Halye

This was an extraordinary performance by table-topping Teignmouth, and a day that will live long in the memory of two of their players in particular. Even in a league where one-sided matches are commonplace it is unusual for a side to score 62 points, but for all of those points to be shared by just two players is even more remarkable.
Centre Will Sowden is well used to crossing the opponents try line, but even he seemed genuinely surprised to have done so on seven occasions last Saturday. Full back Dan Force has been struggling with his place kicking of late but his eight conversions and two penalties, added to a first half try would have made him Man of the Match on any other day.
However it should not be assumed that this victory was down to just two men. Coach Simon Morrell was quick to praise the forwards who controlled most of the match, and was also pleased with the way scrum half Stef Walker and new signing fly half Neil Johns managed to link the pack to the backs and allow Sowden and Force to revel in the gaps left by the home defence.
It has to be said that it was a bad day for both defences, but it should also be noted that Hayle are a skilful bunch whose league position belies their talent. Nevertheless, they were blown away early on as Teignmouth continued their happy knack of scoring early. Within a quarter of an hour the visitors were 17-0 up with a Force penalty and two converted Sowden tries.
But whenever Hayle got their hands on the ball they looked dangerous, and Teignmouth found themselves having to concede several penalties to protect their line. Eventually the referee lost patience with these tactics and awarded the home side a penalty try which Martin Spink converted.
This turned out to be a mere irritation to the Teigns who sewed up the bonus point by the half hour with force’s try and Sowden’s hat-trick. Hayle managed a Joey Cameron try in reply but Force slotted an injury time penalty to leave the visitors 34-17 in the lead at the break.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first with Sowden running in four more tries and Force kicking metronomically. At no time did the final result seem in doubt, although Hayle continued to look dangerous whenever they got their hands on the ball. Indeed, replacement wing Doug Arnull managed to touch the ball twice, and on both occasions scored in the corner.
There is no doubt that Teignmouth have developed an impressive squad, and much credit should go to Morrell and his backroom staff for transforming a team whose ambitions two years ago were limited to survival in this league, into one which now must be regarded as firm favourites for promotion. In particular, the performance of the forwards, led superbly as ever by skipper Colin Aldworth, has improved dramatically; this has allowed talented backs like Sowden, Force, Chris Tidman, Adam Dowsing and Sean Lovett to benefit from long periods of possession. In addition, Johns’s arrival should ensure a decent link between forwards and backs.
So the first half of the season has come to a close, with the Teigns sitting proudly atop the Tribute Cornwall and Devon League. The club’s members, management and players have every right to expect a continuation of this form into the New Year and beyond. But before the Christmas break there are two more matches, both at Bitton Park; this Saturday the second half of the league programme gets underway with a visit from Newquay Hornets, then on the 22nd December a cup match sees Saltash come to town. Both matches kick off at 2.30pm.