Cornwall and Devon
NORTH TAWTON 21
PLYMSTOCK ALBION OAKS 17
PLYMSTOCK Albion Oaks led this match by two tries up at half time and right up to the 79th minute but with the last blow of the referee’s whistle it was North Tawton who took the winning spoils with a late try.
It was a great demonstration of how the North Tawton team never give up and never know when their are beaten.
The visitors arrived at Taw Meadow sitting in second place in the league and full of confidence.
The first 15 minutes or so it was nip and tuck as both teams tested the other’s defence but it was the away side who made the first break through with a good try; a missed conversion made it 0-5.
From the restart North Tawton were back on the attack but the odd missed pass or dropped ball frustrated the home team’s efforts.
A well-organised Plymstock Albion scored their second try, again with no conversion, to make it 0-10, which it remained at half-time.
North Tawton shuffled their players around after the break with Matty Dennis and Bill Sharp coming off the bench and Jack Phare back to scrum half.
A blistering run from deep by Jordan Cornthwaite resulted in a try pulled back; with the kick by Gary Sizmur, the home side were back in the game at 7-10. Plymstock are too good a side to panic and they regrouped to get back on the front foot and start building good attacks of their own and they score next to increase their lead to 7-17.
Fired up by this latest setback, North Tawton got into top gear with their attack based on a sound belief in a well organised defence line and the pack giving a solid platform to work away form.
In the power play rucks and mauls it was North Tawton hooker Matt Baker who got up last ball in hand from a push over try; with the kick added it was 14-17.
In the final play of the match and from inside their own half and going down the clubhouse wing the backs slipped some tired tackles and, much to the joy of all the North Tawtons players and supporters alike, over went Bill Sharp for the winning try; the kick by Gary Sizmur gave them a 21-17. man of the match was Rio Thomas.