Counties 3 Tribute Devon South & West

IVYBRIDGE 2nd XV 47 SALCOMBE 10

SALCOMBE RFC saw their six-game winning streak come to an end against league leaders Ivybridge on Saturday, writes John Sprague.

For many if not all of the Salcombe team, this was their first experience of playing on an artificial surface where the bounce of the ball is disconcertingly high.

This showed right from the start when Salcombe made a mess of receiving the home side's kick off. The speedy Ivybridge follow up secured the ball and going through the phases they went over for their first try for a 5-0 lead after a couple of minutes.

Salcombe then rallied and gained ground despite playing against a heavy pack before James Lake, the Crabs influential no. 8, had to come off with a head injury while the game was only four minutes old. Salcombe, by and large, defended well but slick handling by Ivybridge coupled with a few missed tackles gave them three more tries before half time to bring up a score of 26-3, Lee Clarke having slotted a penalty in reply.

For Salcombe, the highlight of the half was a shimmying run by Schalk Herselman which eventually set up Liam Wills to go over, only for the ref to decide that he was held up.

From a Crabs' perspective, the second half was a more even affair with their pack holding Ivybridge well in the tight, but the hosts added three more converted tries all the same.

However, a similar move a few minutes later allowed Jay Hannon to go over for the try wide out. Skipper Clarke put over an excellent conversion for a final score of 47-10. The try was particularly welcome as Salcombe had two more players off the field with injuries, Toby Woods with a knock to the head and Jay Hannaford with a damaged knee.

Salcombe will close out 2024 against second-placed Old Techs in an intriguing matchup.