The Exmouth Rugby 1st Team achieved their fourth consecutive win, with a thrilling 32-22 home victory over Barnstaple RFC.
The highly anticipated game played out on Saturday 28th September 2024 drew a large crowd at the Royal Avenue, with both teams coming into the match with undefeated records for the term.
The early exchanges between the evenly matched teams were intense as Oli Mason put the hosts on the scoreboard with a try fifteen minutes into the match, with the extras added by George Meadows.
Connor Swan equalised for Barnstaple four minutes later, aided by extras from Tyler Gordon-Oke.
Barnstaple's strong forward pack helped the backs move the ball.
However, half an hour into the match, Exmouth's captain Dave Bargent gained the lead back for the COCKLES with a quick tap penalty, followed by a try, Meadows again adding the conversion.
Despite offensive plays from both teams, the score remained unchanged till halftime, at 14-7.
The second half of the match saw both teams displaying their physical prowess, especially in scrums and lineouts, adding to the excitement of the game.
With the COCKLES' defenders holding strong, Matty Ryan secured another try, pushing the lead to 21-7 with Meadows covering the extras.
Barnstaple's Cameron Johnson hit back with a try, shifting the score to 21-12.
In the first quarter of the second half, George Meadows added a penalty shot making it 24-12.
A try by Jake Inglis, who slipped, unchallenged through Barnstaple's defence, and Meadows' conversion further increased the home team's score to 29-12.
Subsequently, Viliame Kotobalavu made a try for Barnstaple before another penalty shot from Meadows put Exmouth at an advantaged position of 32-17.
Barnstaple managed to add a few more points with a bonus try from Johnson.
However, with the restart, the home team locked down their visitors, securing all five league points with a final score of 32-22.
Despite their impressive winning streak, the squad is fully aware of the challenges they will face later in the season, especially away matches.
They believe the match at Pottington Road against Barnstaple will be one of the tougher ones.
In the coming weeks, the team will play against Lydney & Marlborough, two of the top 6 teams yet to be faced this year.
The Exmouth team needs to enhance their performance even further as they prepare for the Regional 1 South West League trip to Brixham RFC on Saturday 12th October 2024.
Devon RFU Senior Cup action returns to the Royal Avenue on Saturday, 5th October.
The COCKLES will host Topsham RFC with a kick-off at 2.30 pm.
The COCKLES NOMADS will also take on Devon RFU Deaf in their inaugural fixture, kick-off at 2.00 pm.
Moreover, the COCKLES' away games didn't go as well.
The COCKLES QUINS secured a losing bonus point in their 24-17 game with OPM Rugby in Plymouth.
The COCKLES NOMADS lost 53-0 to Barnstaple RFC 3rd Team, and the COCKLES COLTS also tasted defeat on the road, losing 27-15 against Okehampton Colts.
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