A ‘RUSTY’ Okehampton came off second best as local rivals Launceston made it one win apiece in the league this season.

In a mirror image of the reverse fixture, it was once again the home side that triumphed in this local derby, played in conditions more suited to mud wrestling than rugby. Launceston are a side in form and the Okes, having played once in six weeks, looked like a side in need of match practice. 

A large crowd saw the Okes kick off up the slope and early signs were promising for the visitors. However after ten minutes the Okes had already been penalised three times by the referee. In fact by the end of the match they had given away more than 30 penalties, a huge amount and one that certainly did not help their cause. 

The third penalty award saw the hosts take a lead they would never relinquish. It was a decent strike given the treacherous conditions underfoot from home winger Dan Pearce - a thorn in Oke’s side all afternoon - that saw the All Blacks take an early 3-0 lead.

The Okes  struck back straight from the restart though, and after a penalty advantage was given, fly half Dan Foggarty ghosted through a gap and a try looked likely until a last gasp tackle and a resultant forward pass saw the chance go begging.

However, Okes’ scrum half Richie Friend slotted the penalty already awarded to tie the scores after 12 minutes.

That was as good as it got for the visitors though as from the 20 minute mark onwards the hosts took a stranglehold up front.

The Okes’ lineout, not helped by fielding a recognised hooker, struggled and the set scrum was also under pressure at times. The home side grabbed the match’s first five-pointer just after the first quarter had elapsed.

Home flanker Duke was in support after  an initial foray from a ruck and crossed by the posts to make it 10-3 to the home side after Pearce had potted the simple extras. Okehampton continued to incur the wrath of the referee and were penalised twice more to set themselves on the back foot as the match approached the half hour mark.

A set scrum in the Okes 22-yard advanced and wheeled slightly, but there seemed little danger as the ball was shipped right; however, Pearce cut a sharp angle and slipped through the Okes’ defence to make it 17-3 after 30 minutes.

The visitors had already made two substitutions as Johnny King and Sam Turner entered the fray for Dan Quinn and Karl Pearce respectively. Both replacements went on to have fine games, particularly in defence, as the Okes sought to get back into the match. Two clear cut openings were created by the Okes’ backs before the interval, despite living off scraps of possession. Firstly centre Rhys Palmer made a clean break but opted to pass and the ball went to ground. Then Richie Friend, stoic and impressive all afternoon in defence and attack, made a break up the right side but supporting full back Gary Sizmur was hauled down in the corner, and again the loose resultant pass inside saw the chance go awry.

Okehampton then suffered another blow before the interval when influential prop Pat Nash was forced to leave the field with a leg injury. The home side took advantage and extended their lead with two more penalties as Pearce added six more points to his tally, to leave the score 23-3 at the changeover.

The Okes remained on the field at the break, hoping for a strong start to the second half with wind and slope in their favour. However within ten minutes of  the restart yet another penalty awarded against the Devonians saw Pearce extend the score to 26-3.

On 48 minutes a fracas broke out and Okes skipper Tom McGrattan was floored by a punch. Much to the opposition’s surprise the referee binned the visiting captain and a Launceston counterpart ,before awarding another penalty to the hosts which Pearce landed to make it 29-3.

An uphill task was now even harder as the match entered the last quarter. To the Okes’ credit though they finally found some momentum and reduced the arrears with two quick scores of their own. An initial searing break by replacement winger Ryan Lee set the platform for the Okes to batter away until player coach Martin  Harrison-Browne finally forced his way over from close range. Then on 66 minutes more Okes pressure ended with a chip over the top from fly half Dan Foggarty that was regathered by winger Kieran Lee who dived over to give the Okes a faint glimmer of hope. Unfortunately both kicks were missed, but with over ten minutes left Okes had an outside chance of a bonus point.

Unfortunately the visitors failed to use conditions effectively in the time remaining as they sought to run the ball from their own twenty two instead of using the boot as the conditions dictated. As a result the home side camped on the Okes’ 22 for the minutes that remained. Eventually a stretched Okes’ defence allowed Pearce to cross for his second try of the match as the final seconds ticked away. The last kick was wide but the final whistle blew to seal a comfortable home victory.

The Okes like the hard ground and conditions certainly did not help their cause. However, the home side managed the wet conditions far more effectively on the day and were full value for their victory.

South West one West

P W D L Pts

Exeter Uni 18 16 0 2 81

Drybrook 16 15 0 1 71

Launceston 18 13 0 5 62

Newent 18 12 1 5 58

Cullompton 17 8 1 8 45

Thornbury 17 7 0 10 45

Bridgwater 17 8 0 9 44

Okehampton 16 8 0 8 41

Keynsham 16 8 0 8 39

N Petherton 17 6 0 11 32

Teignmouth 16 6 1 9 30

Bideford 18 4 0 14 29

Matson* 18 5 1 12 24

Clevedon 16 1 0 15 11

* Points deducted