Back row trio at heart of comprehensive victory

Pride of place this weekend went to the Under -13s who, on Sunday, took two bus loads of Honiton supporters down to Plymouth to play Exeter Chiefs in the final of the Devon Junior Cup.

Playing on the very lush Plymouth Albion first team pitch, you might have excused the players of letting nerves get the better of them, but Honiton took to the field in confident mood, having swept aside all other teams on their way to the final.

The Chiefs started the better side and opened up the scoring with a try, touched down by a strong running number eight.

This score shocked Honiton into action and, from then on in, Honiton had control.

The back row trio were the key, as they disrupted anything the opposition did and they also lead the way with the attacks.

By half time, Honiton were 28-5 to the good and really there was no way back for the aristocratic opponents.

Honiton won the game because they are, to be fair, a big scary outfit who run hard when they have the ball, but they have also got the rare ability to pass the ball out of the tackles, which is a good skill to have at this age.

Wez Keywood led the way with four well-taken tries, followed closely by Richard Webber who weighed in with a hat-trick and Usamah Elmaghdy got the final try to wind things up. Harry Wright had a good day with the boot, kicking seven out of eight conversions, which is a very good strike rate in anyone's book.

The Chiefs did battle hard and scored two second half tries, but the reality was that they were blown away by what was a great team effort from the Lacemen.

The final score was 54-15.

Several of the Honiton lads are also in the Devon squad and this emphatic cup run and victory just goes to prove you don't have to go and join Exeter to play good rugby, and maybe it will go some way to show that good rugby can sometimes be found playing for your local club with all your home grown mates.

Well done to the coaching staff and all of the squad membersnyou did your club and town proud and, at this age group, we are well and truly on the map!

Under 12s: Also finishing the season strongly are the under 12s, who had a good win against a plucky Tiverton side.

It was a pretty nip and tuck game in the first half with honours even at the turn around. Honiton changed gear in the second half and scored two well- taken tries to take the victory by 21-12.

Tom Holmes and Scott Eveleigh got two of the touch downs and Man-of -the-Match Bem Morris got the other. Hamish O'Brien kicked two conversions and Holmes got the other.

It was a good win at the end of a frustrating season.