Half time 35~0
44m. Try, Fin White.
Conversion, Sam Brown.
59m. Try Tom Davies.
63m. Try, Elliott Pocknell.
Conversion. Sam Brown.
66m. Try, Charlie Groves.
Conversion. Sam Brown.
Y/C. Liam Jarvis.

The First team.
1. Callum Arnold. Hartley Dental Practice Ltd
2. Rob Walsh. NESC Ltd.
3. Josh Martin. Jerry Josee and Ocean City Sounds.
4. Lewis Woolaway. ABS.
5. Mike Rickard. Pon- Nic Properties
6. James Thorp.
7. Henry Gascoyne. Hunts cider
8. Liam Jarvis. (C). Steel Brew.
9. Ben Whysall. Derek Windsor.
10. Billy Orchard. The Teproom.
11. Tom Davies. Pantheon Plymouth
12. Shaun Crawford. Plym Pat Testing.
13. Elliott Pocknel.
14. Charlie Groves. Journeauxax Accountancy Ltd.
15. Dan Goldstone. Plymouth Pat Testing.
16. James McFrlane.Manor Garage Plymouth Ltd.
17. Harry Hayman. Rex Down, wholesale fish merchants.
18. Fin White.World Pizza.
19. Sam Brown (C). Pantheon.
20. Sam Fincham. Severn Access Ltd.
Head coach. Ben Russell.

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Scorers.
Tries. Ethan Hilland, Ewan Piercy.
conversion. Flynn Reeves.

With Saltash in sixth position, I think we expected a close game that we could win.
Played on a pleasant afternoon, with a shower towards the end of the first half.
We started playing uphill; the first five minutes it was to and fro playing with both sides making silly unforced errors, all taking place in our half as they had kicked off to us.
But then we suddenly got it together and surged up the pitch to their line and attacked it six or seven times. Saltash defended stoutly and we were unable to find a way through. Looking back, that period may have won them the game; it must have given them confidence. Then we tried a cross-field kick that didn’t work out; they caught it and kicked away to relieve the pressure.
In the scrums, we are completely on top for most of them, sometimes driving them back a good scrum’s length.
It remained a stalemate until the twenty-ninth minute when we lost the ball in a line-out and they made off down the pitch and won a kickable penalty just inside our twenty-two. The ball went through the uprights and it was 3~0 to them a little against the run of play.
Then for once they pushed us in a scrum; it didn’t happen that often.
We got the ball away and it went down the line only to be knocked on just before it got to the wing. They grabbed the ball and sprinted down to score out wide on the side away from the clubhouse.
The conversion attempt hit the near-side post and wobbled the flags on the top. 8~0 on thirty-three minutes.
This seemed to lift Saltash and they started to play better and take the game to us when they had the ball.
Then on minute thirty-five we won a penalty and a lovely kick for the corner took us close to their line. We took the throw and mauled confidently towards the line. Saltash were only able to stop us a few feet from the line near the scoreboard when the maul split up, but Ethan Hilland, the ball carrier, and a fellow forward dived over through a forest of legs to score. The conversion by Flynn Reeves went over and there was only a point in it at 8~7.
Then two minutes into injury time a try to Saltash. They were attacking through the backs and cross field kicked the ball for the entrance corner. There was a chase for the bobbling ball. Our defender either got in the way of the chasing attacker or held him back. Whatever, the result was the same: a shrill blast from the referee’s whistle and he jogged off to stand under the crossbar for a penalty try, to the cheers of the home crowd.
15~7 at half time.

The second half and we were playing ‘down the slope’ such as it is.
On eight minutes in and they got down to our twenty-two and won a penalty. I was looking through the camera lens so didn’t see the kick happen, but it didn’t sound like a solid strike and I thought ‘It’s going to miss’. To my surprise it didn’t and the referee’s peep confirmed it. 18~7.

The Saltash players were rising in confidence and I got the feeling that if we didn’t score soon the game was going to slip from our grasp.
Nineteen minutes and Ethan Millard nearly scored in the bottom corner.
Then on twenty-two minutes we did score. From the back of a scrum in their twenty-two, we drove them back a good scrum’s length. The ball went to the backs and to Ewan Piercy, who straightened up, saw a gap, swerved around the final defender and scored.
The conversion missed 18~12.
Minutes later they got into our half and won a penalty outside our twenty-two. It went over. 21~12.
On thirty minutes we very nearly scored at the bottom corner as before, but the referee said it was held up. Someone said something and we were taken back ten yards and they kicked clear.
With six minutes to go we won a line out, the ball-taker turned and they stole the ball, but we stole it back and put it to the backs, running well at them we chose to kick the ball for the corner and lost it. I can’t write in this report what I said, but in essence why did we kick the ball back to them, again, when, with so little time left, it should be kept in hand and alive for us to attack with, rather than giving it to them to attack us.
They attacked us in the last few minutes but we stole the ball from them and after a couple of plays kicked it back to them so they could run at us again.
Saltash then won a penalty and went for three points but missed, then as the referee was about to blow for full time they won another kickable penalty, fortunately, for us, it missed the posts but as it sailed over the trees it very nearly hit a passing pidgeon who had to swerve to avoid the ball.
With that little moment, the game ended.
In short, we could have won, we were dominating the scrums, however, Saltash’s defence was solid at the start, and both sides’ defence was good in the body of the game.
My opinion, probably not much more informed than that of a small sausage dog that was walking by, was that our handling was unusually poor at times, on one occasion when a try was going begging a knock on, and I think we kick too much, keep the ball in hand.

The Second team.
1. Ethan Hilland. Service Design Solutions >td.
2. Alex Hannah.
3. Mike Kelly. Hydref Accounting Ltd.
4. Kyle Felton.Parrot Plumbing and Heating Ltd.
5. Ben Zacharias.
6. Fred Rees
7. Elliott Lupson. SA Safety Ltd. (C).
8. Ethan Millard. Vessel Social Work Services.
9. Billy Sutton. Plym Pat Testing Ltd.
10. Issacc Venner. Bailey Partnership
11. Brad Lumley. RL Tiling.
12. Joe Hearle. (VC). Mike Kent.
13. Ewan Piercy. Media Bulldof.
14. Flynn Reeves. Mr Builder, SW Ltd.
15. Harrison Coonick. Ashdown Trees Ltd.
16. George Burnard
17. Aiden Smith. Captain's BBQ.
18. Rohan Johnson.
The Management. Mr Dickie Duffield Esq. Mr Steve Hilland Esq.
Coach. Mr Matt Gregory. Esq.

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In a friendly, the final score was not a reflection of the game. The lads played well but two blocks off a kick by their try line went their way. It was a good opportunity to allow some lads game time.

The Colts.
1. JackTaylor.
2. Cohan Robinson.
3. Rob O'Neill.
4. Nathan Harvey (C).
5. Charlie Craven.
6. Harris Stewart.
7. Emerson Andrews
8. Guy Slavin (C).
9. Jake Whysall.
10. Jacob Bratt.
11. Liam Furze.
12. Elyas Hall
13. Oliver Flowers
14. Freddie Ticehurst
15. Ashton Powell.
16. Nathan Lumley
17. Henry Addison
18. Maxwell Orton.
19. Archie Ingle.
20. Ellis Briggs.
Coach. Steve Mole and Rocky Young.