Cullompton 12 - Crediton 15

THE return game for Crediton First XV at Cullompton was always going to be a tight affair as we edged the home game earlier in the season by a mere two points.

Both sides had a number of regulars missing from their lineup although that provided opportunities for a few players moving up from the Seconds.

The early stages of the game were evenly contested with much of the play taking place in the middle third of the pitch.

The scrum battle was clearly won by the home side and that dominance led to the opening try.

We were being shoved back when they released the ball to the backs for the winger to go over on the corner. The conversion failed to find its mark.

Cully continued to dominate but it was us who scored next when fly half Ollie Avery-Wright intercepted a Cullompton pass and raced home from half way and then landed the conversion.

The score seemed to settle the team and it was not long before a second try was on the board. Play went through several phases and hooker Dan Yendell made good ground before putting winger Josh Hall away to score in the corner, the conversion drifted wide.

The home side levelled six minutes later when once again they won a scrum five metres out and moved the ball out to the backs for their centre to break through and touch down for a simple conversion to level the scores at 12 all at the interval.

The second half was dominated by strong defences and littered with errors from both sides and the solitary score came from the boot of Avery-Wright when Cullompton were penalised for a deliberate knock on. It took some excellent defending to hang on to that three point lead until the final whistle but the valuable four points earned was very welcome and we retain our second place in the league.

Bideford Seconds XV 26 - Crediton Third XV 17

A tough day at the office for the Thirds in the Merit Table encounter at Bideford and against a well drilled outfit.

The opening minutes were evenly contested and indeed we took the lead with a try from Deyan Tomic who forced his way over from close range.

The home side struck back and levelled before our own discipline began to let us down especially with regard to the tackle height law!

We suffered a couple of yellow cards which cost us as Bideford capitalised with a few scores to put the game beyond us. However, we did rally and scrum half Elliott White and No8 Liam Stait crossed over for tries with Owen Cooper landing a conversion. Despite the defeat, the players can be extremely proud of their performance.

Topsham Colts 24 - Crediton Colts 27

Both sides produced an entertaining and evenly contested game which had everything including a nail-biting finish!

The early signs looked good when, with the wind at our backs, and an early interception score from scrum half George Baxter after just a couple of minutes, should have settled any nerves.

Fly half Oscar Sorrell landed the extras. The game became an end-to-end battle with both defences generally gaining the upper hand. However, it was the home side who made the breakthrough to level the scores.

An Oscar Sorrell penalty put us back in the lead albeit briefly as Topsham bagged another seven pointer followed by an unconverted try to take the lead to 19-10 at the interval.

The second half would be a real test of character and the need to look after the ball would be even greater as any easy exits for Topsham would see us back 50 metres with the strength of the wind.

Things became more difficult with a yellow card for too many penalties and Topsham took advantage with a fourth try and looked to be on their way to a victory.

Crediton Colts don’t give up that easily and centre Charlie Gribble showed enormous strength and determination to force his way over to reduce the arrears and at 15-24 we were still in it.

It was then that Topsham had discipline issues and were reduced to 14 players. An attacking lineout was won and it was the industrious Baxter who spotted the space to dash over for a try to put us within a score.

With time running out, it was Gribble again using his strength to go over in the corner and for the first time since the fifth minute we were in the lead, Sorrell added the extras and the final whistle blew.

This was a good win for the Colts, they were made to work hard and battled back from a 14 point deficit to produce the win.

On Saturday, the First XV host Newton Abbot, the Quins travel to Cullompton and the Thirds travel to Exeter Engineers.

ERIC RODD

Club members will be very saddened to learn of the sudden death of Eric Rodd. Our thoughts are very much with Jackie, daughter Sally and Eric’s brother Alan at this time.

Eric was Crediton RFC through and through and was a product of Queen Elizabeth’s School and played in the early Colts teams of the late 1950s before heading off to University in Bristol although he had made his First XV debut by then.

On completing his degree at Bristol, Eric returned and worked in the family business and returned to playing rugby at the Club.

He soon established himself as a First XV regular in 1964 and was elected Club Captain in 1970.

After a total of 434 games for the Club, 375 of which were in the First XV, Eric finally hung up his boots in 1981.

In the meantime, he had also served on the Club Committee from 1972 and did two stints as Club Chairman from 1977-83 and again from 1999-2001. 

Amongst his many achievements at the Club, Eric was a central figure in the organisation of the Club Centenary Season Celebrations. In addition to his organisational skills, Eric had a wonderfully dry sense of humour and he will indeed be missed by us all.

Paul Harris