Excitement is brewing at Exmouth Rugby Club, as the classy Cockles swept past Okehampton for a third straight win, writes Ian Harris.
An early penalty from Luke Simmons gave the Okes a 3-0 lead, and that was where the scoring stopped for the visitors
On 22 minutes, Jake Inglis scored the first of a hat-trick of tries, converted by George Meadows. This duo pushed the scoresheet further ahead on 33 and 37 minutes, three tries completed for Jake, three conversions for George, the half ended 21-3 to the COCKLES.
The second half was punctuated by errors from both teams, which slowed down the action. Okehampton tried to split the home side defence, however some strong tackling kept them out.
The Exmouth lineout completely misfired, a number of scoring opportunities and bid for great field position were missed. Despite that frustration, the forwards built a strong platform to launch attacks in other areas, and scrum time was fun to watch.
After 24 minutes of the second half, Matt Ryan scorched his way through the visitors’ defence to score in the corner, not converted this time. Finally, the Cockles forwards had a roll with Charlie Gibbings crossing to score a fifth try, duly converted by Meadows, the final score 33-3. Another bonus-point win keeps the Cockles in third place on Regional 1 South West League.
Not a pretty win, however effective across most areas. Jake Inglis scored his first hat-trick for the club, some well taken scores. The pack was strong against a large Okes outfit. The team is building each week. Oli Mason in the 2nd row made an assured debut, having previously played for Barnstaple and the Royal Navy.
The Cockles head into Cornwall to take on league newcomers St Austell RFC on Saturday. The two teams have not met for some years, so this will be an interesting match-up.
Exmouth Nomads made the trip to Crediton III, the first outing for the team, ended in a 7-7 draw, while the Colts came close at Paignton but just missed out, going down 15-10.
The Exmouth Quins game with North Tawton was postponed during the week and will be rescheduled. On Saturday, OPM RFC from Plymouth visit the Imperial Ground, kick off at 2.30pm.
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