CREDITON RFC First XV travelled to Wadebridge on Saturday, September 9 and not for the first time over the years, Wadebridge proved to be one of the toughest places to visit and this reverse was something of a setback but by no means a complete disaster.

Indeed in the first half Crediton held a 14 point advantage courtesy of two excellent tries from winger Bobby Jenkin and centre Ollie Down, both converted by Ollie Avery-Wright.

However, in the second half Crediton seemed to implode as they played into the hands of their hosts.

In conditions more suited to cricket than rugby, the preservation of energy should have been uppermost in the minds and yet, Crediton seemed intent on running the ball from deep in their own half.

Perhaps the more pragmatic approach would have been to secure territory and play in the home team half of the pitch.

It was not long before Crediton ran out of steam and their hosts responded with 34 unanswered points in the second half.

Certainly, it is early days and if Wadebridge can gain that sort of result against Crediton then they will no doubt do the same to most other sides in the league.

However, sitting in eighth position in the league has a very unfamiliar look about it for Crediton, albeit after only two games.

Crediton Quins 51 - Tiverton Seconds 7

The Quins continued from where they left off at Okehampton and maintained the pressure at the top of the table with a comfortable win against near neighbours Tiverton.

Skipper and No8 Chris Hooper got back into try scoring mode to score.

Fly-half Tom Ronchetti added the extras, the opening score after flanker Ben Rodd made the break.

A perfectly timed pop pass found Hooper in support. However, Tivvy levelled things shortly afterwards with a converted try, that though was as good as it got for them.

Undeterred by that setback, the Quins continued to apply pressure and after several phases close to the visitors line it was hooker Bardy May who went over for a 12-7 lead.

With half-time approaching, a neat move found winger Kofi Firth who went over for a 17-7 interval lead.

The second half saw the tries come at regular intervals, the bonus point was earned when Hooper bagged his second of the day off the back of a scrum, Ronchetti adding the two points.

Winger Josh Woodland then went over after the ball was secured from a scrum and a miss pass sent him in under the posts, scrum-half James Dodge converting.

On the hour mark, it was Dodge who benefitted from a good break by Ethan Power to go over in the corner although he couldn’t add the extras to his try.

Prop Phil Holmes was next on the scoresheet after a couple of phases and was soon followed by fullback Freddie Borthen after a good three-quarter move.

Centre Josh Goldman completed the scoring with a try after a strong break upfield from lock Cameron Vooght.

A good all-round performance from the Quins and shows they should be challenging at the top of the table come April.

An impressive statistic is that 19 of the 20 in the squad have come through the Juniors and Colts, a record that the Club can be so proud of.

Crediton Colts 7 - Sidmouth Colts 54

A tough one for the Colts as Sidmouth are one of the best sides in the county at this level.

It is very early days for our lads but the talent is there so there is plenty to build on.

Charlie Gribble scored Crediton’s try with Oscar Sorrell landing the conversion.

Sadly, the Third XV had their game postponed due to the shortage of referees, which seems to be more acute this year.

Indeed, had it not been for the fact that club member and former captain Shane Bayley stepped in to referee the Second XV game, then they too would have gone without a game.

The players from both sides were most appreciative of Shane for stepping in to referee the game.

Fixtures

On Saturday, September 16 the First XV will be keen to bounce back as they host Burnham-on-Sea.

The Quins travel to Tavistock for a friendly against the Moorlanders Second XV as the scheduled league opponents Buckfastleigh no longer have a team. The Third XV host Exmouth Thirds and the Colts travel to Bideford.

Paul Harris