Axminster Town have finally landed a first win of the Peninsula League, Eastern Division season after a 4-2 Sector Lane success over Teignmouth Town.

Two players in particular stood out for the upwardly mobile Tigers, who have climbed out of the bottom two for the first time this term as a result of the win, hat-trick hero Jamie Chamberlain and goalkeeper Chris Higgs.

Chamberlain’s first two goals were of real quality. His first was a volley, struck from the edge of the area after getting a pass from the left on 20 minutes.

His second was an exquisite piece of skill that saw him lift the ball over an advancing defender before smashing it home ten minutes before the break.

The spotlight then swung to keeper Chris Higgs who pulled off two magnificent saves to ensure that the Tigers went into the break 2-0 up.

Higgs could do nothing about the penalty that brought the visitors right back into the game early in the second half. However, the two goal margin was restored with a goal that eclipsed even the first two from Chamberlain. Kel Fala, who had come off the bench, was positioned six yards outside the area when a defender headed a corner out towards him. Needing no second invitation, the sub rifled the ball on the full and it flew through a crowded penalty area to nestle sweetly in the back of the Teignmouth net.

With five minutes to go the visitors bagged a second, taking advantage of some slack defending, and, that might well have been the signal for the afternoon to go horribly wrong. Chamberlain and his team-mates though, had other ideas, and he crashed home his third to seal a richly deserved 4-2 win for the Tigers.

A delighted, and relieved Tigers boss Ray self said: “We trained very well in midweek and took that new confidence into the game with Teignmouth. Of course, we had to ride our luck, but I feel we deserved a break. We had keeper Chris Higgs in magnificent form at one end of the pitch and James (Chamberlain) in clinical goal scoring mode at the opposite end. It was a really good all-round performance.”

On Saturday the Tigers entertain Exeter Civil Service after which they travel to Budleigh Salterton next Wednesday night (October 26).