Ivel shut the door

Honiton crossed the border into Somerset to play a strong Ivel Barbarians outfit, writes Paz Parrott.

Honiton had the dream start and virtually from the kick off a loose ball was gathered and dotted down by talisman Richy Webber. This was the wake up call for the well-drilled Barbarians and they regrouped and were right back in the game when they scored on the 10 minute mark with a forwards try.

It was clear Ivel were a forward orientated team and again they used this strength to notch up their second of the day. It remained nip and tuck for the rest of the half with defence the key and neither side could break down the other’s efforts.

It continued to be a close call in the second period as well but the Ivel lads broke the deadlock and scored again.

The Lacemen didn’t let their heads drop and kept the pressure up. Quick thinking from fly half Johnny House saw him tap and go from a penalty and he weaved through and found the line to bring the score within sight of the hosts at 15-10.

Honiton did score again but a line call meant the try was disallowed and to make matters worse, Ivel who were brimming with county players, shut the door with another forward orientated try in the dying minutes and Honiton went down by a 22-10 margin.

It was when all said and done a very close game and Honiton played exceedingly well against a very well drilled 30+ squad and they can hold their heads high on what was a gritty team performance. Defence was a key plus for the Lacemen and in the thick of it was Daz Young who was awarded Man Of The Match for his commitment.