Struggling Torrington were resigned to relegation some time ago, so it was no surprise that Teignmouth, still chasing a promotion slot, steamrollered their way to an easy victory in North Devon.
However, eyebrows will have been raised in the Bitton Park club house when the identity of the hat-trick hero was revealed; skipper Colin Aldworth pops up with a try from time to time, but a second rower scoring three in a game is unusual to say the least.
Within 10 minutes of the start the result was a foregone conclusion, with Aldworth and No 8 Jamie Gray demonstrating the superiority of the visitors’ pack with a try each, the second of which was converted by full back Dan Force.
Torrington have conceded more than 700 points so far this season, and their defence creaked under pressure every time Teignmouth had possession. The result was a procession of tries from Ben Allason, Force and Aldworth, with Force converting all three to give the Teigns a 33-0 half-time lead.
There was no let up for the home side in the second half, as the Teignmouth pack controlled possession and enabled Aldworth to complete his hat-trick, followed by further tries from Force, Gray and finally scrum-half Stef Walker. Force added two conversions to take his personal tally to 22 points. Torrington managed a late Sam Britton penalty to deny Teignmouth a second successive clean sheet, but the last two matches have seen the visitors score 82 points and concede only three.
There is a saying in sport that you can only beat what is put in front of you – victories against such poor opposition should not be taken as a sign that Teignmouth are nailed on for promotion. The five points gleaned from what was, in effect, a game in hand, brought them closer to Honiton and Tavistock, but they will still have to rely on one of those two tripping up in the run-in if they are to sneak into one of the promotion places.
But the last but one match of the season, away to league-leaders Honiton, may yet prove a make-or-break game. To be in with a chance of promotion at this stage of the season, however remote that chance may be, is a tribute to coach Simon Morrell, his management team and the players. The season may well have one or two more surprising twists and turns.
This Saturday sees Teignmouth visiting Falmouth, over whom they secured a narrow victory back in the autumn.