Totnes Under 14's
Coach: Pete Bond 07973 692 659
Assistant Coach: Richard Dibley 1803 866758
Manager: Mike Tewson 07967 627455 or mike@southern-timber.co.uk
Sponsor: Bond Joinery
Southern Timber
IDAT.co.uk
Totnes v Longlevens (touring side from Gloucester) under 13,s sunday 5th April
Totnes 40 v Longlevens 34.
Grounded Gloucester
Totnes under 13’s took on touring side Longlevens from Gloucester, in a friendly that became wonderful game of rugby. Longleven’s captain won the arm wrestle and choose to kick first, we the spectators then laid witness to the most unusual action seen on the pitch all season. The entire Longleven’s team laid down on their backs shaking their arms and legs in the air, allowing scrum half Ruari Gorman to score the first 5 points, and Matt Hodgson making it seven with a coolly taken conversion.
A surprised Totnes then took the full force of the Longlevens team as they scored 4 tries and 2 conversions within the first 20 minuets. They created over lap after overlap and exploited every missed tackle made. Totnes’ last line of defence came from Matt Hodgson who mad three vital tackles in dangerous areas and saving his team from a huge point deficit. 24-7 to the visitors, and then Totnes woke up.
Man of the match Max Loader helped his team to the first try by ripping the ball away from Longlevens in a maul, and then darting for the try line. 5 points to his name. The back row then continued to dominate the game Steven Bond, Caleb Watson and Max Loader contested every maul and ruck with an intensity to win, and then to seal their dominance Caleb Watson put the ball down over the line with Max Loader picking up the assist, 19-24 halftime.
Energised, eager and hungry for more the dominant Tots kicked the restart, the now awake pack fed the ball to centres Will King and emergency player Niall Molehole, who joined the team that morning, the pair ran hard and well pushing the ball into opposition territory. The game then went in Totnes’ favour, Max loader ripped the ball away from Longlevens countless times and managed to secure his second try of the game, 26-24 to the home side. Totnes picked up the pace and wowed spectators after another away try. Tots became a lean mean passing machine and quick hands, good running and brilliant rucking allowed Max Loader to set up hooker Niall Tewson for a diving try, just off the touchline, however this was overlooked when Matt Hodgson kicked a beautiful conversion that would make professionals stand up and take notice.
The well drilled and good tackling team of Longlevens managed to score one more try before the final whistle, and then a sidelined player through injury, hobbled on to take the kick. He missed! Leaving the touring side with a 40-34 defeat to take home with them, well done Totnes.
Totnes v Brixham 29th March 09
Aggression, Aggression, Suppression
Totnes under 13s listened to the Aggression, Aggression, Aggression chant many times on Sunday, and for 45 minutes they fought fire with fire. After defending in their own half for the opening 5 minutes a series of quick passing and good running aloud man of the match Caleb Watson to open the scoring. Another try no more than a minute after the restart by centre Will King opened his account, both were coolly converted by fly half Matt Hodgson to give Tots a 14-0 lead.
But that was not the end, aggressive Brixham fought back, and a penalty, missed tackle and wayward pass from prop Alex Doyle opened up a gap for the Brixham winger to waltz over the line. The converted try left Brixham hungry for more.
With new intensity Brixham attacked Totnes with every thing they had, Will King made a vital tackle in the Totnes 5 meter area and the pack contested every ball with a will to win it. Alas a huge Brixham ruck aloud them a second try as well as injuring Alex Bojic who was replaced by Jack Mahy. Relentless Brixham sent wave upon wave towards the defensive wall of Totnes and a final gap was exposed before half time. Tots left the field 21-14 down.
Totnes came back harder and stronger in the second half, with Max Loader making a vital tackle in the first 30 seconds. However others tackling left much to be desired as the Brixham number 8 bounced off tackles to score their forth, the fly half made it four goals from four attempts.
This spurred on the losing Tots and a quick line out surprised Brixham. Will King received the throw and ran a superb try from the Totnes 22, in and out of the whole Brixham team unassisted, he then put the ball down for a brilliant round of applause. Matt Hodgson kicked to perfection as usual. But Totnes didn’t stop there, strong rucking from the front row saw Matt Hodgson collect the pass and dive over the line he then he converted his try, to bring the teams level.
From this try onwards the suppression of Totnes became alive, three converted tries filled the last 15 minuets, and none of them belonged to Totnes. The highlight of the last quarter was Matt Hudgson’s crunching tackle on the Brixham’s tight head, the bigger they are, the harder they fall!
Exmouth v Totnes under 13's Sunday 8th March
Exmouth 5 Totnes 10
The old cliché`a game of two halves couldn't have been more accurate for this encounter,having met in the autumn when Tots narrowly won a hard thrilling game,this time it was more dogged determination that grounded out the win for Tots.Exmouth were always going to be a tough call at home,and proved that in the second half which they won convincingly one try to nil,Tots did well to defend sustained periods of attack with Exmouth camped in their half for the majority of that period,Toby Boyacigiller and Alex Bojic putting in the big tackles when needed.Sam Jerome moved to the wing when Will King came off with an injured shoulder bolstering the defence.
If defence was the key word of the second half then attack was definitely the firsts,from the kick-off Tots looked to run the ball at every opportunity,quick ball from the forwards kept the momentum going well,this gave the platform for the backs to use the ball and penetrate ,once over the gain line Tots kept the ball alive and stretched the home side.The larger home pack kept the visitors hands full,but Tots soon got into the grove with the scrum working particularly well,the usual back row of Bond,Osborn and Loader was as efficient as ever,with the first try resulting from Osborn picking up at number 8 to force his way to the line after a strong driving scrummage.
Tots worked the crash ball well and when Niall Tewson took one such ball at pace, looked like he was in at the corner when a fine covering tackle from Exmouth's full back stopped him short of the line.Ruari Gorman had an intelligent game at scrum half, worked his forwards well and kept good service to the backs,his support play paid off when Loader off loaded from a tackle for him to score at the end of the first half,this along with his fine display of kicking whilst under pressure in the second half earned him man of the match status.
This ending a match that although patchy in the second half Tots done well to keep their heads up and showed their strength of character under pressure.
Totnes v Cullompton under 13's Sunday 22nd February
Totnes 51 Cullompton 17.
Totnes building on their last victory away to Saltash really took the game to Cullompton and produced a fine display of fast,good running rugby with very few technical or handling errors. The pitch at Borough park couldn't have been better for that type of rugby,unlike the mud bath at Saltash when they still endured to move the ball.
Tots were fired up from the start and didn't take long to get points on the boared when Will King had a bullocking run down the wing to score under the post within 2 minutes of the kick-off,this was quickly added to when Ruari Gorman worked his forwards well ,getting a strong maul moving at pace, when he snipped over to score under the posts,Gorman is really developing as a quality player and making the no 9 shirt firmly his.
Charlie Osborn had another strong game at his preferred no 8 position and was next to score the first of his hat-trick when Cullompton were turned over in the maul,Tots started to move up a gear as a whole unit with strong support work and fine hard angles of play.The ball was moved at every opportunity with good hands across the team,Calib Watson and Toby Boyacigiller finding a lot of ball on the wings and having some fine runs as a result.
King had the second of his hat-trick when Peter Roe drew the defence, popped a neat ball that was taken on the angle to score in the corner.The Tots back row had their best performance of the season and Steven Bond had his just reward at blindside when he powered over after another phase of sustained forward pressure. Osborn's second try was made by Max Loader who had a excellent game in the loose,he was first to the breakdown stayed on his feet ripped the ball and popped it to Osborn,this took Totnes into the break leading 34/0.
Cullompton came out in the second half determined to raise their game and put some good passages of play together,looking dangerous particularly when they moved the ball wide,this the result of some positional changes at half time,that tactic paid off and they found themselves on the scoreboard with a converted try. King soon cancelled out that score when he went in under the posts after another of his trade mark runs.Cullompton responded quickly with an unconverted try after charging down a clearance kick to gain a lineout in Tots 22.
Totnes keep their work rate up,Ian Carter had a fine game with some awesome tackles hitting hard at the attacking runners, Archie Newnham-Dibley was on fire all match with fine scrimmaging and loose play.
Man of the match was awarded to Max Loader for a truly magnificent performance,he was not only everywhere on the field but had an extremely intelligent game.He was instrumental in most of the tries but also closed down Cullompton effectively.He gave a lovely pass out of the tackle to Osborn to score his third try,and stole a fine clean line out ball to put Matt Hodgson in for a score at the end of the match, Hodgson having his usual strong dependable game to help produce a fine display of rugby from the whole of this exciting young team.
Totnes v Saltash under 13’s Sunday 9th February
Totnes 26 Saltash 17
Totnes had one of their best performances this season when they travelled to Saltash on Sunday, not having played each other for a couple of seasons the apprehension was high.
Saltash produced a large squad of 24 players compared to the16 travailing light from Totnes, with several long term Injuries forcing the need for players to be placed out of position,
Unlike Italy this tactic paid dividends and some fine performances prevailed, notably Steven Bond moving to No 8 having a strong ball carrying game and being very disruptive In the loose. Caleb Watson moved to the wing and had some quick service from the backs who despite the wet conditions were determined to run the ball at every opportunity.
Saltash got the first points on the board with an unconverted try early in the first half,Tots responded with some fine second phase rugby driving hard at Ashes defence, this paid off when Will King bullocked his way to touch down in the corner, Matt Hodgson converted a fine effort from the tight angle to edge Tots into the lead.
Totnes Scrum worked very well against the larger home teams pack with Archie Newham-Dibley having a strong game at his preferred second row slot, as did Sam Jerome playing for the first time at wing forward.
Will King had the try of the match when he cleaned up after a loose ball from the base of the scrum inside Tots 22, and skinned the opposition to score under the posts, this was once again converted by Hodgson. The hard yards on the training field started to pay off with several set moves keeping Ashes on the back foot, Toby Boyacigiller being unlucky not get away down the wing on one such occasion.
Saltash came back with a try just before half time to make it 14/10 going into the break.
Peter Roe started the second half for Will King who took a knock to his knee whilst scoring his epic try. Ashes had some strong running fresh legs come on and score a fine try early in the second half. Totnes heads could easily have dropped especially when hooker Niall Tewson injured his thumb but with no replacements left he stayed on, giving good service particularly in the line out.
Tots were defensively strong and quickly up on Ashes, this resulting in a fine interception from Hodgson that he duly converted.
Saltash started to get frustrated with this style of play and gave away several penalties, Hodgson(man of the match) capitalised on this with a quick tap and go to hammer through to get his brace for the match which ended a fast flowing good game of rugby despite the artic
Weather.
Totnes v Brixham under 13's Sunday 1st February
Totnes 17 Brixham 27
A waterlogged pitch forced this home fixture for Totnes to be switched to Astley Park,with only one game under their belt this year Tots were keen to play and stop the weather getting the better of them. In what was always going to be a highly charged encounter Brixham gained an early lead by the way of an unconverted try, this was soon followed by another when Brixham used their overlap to great effect scoring in the corner.
Tots then started to get their game going,strong scrummaging and forceful driving set the platform scrum half Ruari Gorman needed,his quick service had the backs running some fine angles, with good ball skills despite the artic conditions, resulting in a strong run from Will King to score under the posts,which was duly converted by Matt Hodgson.
Despite some strong defensive play which kept Brixham at bay whilst camped on Tots Try line they managed to score a converted try going into the break. 7/17 was score facing Tots at the start of the second half,and they raised their game putting together several phases of play which put Brixham on the back foot.
Excellent forward pressure lead to continual off side infringements from brixham which kept Tots moving forward,Alex Doyle had an outstanding game driving right through the guts of Brixham
on several occasions, deserving him of man of the match status,his front row colleague Ian Carter was also very disruptive in the loose.
Tots kept powering their way to the tryline with determination and Ruari Gorman scored a typical scrumhalf's try as he scurried into the corner.
This put Tots to within a converted try of the lead.Tots Scrum was still working very well and the new pairing of Jack Morris and Jack Mahy at second row put the power where it was needed. Brixham responded intelligently when awarded a penalty 20 meters out and kicked it to put Totnes two scores behind.
Will King had a great score when he ripped the ball from an attacking player on the half way line and bullocked his way through a lot of traffic. Brixham came back just before full time to score a converted try to finish the game 27/17 after a hard fought game of good rugby.
Totnes v Exeter Chiefs under 13's Sunday 7th December
Totnes 22 Exeter Chiefs 12
A frosty pitch but warm welcome was extended to Exeter Chiefs when they descended on Borough Park this Sunday. A delayed kick off let the sun do its work and a firm dry pitch set the stage for a fast running game of rugby. The old cliché of a game of two half's couldn't have been more accurate with the Chiefs scoring all their points in the first half, only to be shut out by Tots in the second.
The big Chiefs forwards caused a problem in the scrum always getting an early shove going,Tots front row doing well to keep shape and the service coming, Ruari Gorman digging the ball out to great effect. Tots threw them selves into the breakdowns and had to commit in numbers to absorb the pressure,Exeter pulled in all of Tots forwards through phases of sustained pressure,on each occasion they spun the ball wide, stretched Tots defence and came away with two early tries,one converted to make it 12/0 going into the break.
Tots showed great strength of character to keep their heads up,and after the break they started to gel.Chiefs always looked dangerous on the ball ,but ferocious tackling keep them at bay,Peter Roe had a fine defensive game along with the ever reliable Steven Bond.
Charlie Osborn took up No 8 duties away from his normal second row position and had one of his best performances to date,disrupting and stealing a lot of lineout ball,breaking hard from the back of the scrum and being effective in support,this paying off when he drove hard from the breakdown and scored in the corner. This was the tonic Tots needed,they stepped up a gear, pushed chiefs off the ball at every opportunity and gave them very little space in which to operate.Matt Hodgson's work rate was as high as ever with a fine display of big tackles ,when Tots won a scrum against the head he was fed and jinxed his way over to score,this put Tots 10/12 within 10mins of the restart.
Ben Fenton who is developing as a quality fullback had a good game constantly chasing his clearance kicks,this nearly paid off when his pressure caused Chiefs to knock on,he ran a good angle when fed blindside from the scrum,but just had a foot in touch. Tots forward play really came together when a good driving maul was forced over Chiefs try line only to be held up. Totnes were awarded a penalty when Chiefs didn't roll away from the tackle on their 22.This was quickly popped to Max Loader who charged to the try line,the try being his just reward for a good all round performance. Totnes really secured the win when Osborn(man of the match),picked the ball from the base of the scrum and powered over to score,this was duly converted by Hodgson.
Totnes v Newton Abbot under 13's Sunday 29th November
Totnes 5 Newton Abbot 14
Totnes welcomed Newton Abbot to Borough Park with their biggest squad turnout to date,21 keen young sportsmen all eager to represent Totnes. The tension was high as both sides knew each other well.Newton Abbot started well with a very early try at the kick off from a strong run that split the Tots defence,once this was converted the pressure was on.Totnes kept their heads up ,Alex Doyle and Archie Newham Dibley being very effective driving hard through Newton's forwards.
The first 20minutes was very frantic with both sides trying too hard, leading to unforced errors and scrappy play.The Totnes front row won their game convincingly with 4 scrums against the head along with all their own scrums won,Niall Tewson at hooker also had a good game at his line out duties, as well as putting the big hits in open play.
The all Whites looked dangerous with the ball in hand and were well marshalled by the Tots backs,Toby Boyacigiller was strong in defence with two superb try saving tackles.New recruit Joey Small had some promising runs through Newton's backs. Wholesale changes were made at half time to allow for the size of the squad,with the majority of the backs being switched.Jack Wilson switched to Scrum half to cover for injured Ruri Gorman,allowing Barnie Horsey Pennell to come on the Left Wing.Tots stepped up their game in the second half, Charlie Osborn as disruptive in the loose as ever, had a bullocking run down the wing, was well supported by Jack Morrish, before being bundled into touch.
Morrish built on the good game he had last week to fully deserve his Man of the match status, being awesome in his supporting play and clinical at the breakdown. Ian Carter done his usual trick on their pursuing line out ,stole the ball and drove over to score in the corner.That put the fire back in Tots bellies, the back row of Steven Bond,Calib Watson and Max Loader stepped up a gear,got the Mauls driving well, and picking and going at the base of the rucks effectively. Newton came back to score a converted try just before full time to end a good well contested game of rugby.
Totnes v Torquay under 13's Sunday 22nd November.
Totnes 8 Torquay 45
A Heavy cold shower meet the kick off of this seasons first meeting between these to teams.Tics squad being considerably bolstered in the off season. Heavy pressure from the tics nearly resulted in an early score,but the Tots defence kept them out. Tics came back again to score a well worked try.A darting break out of tots 22 nearly resulted in a try for Ruri Gorman but he was bundled into touch on Tics 22.A sustained period of pressure from the Tots pack kept them in Tics 22, a hard workman attitude from Tots tight 5 paid off when tots were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for infringes around the ruck.Matt Hodgson drilled it to make it 7/3.
Tics always looked dangerous with the ball in hand,especially when spun wide to the backs,Tots defence was stretched to the limit on several occasions,Big tackles were the order of the day as Tics were given too much space to work with.Alex Bojic put his bodie on the line time after time with some outstanding tackling. Jack Morris had a productive game and was always in the mix,Steven Bond hunted the ball down all day,was excellent in the loose, tidying up the ball and pressurising Tics Fly half rewarding him with Man of the match.
Tics turned the heat up and scored 3 more tries to make it 26/3 at half time. The second half produced two more quick tries for tics,before Tots started to get into a better rhythm,Jack Mahy came on for an injured Boyer and had some good strong runs up the centre.Ian Carter performed well at prop stealing a lot of tics line out ball and setting the platform well on Tots throw in, he was unlucky not to score in the corner after one such steal.Ben Fenton had his work cut out at fullback but stood up to the challenge well with some great covering tackles.
Tics scored another try before a well executed scrum resulted in Calib Watson picking up at No 8 having a fast break, off loading in the tackle to Gorman who scored
in the corner.
Totnes v Withycombe Under 13's Sunday 24th October
Totnes 31 Withycombe 12
Totnes headed up to Exmouth on Sunday for their second meeting with Withycombe this season, the first being a narrow victory for Tots in the Devon Youth Cup.Totnes travelled Light with a squad of 16 players, with at least 4 experienced players on holiday for half term, it was a chance for the new recruits to step up to the challenge and this they did with great gusto, confirming the depth and strength of this exciting squad.
The match started with a minutes silence in remembrance of Ollie Marsden,his untimely death has had a profound effect on our close knit club, from the senior sides right down to the under 7's our thoughts are with his loved ones and family at this difficult time.
Withy kicked off to a fired up Totnes side who ran the ball from the start, Charlie Osborn playing at Fly half conducted his backs well with good hands seeing the ball spun wide at every oppertunity.Barney Horsey-Pennell playing his first game for Tots showed promise at outside centre and gave good service to James Irwin on the wing,James had strong game showing his pace in attack and a big heart in defence and was unlucky not to score after a great run, he was tackled into touch.
Tots kept the pressure on at the line out,drove withy off the ball and Matt Hodgson jinxed his way to score,which he duly converted.
Hodgeson slipped back to play Scrum half a position he hasn't played since last season with great effect, the way he organised the forwards and linked with the backs really took the game to withy, he was rewarded when he had another exciting run to score under the posts.
Withy always looked dangerous with the ball in hand and had several good breaks when they were given too much space, this culminated in a converted try just before half time to make the score 14/7 at the break. Sam Jerone, another recent find, had a strong game on the flank showing flair particularly in open play. Tots scrumaging was very strong and they won 3 against the head, one resulting in a early try in the second half again for Hodgson.Sustained forward pressure kept withy on the back foot for most of the second half, along with a higher tackle rate, Tots opened up their defence for Hodgson to force his way through for his fourth try. Really deserving him of his man of the match satus,being this seasons captain he really led from the front,had a stunning game in attack, but as ever was clinical in defence.
With 5 minutes to go Niall Tewson fought his way to the try line after astrong show of second phase rugby, Withy responded with a unconverted try right on full time to end a very entertaining game of rugby.
Totnes v Exmouth under 13's Sunday 19th October
Totnes 26 Exmouth 24
Totnes welcomed Exmouth under 13's to Borough Park on Sunday, to secure another victory against quality opposition. Following last Sundays convincing win against Brixham Tots kept their pedal to the metal and took the game to Exmouth. Tots stood up well to the larger Exmouth pack and a great battle commenced Tots style of pick and go forward play surprised Exmouth and resulted in Charlie Osborn powering his way to the try line, after Caleb Watson picked up at the base of the scrum to set the ruck.
Exmouth stepped up the pressure and used their big forwards well, driving hard into tots 22, superb 15 man defence kept them at bay even though they were camped on Tots tryline 3 times. Tots held well in the scrum with normal service resumed after Alex Doyle returned at tighthead prop to join Niall Tewson at Hooker and Ian Carter at Loosehead,this allowed Archie Newham Dibley to slot back at second row, setting the platform for Jack Wilson playing at scrum half.
The second half started well for Tots with Will King running out of tots 22 and only being pushed into touch 2mtrs from scoring. Tots spoilt their line out, spun the ball wide and Ben Fenton cutting a great angle from full back scored a well deserved converted try, Ben has had a good start this season at fullback being steady under the high ball and running some fine lines out of defence.
Exmouth quickly replied to score 2 unconverted tries from strong forward play to make the score 12/10 game on! Tots flankers Steven Bond and recently returned Max Loader had outstanding games really quick to close Exmouth down around the scrum fringes, combined with top class tackling rate.
With urgency Tots stepped the game up and after 7 phases of forwards & backs interplay Matt Hodgson weaved his way through to score, which he quickly converted. Exmouth scored and converted to make it 19/17 and even the spectators were feeling the pressure of this awesome match. With 6 minutes to go Charlie Osborn who had a sound game at second row particularly in his line out service, hammered his way to score beside the post,fully deserving him of his man of the match status.
Exmouth came back almost on full time to score a converted try but it was too late, it was already in the bag for Tots, well done lads a great display of 15 man rugby a pleasure to watch, even though I've got no finger nails left!
Totnes v Brixham under 13's Sunday 12th October
Totnes 26 Brixham 5
Brixham travelled to Borough Park on a misty Sunday morning to take on
Totnes in a highly competitive game that is always the case when these sides meet,alot of the players
have battled each other through out their young careers and know each others game well.
Just before Kick Off the sun broke through and with out a wisp of wind all looked set for a good display of
running rugby. Tots took the game straight to Brixham and really gave them no space to work in at,how ever a combination of pressure and overzelliousness led to a lot of early unforced errors by both teams.
Totnes soon settled though and started to turn the screws,Outstanding forward play set the platform for the backs to swing into action serviced well by Ruri Gorman at scrum half,slick hands and pace they always looked dangerous when the ball reached Jack Wilson on the wing.
Tots had a lot of forwards playing in positions new to them, Archie Newham Dibley had a great game at tight head prop away from his normal second row duties.New Player Jack Marbey played fantastically well when he paired up with Jack Morrish at second row, leaving Charlie Osborne free to take up open side flanker duty, he went to work well and really closed down Brixhams back line service.
15minutes into the first half Totnes forwards drove Brixham back into their 22 and with a couple of great pick and drives Niall Tewson battered his way through in the corner for Tots first try.Matt Hodgeson convert a great effort to put tots 7/0 up.This was the tonic Tots needed and the kept the pressure on and played nearly all the first half in Brixhams half.
5 minutes into the second half Totnes won a scrum against the head just outside Brixhams 22, Caleb Watson picked up at No 8 and set up the ball,Tots drove over and Niall Tewson (Man of the match) picked up and scored his second in the corner.
Brixham started to spread the ball wide and when ever it got to their fullback he looked really dangerous,credit to tots defence in Toby Boyacigiller and Ben Fenton he was closed down 5 times however he got through to score an unconverted try 10mins into the second half.
Steven Bond opened the game up when he took a quick throw in which was spun wide to James Irwin who had a great break down the wing, good support play by Calib Watson resulted in a converted Try for him.
Brixhams heads were down when a penalty for hands in the ruck resulted in Will King crashing his way to the try line which when converted made the final score 26/5.
Devon Junior Under 13's Cup, first round 5th October 2008
Withycombe 17 Totnes 19
Totnes under 13's travelled expectantly to Exmouth to take on Withycombe under 13's in the first round of the Junior Devon Cup. Being the first time they have ever met and the knock out format of the cup draw, tension was high. After shaking off the travelling blues with an extended warm up session, Tots got their heads together and really came out of the blocks gunning for victory.
It was definitely the best ever start to a game by this team with a nicely hanging kick off hunted down by the pack who were unlucky not to get an early score.Tots kept the pressure on and were rewarded when Will King crashed his way through to score from a penalty.It showed great strength of character from Tots to go for the try rather than the easer option of the penalty kick. Matt Hodgeson converted to put Tots 7points up.
The forwards had a great first half with great ball handling skills and rucking, giving Withy no space at all.Furious tackling by Max Loader really put Withys Fly half under pressure. Calib Watson had a great game at No 8 & cut a good angle to score making it 14/0 when converted.
Tots Scrumaging was working well with Alex Doyle back from injury at tighthead ,and Ian Carter at loose combining well with their second row power houses of Charlie Osborn & Archie Newham Dibley Ruari Gorman at scrum half keep the pace up with his darting runs and good service to the backs who looked dangerous every time they had the ball, Great hands and slick passing from Toby Boyacigiller, kept the withy defence on their toes.
Sustained forward pressure resulted in a try when Calib Watson off loaded to Matt Hodgson.Tots were unlucky not to get another try just before Half time when the ball was lost forward. It really was a game of two half's as Tots thought they had done enough to win at half time and Withy came back at them hard,Tots were on the back foot for most of the half and conceded 3 tries to no response.Lady luck was shining on Tots as Withy only managed to convert one of the tries to allow Tots though to the next round of the youth cup.
Totnes under 13's 24 Paignton under 13's 31
Totnes first match of the season was a great contest of exciting rugby. Although Paigntons pack was bigger Tots soon had the measure of them put the pressure on and were unlucky to come away without an early score.
The cherries took the lead with a converted try,which was quickly answered by a bullocking try scoring run by Will King. Paignton stepped up a gear and scored 3 try's and converted one to lead 24 points to 5. With 5 minutes to half time a well worked display by the backs put Ruari Gorman (Man of the match)in to the corner for tots.
Tots came out fighting after the break with a try from Niall Tewson which was converted by Matt Hodgson, the back row combination of Max Loader,Caleb Watson and Steven Bond really took the game to paignton with a great display of pick &drive forward play.Charlie Osborn's high work rate was rewarded when he off loaded to Max Loader for a convincing try, which when converted levelled the scores.Tots were unlucky not to take the lead 5mins from full time when a try was disallowed due a double movement.The cherries had one last bite at it, and after showing Tots one way quickly spun wide to make use of the overlap and score a converted try.
