Brixham crush Exmouth to retain rugby hopes of catching leaders

Brixham Rugby Club continued their excellent recent form with a resounding 49-24 victory over Exmouth to remain nicely poised in third place behind Devonport Services and Topsham.

The Fishermen, who travel to Chew Valley on Saturday, were outstanding in the early stages of a sunny winter afternoon at Astley Park, Mat Crosscombe and Jayden Marsters both dotting down with converted tries.

Two more penalties from Mitch Pinkus extended the lead to 20-0 and Exmouth were reeling when Jamie Hext scored under the posts for a 27-point advantage at the half-time break.

Aston Pickens was next to score and Exmouth looked like they wanted to be back at home but, to their credit, the East Devon visitors found some resolve to grab their first try. Andre Simonetti restored the status quo to make the score 41-5.

Another Exmouth try was followed by a Will Kingsley score and the visitors did finish the game with some pride, rattling in two more tries for a losing bonus point.

A first-half red card ultimately gave Paignton too much of a mountain to climb as they slipped to a narrow defeat at Truro.

The Cherries bagged a try from Joe Massey, converted by Brad McKee, but were still trailing 17-7 at the interval and with a man less in the ranks. The second half was full of the customary courage from the Cherries and they cam so close to defying the odds.

Alex Pozniak, Josh Gillard and Dewald Stoop all crossed the whitewash, McKee again doing the job with the boot, but Paignton just fell short with a 29-26 defeat.

There is a change behind the scenes at Torquay Rugby Club, as a statement from the Tics said: “Your new Director of Rugby is Nick Blackhurst, and your Coaching Coordinator is Matt Ellis-Hawkins.

“Both have made positive impressions within the club, with players and supporters alike. We are delighted that they have chosen to contribute to the growth and success of the club in their new roles.”

The Tics shared a fascinating 17-17 draw at Barnstaple Athletic on the weekend.