Western Counties west

Kingsbridge 18

Okehampton 29

THE season's last league encounter saw Okehampton continue their fine form with a five try final flourish.

The sun was beating down as these sides once more produced a high scoring encounter.

Weak defence by the visitors allowed home full back Ashley Treeby to cruise in up the right flank for an unconverted score after five minutes. It was already becoming apparent that attacks would overpower defences on the hard ground, and that knocks were sure to mount up.

Both sides were already breaking tackles, and it was not long before the Okes were level. Playing down the slope, their scrummage was causing plenty of problems for the home side, and it was from a five yard set piece that number eight Tom McGratton grounded the visitor's first score after ten minutes.

Changes were already being made as the surface took its toll. Okehampton gave valuable game time to members of their unbeaten Colt's side, and back rower Dean Folland and centre Chris Swash both added plenty of skill and commitment during their appearances off the bench.

Twenty minutes had elapsed before the next score arrived, this time it was livewire scrum half Joey Bruce who showed his attacking flair took a pass on the blind side of an attacking scrum on the King's 22, and outpaced the home defence to cross in the bottom right corner.

Tit for tat it continued as the Okes only held their lead for five minutes. Once more weak defence up their left flank was the problem, and Matt Gibbons scored in an almost identical spot to the host's first try. With no conversions added by either side, the game was locked at ten points a piece as the interval arrived.

Kingsbridge came at Oke from the opening whistle of the second half. Full back Treeby put the home side back in the lead as he potted a penalty from the 22, after another Oke infringement.

The Okes were always looking dangerous with ball in hand though, and despite having less possession for the majority of the match, they had the edge out wide.

The visitors were still using their scrum as an attacking platform, but it was from a set piece in their own half that they retook the lead. It was Bruce who was once again the catalyst, as he made another searing break from his own half. He showed great pace to round the home full back once again before passing the ball to winger Craig Dennis for the score despite already having crossed the whitewash!

The Okes' backs were now finding holes, and they struck almost immediately when captain and centre Gareth Espin saw a gap and fed full back Matt Dennis running to cross under the posts. Fly half Carl Poynton added the extras to make it 22-13 to the visitors.

Kingsbridge did not lie down without a fight, and they pummelled the Okes' defensive line until it eventually cracked, as flanker Duncan Liburn cut a good angle from close range to reduce the arrears to four points midway through the half.

King's tails were up and they came in waves trying to regain the lead in the final quarter. Oke held them up twice, and Simon Cox, superb in defence all game, produced a try saving hit which swung the match in Oke's favour.

The Okes sealed the match when from a scrum Gareth Espin was fed on the blindside, and had a clear run as he scampered in from 70 metres to wrap up the full five points for the visitors.

So another league campaign is over and the Okes found good form too late in the season but will hope to carry this over into the next campaign.