Honiton RFC U16s 17, Okehampton 17

Okehampton travelled up to meet with Honiton following a few years without playing each other.

Honiton played some outstanding rugby and showed they have started to mature into a well disciplined squad.

Both teams looked up for it, and following a last minute decision from the ref the game went ahead.

The pace of the game was soon to be set as the Lacemen stormed the visitor half and were able to pound their defence for long periods with good attacking play from the forwards. A score looked to be inevitable, and should have come and that was the story of the game at both ends.

The Okehampton defence stood strong. It was after a gruelling 15 minutes when a disappointing break from Okehampton lead to the first points being put on the board. The kick was missed leaving a 5 point deficit. The game was again played in the visitors half and Honiton looked as if to have camped out in the visitors back yard. A score was almost certain to be on the cards and it was Johny House who succeeded in adding the first home points of the game with minutes to spare before the break. A quick thinking interception allowed him to cruise through and place the ball cleanly under the posts for an easy kick from returning skipper Harry Wright.

The hosts seemed to have great confidence going into the second half now the slope was in their favour. With the game being played in a very similar way to the first, Honiton again dominated the possession and territory. They did however struggle to break the visitors defence. It was eventually Finn Parratt who broke the deadlock by taking on a concrete ball and charged the line for a signature try. It was however a little too wide for the kick to be placed through the sticks due to the sticky conditions on the ball. Okehampton had by no means given up and chose to spin the ball out giving possession to their backs. The tiring conditions now started to take its toll on the home side, and a loose ball was unfortunately gathered by the visitors who managed to run in a try to bring the game within 2 points. With time now marching on a win looked to be on the cards and it appeared to be all over when Richy Webber stormed the line in the dying minutes of the game to widen the gap. A well worked recycled ball from the hefty Okehampton forwards was span out to allow the visitors to cross the line in a cruel last minute twist of fate. The ball was placed under the posts leaving an easy kick. The final score ended 17-17.