DEVON JUNIOR BOWL

Totnes RFC 17 Salcombe 18

ON A day when Antoine Dupont dropped a scoring pass and Marcus Smith couldn't hit a barn door from five yards, it is not surprising that lesser mortals can also make a mess of the straightforward game of rugby.

This Devon Junior Bowl match was the third time this season that the two teams had met and they looked rather bored with each other.

What followed was, to say the least, lacklustre and although Salcombe just about deserved to win in terms of possession and territory, Totnes could have won it if they had kicked their two simple penalties. Or, if their speedy replacement winger had evaded the grasp of Salcombe full-back Tom Harvey in the final seconds, the tackle being an undoubted highlight of an otherwise dour contest.

Playing down the slope in the first half, Salcombe struggled to turn superiority into points but eventually, Kieron Clarke made a penetrating run to link with Liam Wills who crossed the line. The kick failed so just a five-point lead.

Thereafter, sloppy random kicking and poor tackling by Salcombe let Totnes score two tries to go 12-5 up before a lineout and drive move saw Jay Hannon muscle his way over to make the halftime score 12-10.

Shortly after the break, Salcombe elected to tap and go when awarded a penalty five metres out, Kieron Clarke scored for a three-point advantage.

Totnes then missed two penalties but made up for it with an unconverted try and a 17-15 lead.

Lee Clarke kicked a penalty of his own to give Salcombe the narrowest of victories before the aforementioned highlight, Tom Harvey’s tackle of the season just when the away support were resigned to defeat. Talk about Deus ex Machina!

Next up for Salcombe RFC is a friendly against Peninsular Medics on home soil, for a 2:30pm kick-off on Saturday 15, so go along and give the Crabs your support.

Photo credit- Tomo639