1st XV result archive
Saturday 13th March 10 Tamar Saracens 9 - Totnes 40
Tones front row, (L-R)Tim Woodward, Dave Shinner, Chris Life
Scrum half Mark Hooper clears the ball upfield
Totnes RFC v North Tawton Devon Junior Cup Qtr final Sunday 7th March
Totnes 1st XV played their outstanding Devon Junior Cup quarterfinal tie away to North Tawton on Sunday afternoon. Bright Sunshine and a bitterly north easterly breeze met both teams. The Chiefs went to the game in a buoyant mood following their last two matches which saw them regain top spot in the Devon 1 promotion league.
Having already played their opposition twice before Christmas Totnes knew they were going to face a charged up North Tawton side, having secured victories previously in what were tight games. Both sides showed enterprise in the first half, with the ball being spun out wide quickly, or probing kicks aimed at gaining territory. It was the Chiefs who had the first opportunity to get on the score sheet after the home side infringed at a ruck and gave Chris Hooper a kick from 40 yards out in front of the posts. With the wind at his back Hooper made no mistake in banging the ball home between the uprights.
A few minutes later Hooper found himself in a similar position, but the ball faded away to the left of the sticks to leave the score at 3-0 to Totnes. Further Pressure from Totnes saw the hosts pinned in their own 22, and pressure paid off when from an attacking scrum Mark Hooper sniped around the blind side to burrow over near the corner. Brother Chris did the honours with a fine conversion from out wide. With a few minutes remaining in the half, Totnes once again showed some attacking rugby with Tregelles making some storming runs into the heart of the home defence. Once again poor discipline from North Tawton saw Chris Hooper slot an easy attempt from in front of the posts, giving Totnes a 13 points to nil lead at half time.
The start of the second half saw the home side find another gear, and it was the turn of the Totnes side to defend. Some stalwart tackling from Tregelles and Smith in the centre saw tries averted, and a line of blue shirts stretched across the pitch kept the Totnes line intact. Frustration built on both sides and a string of penalties ensued, which Totnes used wisely to clear their lines, whilst the home team used their opportunities to try and batter a way through the away teams defence. The Totnes line held firm, and on a rare sortie out of their own half Chris Hooper pounced on a loose ball and showed his footballing skills to hack the ball up the pitch, fleet of foot he then won the footrace to touch the ball down, and score the final try of the game, which he then went on to convert. Totnes came out winners 20 points to nil, and now go on to fave Ifracombe in a the semi final in another away tie.
Adam Shore challengingat a line out
Andy Rive showing his defensive qualities
Chris Hooper on the attack
Pictures from Totnes 1st XV v DHSOB. 21st Feb 10. Totnes won 89-0
Reece Smith on the attack with Adan Shore in support
Ollie Tregelles showing a clean pair of heels to the opposition
Chris Hoopper converting his own try
Match Report, Saturday 21st November 2009
Totnes 1st XV 5 - 0 North Tawton
Having been a victim of the weather last weekend, Totnes were keen to see this weeks re-arranged league fixture against North Tawton go ahead. Ironically the home side were due to play the visitors in the Devon Junior Cup quarter finals this weekend, but with the league fixture taking precedent the Cup game has now been rescheduled for 23rd January at North Tawton.
With heavy rain all morning, the pitch was certainly looking bedraggled, and the referee asked both Captains before kick off if they were happy to play in what were very poor conditions. Having confirmed that it was in everyone's interest to complete the fixture the game got underway, in torrential rain and a strong gusting southerly wind.
Totnes were without influential No.8 Jerry Hamilton, and new comer Luke Parsons who both had work commitments, so Captain keen moved back to fill the back row slot, whilst Adam Shore and Paddy Townsend both had the opportunity to step up from the Quins set up.
Understandably the start of the game was focused around the forwards, and both sides tried to keep the ball alive and used the rolling maul to good effect. It was North Tawton who had the first opportunity to score after they turned the ball over on the Totnes 22. some quick recycling gave the visitors fly half an opportunity for a drop goal attempt, but the swirling wind soon knocked the ball from its flight, and Totnes were able to recover the ball and clear their lines.
Neither side really imposed themselves in the first half, with numerous knock ons and fumbles in the wet muddy conditions, although Totnes were certainly trying to move the ball out to the wings when given the opportunity. Tregelles playing at fullback was a constant thorn in the opposition's side with his excellent handling skills dealing with everything they threw at him. Hooper had one pot at the posts in the first half, but with kicking becoming a bit of a lottery in such poor conditions it was not surprising that the ball got held up in the wind and North Tawton could touch the ball down for a 22 drop out.
Once again at half time the referee conferred with both skippers following a complaint about surface water on the pitch, but again both sides wanted the game to reach its natural conclusion. The start of the second half saw Totnes start to pull together cohesively, and soon they were stating to dominate the lineout and the ruck, and had several mauls that marched the visors back towards their own try line. With the condition of the pitch deteriorating rapidly Totnes upped the tempo of the game and managed to get into the opponents 22. After one or two mishaps, they were able to put together another cohesive drive for the try line and ended up pushing the visitors back into the in goal area and ground the ball, when everyone got up from the floor Dave Shinner surfaced with the ball and claimed the try.
The final 15 minutes saw both sides desperately trying to move the ball, but the conditions ensured there were no further scores, and Totnes were extremely pleased to hear the final whistle knowing that their 100% league record was still intact.
Coach Harries praised his side for their commitment to getting the job done, and acknowledged that the conditions on the day had certainly made the fixture a potential banana skin for Totnes, but as they had already proved in close encounters earlier in the season the squad had a resilient edge, and the belief to complete and secure the win.
Once everyone had recovered and made it back to the clubhouse 1st XV Manager Darrin Orchard was unable to pick out just one player for the man of the match award, and so ended up picking out skipper Lex Keen, hooker Gareth Readman and Ollie Tregelles at full back, all of whom had fine individual displays in what were some atrocious conditions.
Next week the 1st XV travel to South Molton looking for their eleventh straight win, with the Quins at home to Okehampton III's in an important Merit table clash, and the Colts travel to local rivals Brixham. On Sunday 29th November the Veterans take on the Torbay Sharks for the Bridgehouse Brewery Cup, on Borough Park at 2.30 pm.
New Cross 13 - 18 Totnes
Saturday 7th November
Totnes travelled to local rivals New Cross for their ninth game of the league season. Having narrowly beaten the hosts earlier in the season the Totnes side were looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table.
One key change in the Totnes side saw fit again Luke Parsons move into the second row to partner Captain Keen, with young James Ruddock keeping his place for the second week running following a long term injury to veteran prop Woodward.
The home side opted to play with the wind in the first half, and threw everything at the Totnes side. Totnes appeared to be out of sorts for the first 30 minutes with several uncharacteristic mistakes coming from both the forwards and the backs, allowing the New Cross team to dominate in the set piece and apply pressure in the Totnes half. It was the home side that got their names on the score sheet first with a penalty infringement by Totnes gift New Cross with a 3 point penalty.
Totnes some how managed to cling on and the score remained static until 15 minutes into the second half. Once again some poor defending from Totnes saw New Cross score a converted try, with only one Mark Hooper penalty on the board in return.
The final quarter of the game saw Totnes suddenly pick themselves up and galvanise themselves into a team that wanted to win, and with plenty of pressure now being applied, the home sides composure started to slip, giving Hooper the opportunity to kick Totnes back in to field position, and also add a string of well taken penalties to move the Totnes score along. Some further indiscretion from New Cross saw players being yellow carded and further points for the Totnes cause.
With a couple of minutes left Totnes had overhauled the New Cross total and were leading 18 points to 10. The final score eventually came from the hosts who managed to hit a further penalty, bringing the final score to a 18-13 victory for the Chiefs.
Coach Gareth Harries commented after the game that although it was by no means the Chief's finest performance it showed a lot of metal and backbone and self belief to come back from 10 points down and secure a solid win over the Kingsteignton side.
Next week the first XV are back at home on Borough Park and will be facing North Tawton with a kick off time of 2.30pm.
Match Report Saturday 24th October 2009
Buckfastleigh 1st XV versus Totnes 1st XV
Buckfastleigh 0 - Totnes 45
Chiefs blow Buckfastleigh off the pitch
Totnes Chiefs travelled to local rivals Buckfastleigh for this weeks Devon 1 NE league fixture. It was the first time the sides had met in the league for two years, and although the home side and failed to notch up a victory in this league campaign the local derby always seems to bring out the best from the Ramblers.
One change in the Totnes side that was victorious from last week over Wessex was Reece Smith coming in to fill the Centre berth from Chris Hooper. As Coach Gareth Harries explained, ‘We have some wonderfully gifted players in the Totnes backs at the moment, and with every game being key, and wanting the squad members to stay fresh, we have decided to rotate some of these players on a weekly basis to keep their game heads on’.
Although the afternoon was dry, with spasmodic sunshine the wind was extremely strong gusting down the length of the pitch with the slope, and so having won the toss, Totnes decided to play with the elements in the first half. This tactic paid immediate dividends when Rive latched onto an inside ball from fly half Atkins to score under the posts with only a few minutes played, leaving the simplest of conversions for Mark Hooper.
Even though the conditions made any ball handling tricky, Totnes continued to move the ball through the hands at every opportunity, and although a number of balls were dropped or blown off course they still had the home side defending for most of the fist 30 minutes. During this time Tregelles and Rive both crossed the try line again following some deft footwork and some fine support play, both of which were converted by Hooper.
The forwards still had a big part to play with solid scrummaging and equally impressive mauling saw the Chiefs win a constant stream of possession, which enabled Hooper to marshal his backs and forwards alike to keep the pressure on the hosts. Evergreen prop Chris Life was the next man to get on the score sheet after some fine support running which saw him carve through the Ramblers defence, showing a clean pair of heels before diving over to score near the posts. Once again Hooper was on song with his kicking and another conversion was notched up on the board.
As the first half off the contest drew to a close Totnes still had tome for one final score before half time, this score came from Smith, who up to now had played a fine supporting game, linking well with Rive and his two wing men Janman and Orchard. On this occasion however, he needed no second invitation or support as he scythed his way through the Buckfastleigh defence and then out sprinted the desperate cover defence from out wide to score the try of the match beneath the sticks. Hooper continued with his 100% record converting the fifth try of the half.
The start of the second half saw the hosts now have the advantage of the wind and slope, and the Ramblers fly half Chapple soon demonstrated his local knowledge with an excellent display of kicking, keeping the visitors pinned down in their own 22. However they defended strongly and the strong running of Rive, Hamilton and Keen kept the ball moving up the slope and away from danger. Injury then struck the Totnes team twice in two minutes, with first Life and then Smith both picking up knocks that meant Darrin Orchard and Chris Hooper were brought onto the pitch for the last 30 minutes.
Chris Hooper fitted in seamlessly, and soon had the Ramblers defence clutching at his shirt tails as he probed and off loaded faultlessly to his team mates, with Orchard junior getting hauled down yards from the try line on a number of occasions. Tregelles also had another fine afternoon jinking his way up the field and providing a consolidation point for the forwards to continue their mauling game. Although the tries didn’t materialise with the same pace as that of the first half, Orchard and Keen both managed to touch the ball down for scores as the half drew to a close, with Readman, Hamilton and Janman all going very close only to be thwarted either by brave Rambler defence or by a last minute knock on. As the referee blew up for the final time the score remained at 45 points to nil for Totnes, who have now won all seven of their league games so far this season.
Next week will reach the half way point in this first stage of the league set up, with a home game against Honiton, who are also performing strongly in the league. Kick off will be on Borough Park, with a new time of 2.30pm to ensure the game finishes in daylight! Afterwards the club will be having a fancy dress Halloween Party extravaganza, with games for the children, and Pumpkin lantern competition followed by a disco.
Match Report Saturday 17th October 2009
Totnes 1st XV versus Wessex(H)
Totnes 13 – 5 Wessex
Hooper gets the points for the Totnes Chiefs
Totnes Chiefs welcomed rivals Wessex from Exeter as they re-started their league campaign following a buy round last week. The Totnes side had to make numerous changes to their line up following injury and unavailability, giving Coach Gareth Harries a headache at selection time. The Totnes front row remained solid with Life, Readman and Woodward creating a formidable unit. Dave Shinner, found himself shoe horned into the second row with Captain Lex Keen, with Irish man Hamilton at No. 8 and the flanks guided by Blackie, and following a fine game off the bench against Topsham Johnnie Gledhill started at 7.
Old favourite Mark Hooper took over the No 9 jersey from Reece smith, who sat on the bench, with Atkins controlling proceedings at fly-half, with Rive and Chris Hooper keeping the centre berths. The back three trio of Tregelles, Orchard and Janman completed the Totnes side.
The supporters turned up in their droves to watch the game under sun kissed shies and a light south westerly breeze, a perfect setting for what was billed to be one of key divisional games this season, with the home side sitting at the top of the league and Wessex 2 points behind in 3rd place.
Totnes opted to play with the wind in the first half, and soon found themselves in the Wessex 22, but strong defence and sloppy ball control from Totnes saw the visitors clear their lines and mount a series of attacks into the Totnes half. This time it was the hosts who defended furiously, and it was clear that neither side would give up points easily. It was Totnes who got the first points of the day, after a Wessex play was caught offside at a ruck. Chris Hooper who had kept the kicking duties from his brother Mark, struck a solid effort from the 10 yard line, and saw it sail between the uprights to hive Totnes a narrow advantage.
Play continued to swing back and forth between the two sides with neither side wanting to relinquish territory, but once again continued Totnes pressure forced a mistake from the Wessex forwards, and Hooper was given a simple penalty opportunity from in front of the posts. Once again a sweetly struck kick saw the ball split the posts for a further three points.
The final passage of play for the first halt saw the visitors string together a flowing passage of play, with some strong rucking and powerful bursts from the midfield, taking them deep into the Totnes half. Having worked the ball wide a couple of times the Wessex fly half cleverly switched the direction of play and caught the Totnes defence short of numbers on the left hand side of the field, and although some last ditch tackling from Rive and Tregelles looked to have secured the line, Wessex found the extra man to cross in the corner. They were unable to convert from out wide, and so the score on the half time whistle was Totnes 6 points and the visitors Wessex 5 points.
The second half got underway at the same ferocious speed that the first half finished, with Totnes attacking up the slope, with some good long raking kicks coming from the boot of Atkins and Rive. The forwards were holding their own against the heavier Wessex pack, and from the sideline the Totnes supporters could feel the pressure increase in the Totnes attack. Numerous attacks on the Wessex line went unrewarded; following some brave defence form the visitors, and some poor handling from the home side. It was a speculative up and under from Rive that broke the Wessex line, with wingman Dan Janman racing up to pluck the ball from the air right in front of the Wessex full back, and then whip out a pass to Chris Hooper whose burst of pace saw him out sprint the cover defence to score under the posts. A simple conversion attempt saw the score line stretch to 13 points to 5 in favour of Totnes
The final 10 minutes saw the opposition through everything they had at the home side, with the forwards trying to batter their way through the heart of the Totnes pack, but Totnes held their nerve and their line and kept the visitors at bay and the try line intact. After the game Coach Harries congratulated the newcomers to the side, with special mention to Gledhill who tackled tirelessly all afternoon, and to Dave Shinner who filled in at lock, once again showing how versatile a player he is, having already played at Hooker, Prop and Back row this season.
Next week sees the 1st XV playing away to Buckfastleigh in another league fixture, whilst the 2nd XV are currently looking for a home fixture on Borough Park, and the Colts are away to Brixham.
With Halloween just around the corner, Totnes RFC are holding a Spooks and Ghouls fancy dress party in the club on Saturday 31st October. All ages are welcome, with fancy dress prises, a pumpkin lantern competition, numerous party games and a disco, with the doors opening at 6.30 for the youngsters and closing a lot later for the adults!
Mark Hooper Totnes Scrum half gets the ball away under pressure
Totnes Skipper Lex Keen securing lineout ball
Totnes 1st XV 20 - 3 South Molton 26th Sept 09
This weekend saw the Totnes 1st XV playing their fourth straight league game in a row, lining up against the strong Mid Devon outfit from South Molton, who like Totnes went into the game with an unblemished record of wins.
One key change for Totnes saw Tim Woodward back from his holidays go straight back into prop, due to youngster James Ruddock recovering from concussion from the previous week. Impressive new boy Dan Janman moved onto the wing to replace the unavailable Jamie Mitchelmore, with season campaigner Ollie Tregelles taking up his familiar position of full back, and Jake Orchard on the opposite wing. Captain Keen stood alongside Adam Shore for what looks like a useful second row pairing, and Gareth Readman once again fills the pivotal hooker role alongside stalwart prop Chris Life. Coach Gareth Harries continued to fiddle with his back row trio, with Shinner, Hill and Hamilton filling the slots. Reece Smith and Phil Atkins continued their half back relationship with Rive and Chris Hooper commanding the centre berths. Veteran performer Mark Hooper, Stephen Blackie and Darrin Orchard completed the line up on the bench.
The game started with a delay, as the appointed referee failed to show, but fortunately for both sides, Dave Crawford, one of the Totnes Coaches and a qualified Devon referee was on hand to step into the breech after both sides had agreed that this was an acceptable and best cause of action. Finally the game got underway to a bright and sunny afternoon, with little breeze.
Considering the enforced delay, both sides started well enough with every break down being fiercely contested, resulting with both sides using their forwards to try and gain some dominance. Totnes were the first to make some headway, and following a fine break down the right wing from Hooper some quickly recycled ball saw play switch back to the left,, which found flanker Ash Hill bursting onto a well flighted pass from Rive, with the line only yards away Hill was scythed down with some strong defence from the visitors. This was unfortunately Hills last contribution in the game, as he then left the field with some knee ligament damage, to be replaced by the robust Blackie. A few moments later Totnes were awarded a penalty following some indiscretion from the South Molton forwards, and Hooper stepped forward for the penalty attempt. It was a long range effort from out wide, and although the ball was struck well and had the distance it faded towards the end of its flight to narrowly miss.
South Molton were given the next opportunity to score following a long passage of play which saw the larger South Molton pack bludgeon their way up the park to the edge of the Totnes 22. Totnes were caught offside at a ruck and the opposition were left with a simple 3 point penalty opportunity, which they went ahead and took.
The break neck speed at which the game had started continued as the first half drew to a close, and once again Totnes found themselves easing into South Molton territory following some quick ruck ball and some strong running from Rive and Hooper, who seemed to have the better of his man every time he got the ball. A penaly kick to touch saw Totnes move play up into the opposition22, and having secured a clean take from Shore, the forwards generated some good power to see them maul ever closer to the try line. After a few darts from the forwards at the try line, smith then sent out a fast flat pass to Atkins, who popped the ball to Tregelles who had run a beautiful line slicing open the South Molton defence to score near the posts. Chris Hooper made amends for his earlier miss with 2 well taken points for the conversion.
With the half time whistle moments away, Totnes recycled the ball well after the restart, with Hamilton, Shinner and Blackie all combining well to move the ball back into the opposition half, and following a neat chip from Atkins towards the bottom corner, Dan Janman was able to force a mistake from his opposite number to give Totnes a penalty opportunity. Once again Hooper had no hesitation in gesturing the referee that he would kick for the points, and he duly converted to give Totnes a 10 points to 3 lead at the break.
After the break Totnes started to show some form, and once they had the measure of the bigger South Molton forwards they began to spin the ball around the park, making the larger men struggle to compete at the breakdown. A snipping break from Smith from the base of a scrum nearly saw the first score of the second half, after his support runners just over ran his final pass, but this was a sign of things to come and it wasn't long before another try was on the board for Totnes. It came from the forwards, where after some strong driving mauls from the forwards, Blackie found himself with the ball and the line beckoning, and he need no further invitation and plunged over to score.
From the restart Totnes once again showed some slick handling moves amongst the backs to continually probe at the South Molton defence, which showed its resilience by continuing to thwart the Totnes attackers and keep them at bay. Smith proved to be a constant thorn in South Molton side, and serviced his back line colleagues with quick accurate ball which enabled them to set up a number of attacks. Life found himself on the wing in one of these attacks and had a good run at the try line only to be held up inches short, and following some further attempts to cross the line by Woodward, Keen and Hamilton, it fell once again to Blackie who managed to get a yard of space a wiggle over for his second try of the afternoon in the corner. It was a difficult conversion attempt and unfortunately for Hooper the attempt once again was just off target.
The pace of the game continued, despite the heat, and both sides used their replacements to good effect with both Mark Hooper and Orchard making some telling contributions in the final few minutes for the Totnes side. There was however to be no further scoring from either side, with Totnes running out the victors at 20 points to 3.
After the game Totnes Captain Lex Keen commented 'It was a strong hard performance today from the whole side, it was unfortunate to loose Hill early in the game, but Stephen Blackie really stepped up to the mark. South Molton came here undefeated, with a couple of big scoring wins under their belt, so it was a huge victory for us'. Following some liquid refreshment in the clubhouse after the game the unanimous vote for man of the match went to Reece Smith, who gave another strong and solid display at scrum half.
Next week the 1st XV are away to rivals Topsham in the League, the 2nd XV have a 3pm kick-off at home on the Park to Newton Abbot III's in a Merit Table clash, and Totnes Colts will be entertaining Paignton , also at home on the Park, with a kick-off time of 1:30pm.
Match Report Saturday 12th September 2009
Totnes 1st XV versus Newcross(H)
Totnes17 – 15 Newcross
Two out of two for the Totnes Chiefs
Totnes Chiefs welcomed local rivals Newcross from Kingsteignton in their first home game of the season. The Totnes side had to make two enforced changes from their victorious side from last week, with Reece Smith moving from centre to scrumhalf for the absent Mark Hooper, with last years Skipper Andy Rive making his first start of the season. The other change came in the front row where young James Ruddock slotted in at tight head for Tim Woodward who was away on vacation. Jerry Hamilton forced his way back into the side at number 8 with Captain Keen moving forward into a lock berth, which meant dropping last weeks debutant Luke Parson to the bench. There were also two other new faces on the bench, with Ollie Tregelles and Gareth Readman catching the selectors eye following the 2nd XV’s big win over Tamar Saracens the previous week.
The supporters turned up in their droves to watch the game in blazing sun and a light north westerly breeze, a perfect setting for what was billed to be one of key divisional games this season. Totnes opted to play with the wind in the first half, and right from the off thet moved the ball wide and ran hard at the visitors. Good retention of the ball and some tidy work in the rolling maul saw Totnes soon get into the opponents 22, and Ash Hill last weeks man of the match thought he had scored in the corner only to be denied by the referee who was unsighted. From the following 5 meter scrum, Smith fed his fly half Phil Atkins with a quick ball, who linked with Rive and then looped round behind his partner to receive the ball again, straightening for the line he dived and scored a neat try next to the uprights. With the reliable Mark Hooper away on holiday the kicking duties were handed to his bother Chris, who made no mistake with the conversion.
The opposition keen to get on with the game fought straight back and following some strong running by their forwards, they forced Totnes to giving away a penalty inside the Totnes 22, and the Newcross fly half had no hesitation in asking the referee for a kick at goal, but his effort hooked badly and sailed wide of the mark. Minutes later it was the visitors who transgressed, and Chris Hooper sent a soaring kick between the uprights to stretch the Totnes lead to 10 points.
With a few minutes left in the half Newcross once again found themselves inside the Totnes half, and had the home side on the back foot with some ferocious attacking moves, but the Totnes defence held firm and the visitors failed to get across the try line, but they did manage to notch up 3 points from a penalty infringement by the Totnes forwards.
The second half saw both sides running the ball from deep and it was Totnes once again who benefited from this open style of play. After some good yards up the middle from Rive and some swift handling from Dan Janman and Jake orchard Totnes managed to set up a line out 5 meters from the opposition try line. A clean take from Keen saw the forwards set up another driving maul which inched ever closer to the Newcross try line. The referee was right on the spot when the maul collapsed over the whitewash, and when Jerry Hamilton came up with the ball he awarded a try to Totnes. With the conversion attempt wide out on the left hand side Hooper struck the ball sweetly and it once again split the uprights to give Totnes another valuable 2 points.
Newcross battled back valiantly, and keep up the attack, but never really endangered the Totnes try line, but did close the gap with a well taken drop goal and a further penalty, but with Totnes using their reserve bench wisely, they were able to secure the ball and hold on for an extremely pleasing win. Coach Gareth Harries commented after the game that Totnes didn’t really know what to expect from Newcross, with the sides never having played each other at first team level before, but it was pleasing to see the Totnes side control large periods of the game, and once again the blend of experience and youth forming a solid foundation to play from. Next week Totnes Chiefs are playing away to another Devon League 1 side, North Tawton.
Ilfracombe 5 – 38 Totnes 5th Sept 09
Young and old show strength in depth to secure 1st league win of the new season
The first league fixture of the season for Totnes Chiefs saw a number of new faces enter the fray, along with some of the more familiar faces of seasons gone by. The new Totnes Coaching team of Gareth Harries and Dave Crawford were keen to try out some fresh faced youngsters, along with some of the more tried and tested partnerships. With the Totnes skipper Lex Keen leading the side from No 8, the pack saw the familiar front row combination of Chris Life, Dave Shinner and Tim Woodward in the front row. Adam Shore was partnering the first of the summer signings Luke Parsons in the second row, with Stephen Blackie and Ash Hill making up the back row. Old hand Mark Hooper teamed up with Phil Atkins in the half back partnership, with Reece Smith moving out from his more familiar position of scrum half to play at inside centre along with Chris Hooper, who has swapped the round ball for the oval one this season.
The back three positions were filled with the Totnes young guns, with Jake Orchard occupying the left wing berth, and Jamie Mitchelmore and Dan Janman both making the transition from last years second XV to make their debuts as 1st XV players.
After a two and a half hour coach journey the Totnes players arrived at Ilfracombe to find a overcast grey day, with a strong westerly breeze blowing across the pitch favouring neither team. With Totnes playing down the slope in the first half the game got underway, to a frenetic start. Early season nerves were their for both sides, and a series of knock ons in the first 10 minutes slowed down any rhythm either side were trying to create. However Totnes started to get the edge both at the scrummage and line out and started to see a steady stream of possession. With Smith making good yardage up the centre of the park the forwards were able to capitalise on some poor defensive work and push play right up to the defenders try line, and when the ball popped out the back of a ruck Stephen Blackie used his low centre of gravity to grab the ball and charge over from short range. Mark Hooper resuming the kicking duties from last season slotted home the extra points with the conversion.
Both Mitchelmore and Janman got into the action early with some probing runs down the right, gaining good territory and setting up some good field positions. It was from of these breaks that Mitchelmore pounced for his first try in Totnes colours when he finished of some slick handling from the two Totnes Centres to bundle his way over in the corner. Hooper made no mistake when it came to taking the conversion from out wide.
Totnes were starting to dominate in the loose by this stage and the backs had an endless supply of quick clean ball to challenge the Ilfracombe defenders, and it wasn’t long before Ash Hill found himself on the end of a blistering attack the started well inside the Totnes half. Receiving the ball from Jake Orchard just outside the opponents 22, Hill saw the try line and brushed of some last ditch defence to score under the sticks for an important and elegant score, once again Mark Hooper did the honours with the conversion.
The Totnes forwards were certainly up for the contest and continued to cause havoc at scrum time with the Ilfracombe pack, who conceded a number of penalties for infringements at the set piece, and the next Totnes score came from a break from one of these situations, Chris Hooper saw a gap in behind the opponents defence and chipped into this open space, in a 50/50 race for the loose ball Hooper was able to get his foot their first and advance the ball further towards the try line, and after a favourable bounce he was able to scoop the ball up and go over for his first try for the Totnes side. Brother Mark, not wanting to let the side down again converted from in front of the posts. The referee blew up for half time and Totnes turned around with a lead of 28 points to nil.
The start of the second half saw some squally showers come in off the sea, and Totnes now had a wet greasy playing surface and an uphill slope to contend with. Ilfracombe came out of the blocks the quicker of the two sides and almost immediately started to ask questions of the Totnes defence with some intelligent running from their backs. Some clever work the replacements at half time also bolstered up their pack, and the Totnes forwards appeared to have now met a side that could match them at the set piece plays. Having soaked up 5 minutes of intense pressure from a fired up home side, Ilfracombe made a telling break right through the heart of the Totnes defence, and although there was some fierce defending Ilfracombe were able to race the length of the field to score their first try of the game. Kicking into what was now a blustery breeze they were unable to capitalise and convert from out wide.
Once again indiscipline let the home side down and Mark Hooper was able to kick Totnes back up the hill into the opponents half, and from a line out close to the 5m line, evergreen prop Tim Woodward was able to secure the ball from a clean lineout catch from the Captain Keen and burrow his way over to score near the corner flag. Hooper was unable to add the conversion after he saw his attempt sail wide of the uprights.
For most of the second half neither side could find any dominance, and possession was harder to come by for the Totnes side. After a few changes mid way through the half Totnes showed they could defend as well as they could attack and withstood a 10minute spell of attack from the home side who were keen to find another score. It was Totnes who once again saw things improve and following some well judged kicking and chasing from the Totnes backs tones were back in then opposition half and challenging the try line. A string of attacks saw them agonisingly close with Chris Life being held up over the line, and a number of opportunities pulled up by the referee for either a knock on or forward pass. Finally the constant pressure on the opposition line bore results and Tim Woodward barged his way over from close range to score his second try of the game, With Hooper unable to convert from out wide the referee blew his whistle for the final time and Totnes proved to be run away winners with a score line of 38 points to five., leaving them at the top of the table in Devon Division 1, North East.
The new league structure in Devon now means that the Devon One sides will have a further 25 league fixtures to play before the end of the season. Next week will see the first XV at home on Borough Park, facing New Cross from Newton Abbot, with a 3pm kick off. A newly formed Totnes Colts will be playing their first Merit table contest of the season against Plymouth Arguam down at Plymouth. This is the first season for a number of years that the club has been able to field a side at this age group, and they are constantly looking out for new players to bolster their numbers, so if anyone fancies either reviving their rugby career, or wants to give it a try for the first time, come down to the club of a Tuesday or Thursday evening and introduce yourself to one the coaching team who will always look to make you welcome.
Totnes 2nd XV will be looking to carry on where they left off from this Saturday when they thumped the unfortunate Tamar Saracens by 116 points to 8. They are also at home nest weekend with a 1pm kick off against a Brixham 3rd XV.
