories against Bude, South Molton and Exeter Engineers. Rob Leach appeared in 24 games, Richard Gray and George Marshall 20, Brad Baker and Kev Ellis 19, Henry Gavin, Matt Moyes and Paul Turner 18, Ed Marshall 17, Nathan Jackson and Ed Marshall 16, Gav Best 15, Gareth Kinch 14, Ben Phillips 13, Phil Holmes, Devon Hosegood and Ben Rogers 12, Neil Branton, Jamie Cheffins, Rob Milton and Dave Rich 11, Chris Simpson 10. Rob Milton top scored with 99 points from eight tries, 22 conversions and five penalties, Ed Marshall and Nathan Jackson both scored seven tries, Gav Best six, Kev Ellis five, George Marshall, Brad Baker and Dave Rich four tries apiece. A surprising statistic is that 72 players have turned out for the 'Quins during the season and despite a lack of continuity with selection caused by injury and unavailability, the quality of the rugby has been consistently good. Other clubs would no doubt cast envious eyes at our playing strength. We can look forward to next season with an air of confidence and a definite opportunity to improve on our sixth place position in the Merit Table. The Thirds and Colts will be reviewed in these pages over the next few weeks.