Teignmouth 25 Crediton 0

Coach Simon Morrell revealed after the match that he had had to tell a few home truths about discipline prior to kick off. He felt that Teignmouth had conceded far too many cheap penalties in the past few weeks, and that if the side concentrated on solid, but fair, defence, then they had the talent to compete with any other side in this league. The Teigns took his words to heart, and a four-try performance, not to mention a clean sheet for the defence, was the result.
Regular visitors to Bitton Park will have been dismayed to see familiar names missing from the home line-up; Will Sowden and Chris Tidman have provided countless tries over the past two or three years, but both are suffering from injuries which could keep them out for some while.
But the players called in to fill the gaps left by these two more than compensated for their absence as Teignmouth put fourth-placed Crediton to the sword.
The writing was on the wall for the visitors as early as the second minute. The home forwards dominated the loose play throughout, and a rolling maul which started on the 22 metre line ended with the ball being moved out wide to winger Adam Dowsing, who crossed in the corner to open the scoring.
Although Crediton had plenty of possession and territorial advantage in the first half, the Teignmouth defence, forwards and backs alike, tackled like dervishes and the visitors never looked likely to score.
However, when Teignmouth did get their hands on the ball they always looked dangerous,, so it was no surprise that they extended their lead after 32 minutes when flanker Ben Parrett picked up a loose ball just inside the Crediton half, and, showing a surprising turn of speed for a forward, out-paced the visitors’ defence and give the Teigns a half-time lead of 10-0.
In the second half the visitors’ resistance started to dwindle as Teignmouth made their superiority tell. Firstly, fans’ favourite prop Paul Scott used his considerable physique to force his way over for the third try, and five minutes later full back Dan Force bounced a long range penalty off the bar to increase the lead to 18 points.
It was then just a matter of time before the home side scored the all-important, bonus-point winning fourth try. It came with ten minutes remaining when replacement Sam Simmonds, who had earlier played a full game for the Colts’ XV (scoring a hat-trick of tries in the process), received the ball in midfield. Pinning his ears back he headed for the corner, and although the Crediton defence eventually caught up with him, he was able to off-load to Dowsing who touched down under the posts. Force converted to complete the scoring.
The win consolidated Teignmouth’s hold on third-place – unfortunately Honiton and Tavistock both won, so promotion remains a distant dream. This weekend an away trip to bottom of the table Torrington should hold no fears for the squad, provided they avoid any complacency.