South West one

Matson 27

Okehampton 24

A SECOND half hit by ‘Murphy’s law’ saw the Okes lose their first league match this campaign.

The Okes always knew they would have to get reacquainted with the feeling of defeat as they move up to a higher standard of league rugby. However, they were not expecting to lose matches after being the better side and being 24-7 ahead at half time.

Sometimes you also need luck to get a result, and the Okes had none of that on Saturday as they travelled to Matson in Gloucester on a trip that introduced many of the Okes young squad to a different kind of rugby environment that they are used to. Playing in front of a handful of home supporters added to the alien conditions, as the Okes kicked off backed by a strong breeze and with the benefit of the slope.

The home side had the boost of several returning players for match they had billed as a ‘must win’. It was no surprise when they came out of the blocks strongly therefore, and the Okes had to defend well as the hosts looked to move the ball wide at every opportunity, particularly looking to utilise their extremely pacey left winger.

Once Oke settled and started to secure some ball, they demonstrated a serious attacking threat outside. A kick ahead was regathered by winger George Baker after seven minutes and when the ball was recycled, stand off Dan Fogarty astutely cross kicked over the onrushing Matson backs and centre Rhys Palmer gathered the bouncing ball to outstrip the remaining cover to cross between the uprights. Kevin Dennis potted the simple conversion.

Things improved after 11 minutes when Matson pulled down an attacking Okehampton rolling maul and conceded a penalty try as a result. Dennis again converting with ease.

It was the visitors who struck next when Kevin Dennis slotted over a long range penalty awarded in the middle of the pitch, which stretched the lead to 17 points. The home side refused to lie down though and they continued to threaten inside the Oke 22 yard line.

In the 32nd minute the home side finally broke through the Oke midfield defence. A dummy runner was used to free up enough space for the left winger to dash through under the posts, to reduce the arrears to ten points once the extras were added.

The game was end to end at this juncture and there was still enough time for Oke to cross for the their third try right on the interval. A quick penalty saw the ball shipped left, where centre Rhys Palmer hit a sharp attacking angle to slice through the Matson midfield before rounding the cover to once again cross behind the posts. Kevin Dennis obliged with the extra two, and when the half time whistle sounded shortly after, Oke were comfortably ahead even though they knew the conditions would ensure a tough second half.

Few foresaw how the next 40 minutes would pan out. A combination of Oke errors, two gifted tries and some bizarre officiating was to turn the match on its head. Okes got off to the worst possible start when , almost direct from the restart, they attempted a high kick out of their own 22 which the wind blew backwards with interest. The ball dropped on the Oke’s own try line and directly into the arms of the home centre who gleefully gathered to flop over and make it 24-12.

Throughout the second half the Okes created plenty of clean line breaks, however, on each occasion the chances went begging as the player either got isolated or a wrong option of moving back infield allowed the cover defence to stifle the attack.

A home forward saw yellow after 50 minutes but this seemed only to galvanise their efforts. Oke were dominant throughout at scrum time and on 57 minutes Oke were awarded a scrum just over the halfway line. A strong surge saw the visitors demolish the home scrum but a free kick was awarded to the hosts. A quick tap was taken away from the mark, followed by a grubber ahead that ricocheted off an Oke leg and into the arms of the dangerous left winger. He was eventually hauled down just short but was able to offload to the support to make it 24-19 after the touchline conversion was added.

Home tails were now up, whilst luck and decisions both seemed to be going against the Okes. Another penalty was awarded at scrum time and the home full back succeeded to reduce the deficit to a mere two points entering the last quarter. Oke strove for the decisive score but as they looked to attack via a set scrum with minutes remaining, they gifted the hosts the winning score. An attempted pass to the Oke wing was intercepted by the left winger who raced away but was tackled on the junction of tryline and touchline. The Oke touch judge flagged for foot in touch, but was overruled by the referee who awarded the deciding score. The conversion was wide but there was little time remaining and the Okes were forced to settle for just a losing bonus point for their significant efforts.

There were still plenty of positives for the Okes though, Dean Abrams and Rhys Palmer again turning in superb performances, whilst there were debuts for two more of last years promising colts, as Brad Curtis and Brandon Horn entered the first team ranks for the first time.