Honiton stretch Totnes

Honiton 1sts 45, Totnes 34

Honiton got back to winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a 45-34 victory over Totnes at Allhallows. In bright, sunny conditions the Lacemen put their rivals to the sword with entertaining running rugby, stretching the south Devon side at every opportunity.

Playing up the slope, an infringement from the kick off saw Totnes take a three point lead. However, the Lacemen were keen to put not only last week’s defeat behind them, but also last season’s 10-10 draw between the two sides to one side. They forced Totnes into conceding a penalty. Webber put his reliable boot to the ball to even up the scores before the home side really stepped it up a notch.

With Totnes in possession, they moved the ball from their right to the left hand side of the field. Good defence from Honiton forced the number nine into kicking. Skipper Guilbert gathered the ball on his 22 and launched a long pass into the middle of the field which found Meadows, who passed to Webber on the Honiton left and he raced upfield before feeding the supporting Ollie Rice.

Quick ruck ball exposed the visitors’ defence and Meadows found Sampson, who broke the line before drawing the last man and passing to Small who raced in at the corner. Webber was unfortunate with conversion from out wide, but slotted two penalties soon after to edge the Lacemen out further. However, Totnes scored a penalty in the same period, and a converted try from a catch and drive to take the score to 14-13 after just twenty five minutes.

The home side stuck to their guns. Small got his second try, converted by the reliable Webber. Although Totnes came back with another try from yet another catch and drive, Lane pounced on a loose ball in the Totnes 22 and evaded two tacklers to add a converted try.

On the brink of half time, Small intercepted a panic pass from Totnes - who had themselves looked dangerous - to complete his first half hat-trick.

During the second period of this game, Honiton carried the ball more and created more opportunities to score - having learned their lesson last week.

Hyland grabbed his first try for the first team from a set play in the Totnes 22 before Ollie Rice pounced on a loose lineout ball to score in the bottom left hand corner.

The bonus point win elevates Honiton to second in the league, with a difficult trip to league leaders Bideford up next week.

?Honiton 2nds bounced back from their narrow defeat last week with a good solid victory against a weakened OPM second string. With OPM’s only arriving with 13, Phil Bird and Dan Williams stepped up to play for them, so great credit to both players.

Honiton kicked off down the slope and it was pretty much one way traffic for the whole of the first half. There were several scores for Ben Dobson (2), Mikey Salter (2) and Robert Price. The forwards continued their strong running and Jack Fahy found some space and crashed down in the corner. Mikey Salter kicked a few to give Honiton a hefty lead at half time.

In the second half, Honiton backed off a little but were still able to convert pressure into points with Dobson completing his hat-trick, Pricey got his second and there were also tries for Dave Wellington (2), Chris Delarge and Sam Collins.

Highlights of the second half included Ben Dobson throwing the ball over the try line with no one within a mile of him and a delightful kick and chase by the ever fruitful Jon Galling. The final score was 68-0 and in truth it could have been more but credit must go to OPM for not going uncontested in the scrums when they lost a prop forward. Brixham take note! Everyone played well but Man of the Match goes to Dan Garman for some solid work.

?Honiton U15s kicked off their season with a hearty 41-15 win against seasiders Withycombe. Given the fact that this age group has suffered with a lack of player numbers, this was a great achievement and, with the support of three of the under 14’s to bolster ranks, everyone came away happy.

Honiton had a dream start when a good break down the wing from James Vinning saw his centre partner Wez Keywood on hand to score the try. It was clear when the ball was spun wide that Honiton were a handful and they scored two more tries through Keywood and full back Ben Kidson. Unfortunately, a lack of concentration and a bit of ill discipline allowed the visitors back into the game, and they scored two tries. Honiton were back on top when a great run from Honiton’s third U14 guest Chris Lynch dotted down out wide following a great run.

The second half saw Withycombe come right back into the game for a while and only stout defence kept the home side out. However, as the game went on, Honiton got the upper hand again and there was a further try for Kidson and Ollie Clapp and Freddie Jones both had to work hard for their long range run in tries.

It was a good team performance but Man of the Match went to winger James Vinning, who worked hard throughout.

There is plenty to work on but really, the main issue will be trying to encouraging new players to come down as, without the trio of U14s playing, Honiton might not have been able to go. Come on, boys, training is now well- structured and it’s a great sport to play.

?Tag Rugby is a fast-moving, non-contact game suitable for both boys and girls to play. It’s safe, non-contact nature, combined with the fun and vibrance of the sport, makes it ideal for beginners to grasp the key elements for eventual progression to the mainstream game of rugby.

The interchangeable nature of possession, leading to rapid switching from attack to defence, means that a range of skills from passing, evasion, running and support play is cultivated and developed. Co-operation, integration and determination, along with individual and collective responsibility, are all key elements in the game of Tag Rugby.

If you are age 5-7 and would like to learn the basic skills and principles of play, from passing the ball to scoring a try, go along to a training session at Honiton Rugby Club on Tuesday evenings between 6pm–7pm.

There is a team of experienced coaches who support and encourage children of all abilities to enjoy this fantastic sport, while learning social and team skills in a safe environment. Whether this opportunity will develop to become a professional career or just a pleasurable hobby, all who participate will benefit from learning basic fitness training, open communication and team participation.

? The club is always on the look out for other age groups as well. Please get in touch and we can pass your details on to the correct team.

? If any schools are interested in forging links with our club and would like us to come over and give a short talk about our teams, that would be great. Contact Alex Bralsford (01404) 831544, 07855 751903.