Exmouth 16 - 10 Clifton

Following on from last weekend’s disappointments, the Cockles showed real grit and determination to put their last two games behind them and sent South West One league leaders Clifton RFC home empty handed.

Coached by England’s Mark Regan and with two former internationals in the team, Exmouth’s visitors were on paper a formidable outfit, but the Cockles showed they could match them for endeavour, enterprise, and resilience.

Exmouth took an early lead with a penalty after two minutes, which Ben Hough slotted over from the halfway line. Clifton responded immediately from the restart, Exmouth were offside at a ruck and fullback Sam Kent drew the visitors level with his penalty.

Clifton returned the restart into Exmouth territory, only to see the ball taken back into the opposition half by the Exmouth pack, driving forward through a number of phases. Prop Ed Baxter made the decisive move that pushed the Cockles to the edge of the Clifton 22 and the defence conceded a penalty, joining a ruck from the side. Ben Hough put Exmouth 6-3 in front.

That is how the score remained for the next eighteen minutes with both sides’ defences repelling all efforts to gain an advantage. Clifton’s cause was assisted for ten minutes when Exmouth’s hooker Adam Hooper was yellow carded for handling in a ruck. Clifton had the man advantage, but Exmouth’s play outshone that of the visitors, having most of the ball. No sooner had Hooper returned to the field, it was then Ben Boswell’s turn to receive a yellow card; guilty of killing the ball at a ruck.

From the ensuing penalty, Clifton ran the ball at the depleted Exmouth and took play almost to the line, but Number 8 John Levis nudged the ball forward and the Cockles had a scrum. The ball was cleared to touch by Hough; from the lineout Clifton shifted the ball out wide to the left, then switched it right, running clever lines that put Wayne Cochram under the Exmouth posts. Kent added the extras, giving Clifton a 6-10 lead at half time.

Early in the second half Exmouth had two chances to reduce the arrears, but both penalty attempts went wide. The Cockles endeavour kept Clifton in their own half for most of the third quarter and they conceded not only penalties, but lost two players in as many minutes through yellow cards. First to go was hooker Sam Wilkes for handling in a ruck, and then Sam Kent held on in the tackle after retrieving the ball in his 22.

Exmouth kicked the penalty into touch; lost the possession at the lineout and Clifton hoofed the ball to the Cockles’ mid-field. Jack Downie gathered, initiated a running move that saw Tom Elliot make serious inroads into Clifton territory before offloading to Hough. Carrying his would-be tackler with him, Hough dived over the line for his try. With the conversion missed, twenty more minutes on the clock and the score at 11-10, it was a nail biting time for all. 

As Clifton got back to full strength, they became more determined to regain the lead, but the Cockles defence held firm right up to injury time. With full time only seconds away Exmouth’s committed play was rewarded; a defensive clearance kick was stopped from going into touch on the Clifton 10 metre line by Clifton’s wing Ollie Sills, who flicked the ball through his legs, but failed to retrieve it. Matt Ryan was on hand to kick the ball towards the Clifton try line, won the chase to the line, moving the score to 16-10.

Exmouth gathered the restart, ran the clock down through a number of forward drives before Downie punted the ball into touch, and the victory was sealed.