Devon and Cornwall League
Okehampton 18
North Petherton 8
OKEHAMPTON'S penultimate league match of this campaign saw them pay host, for the first time to their Somerset visitors.
Set against the backdrop of then player's 125 year reunion lunch, the game never fully sparkled and the Okes could not quite produce the performance the resulting large crowd were hoping for.
North Petherton arrived with an experienced and large set of forwards. They were effective at the breakdown area and at the set piece. This resulted in the Okes coming off second best in the possession stats and this prevented them from being able to fully unleash their potent backline.
Still it was the hosts that opened the scoring on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Centre Buzz Brimmacombe marked his return to the first team with a clean break that was well supported by his fellow outsides. The ball was kept alive and fed to fleet footed right winger Rob Fishleigh who once more opened the scoring down Okes' right flank. The conversion was missed.
The visitors' pack though was already demonstrating its efficiency; they were starving the Okes of quick ball although their backs lacked any real sort of threat out wide.
The Okes stretched their lead in the first half when fly half Mark Scrivener kicked to the openside flank. Luke Honeychurch, playing out of position on the left wing in a reshuffled backline, eagerly gathered the kind bounce and set off towards the line. He stepped the full back to cross under the posts and Scrivener added the extras.
The visitors were then awarded a penalty kick up the slope and the hooker stepped up and slotted it to reduce the arrears to nine at the interval.
The second period followed much the same pattern as the first - the Okes trying to move the ball but Petherton managed to secure the majority of possession.
The Okes did manage another well struck Scrivener penalty before Petherton had their best spell of the match. Numerous penalty awards and an inability to escape their own 22 saw the Okes come under increasing pressure before the visitors' prop rumbled over from very close range to give them renewed hope at 15-8.
The Okes responded and Scrivener added another crisp penalty and the ten point margin remained until the whistle.
Although not a classic, with a slight end of season feel to it, this was another useful victory and all who attended the reunion had a superb afternoon renewing old acquaintances and enjoying the current thriving club environment.