In the shadow of Dartmoor, for 30 minutes Okehampton belied their foot of the table status, as they built an unanswered 29-point lead.
The Cockles didn’t help themselves with two yellow cards in quick succession but, just before the break, Exmouth finally clicked. From a lineout, the ball travelled through several pairs of hands and eventually crossed the field to Jake Inglis who cruised down the left wing to cut in under the posts, Tom Steer added the first of four conversions. The Cockles down 29-7 at the break.
The second half started with a bang form Exmouth, who immediately looked like a team who could win this game. Danny Martin burrowed over, with Steve Pape doing the same on 50 minutes, Steer added extras to both, 21-29, game on.
The positional changes within the team changed the face of this encounter from half time and it delivered two more tries, Dave Bargent and Oli Cave carving lovely running lines to score, Tom Steer converting one for a 29-33 win.
Smiles all round and maybe a little relief on the faces of the travelling supporters who witnessed huge player commitment and determination, and a side that have the belief to win from a tough position.
The squad will need all these attributes next Saturday.
The Senior Devon Cup Final will be played against Exeter University at Exmouth on Saturday, April 30. Kick-off at 2.30pm, entry £5 per person with U16’s free.
Cockles Quins put in a fine finish in their final Devon Merit Table 1 game v Okehampton. With a top three place assured, the Quins were looking to showcase against good opponents. Oli Engela Ras grabbed a brace of tries, with a forward drive poachers try for Matt Fowler.
It was Matty Birbeck at 10 who put in a MOM performance, he bagged two tries and also kicked four conversions for a personal 18-point haul. Throughout the team there were some stand out shifts, not least from Charlie Garratt, Phil Curtis, Joe Harris, Sam Harradine and Nick Watt.
A superb end to our regular season.
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