Sidmouth 23 - 0 Exmouth

Once again a slow start by the Exmouth team saw Sidmouth notch up an unassailable half time lead of 16-0 on a heavy pitch.

The second half saw glimpses of what this talented Exmouth side can produce and came close to breaking through the Sidmouth line with strong running by Terry Mears (Man of the Match). On the day the Sidmouth defence was just too good and kept their line intacted.

It was also disappointing to see further additions to the injury list with Harry Cozens twisting a knee at the first ruck - from the kick off - followed by James Tapp (back) - Lewis Vaughan (cut to head) and Sam Reid (shoulder).

During the first half the Sidmouth side were by far the stronger side and must be disappointed that their dominance only resulted in one converted try and 2 penalities. The second half saw the Exmouth team step up a gear and the game was more evenly balanced. Exmouth started winning ball and kept their lines clear until late in the game when Sidmouth crossed for another convereted try.

With time running out Terry Mears made several strong runs and broke the initial line but good cover by Sidmouth prevented any further development of ther play resulting in an unusual blank scoreline for Exmouth.

This young Exmouth side are still contenders for the title and the maturity of the more experienced players is begining to have an influence. Adam Morris captained the side and was equally firm with his constructive critisicm and praise.

The final score was 23-0 in favour of a more enthusiastic Sidmouth side.

The next few months will see a merit table match almost every week and the glimpse of what they can do - with a much more assertive start - holds the promise of a tight end to season.