Brave Barum victory in sad week for the club

Barnstaple Rugby Football Club paid tribute to former chairman Ian Stanton with superb victories for the Chiefs and the Tics.

Stanton sadly passed away last Thursday after a long battle with cancer. A club statement said: “A passionate Barnstaple rugby supporter, Ian’s involvement with Barnstaple Rugby Club goes back well over 50 years, starting as a brilliant player for the Chiefs where he played over 200 times. 

“His commitment to the Club carried on after Ian retired from playing when he was a committee member focusing on building local sponsorship to a level which we enjoy today. Ian’s commitment to BRFC developed further with him being Club Chairman until recently.  

“Barnstaple Rugby Football Club wish to pass on our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Ian’s wife Jackie, his family and friends on this sad day. We know that Ian will be missed by many at Barnstaple Rugby, a Barum man to the core.” 

On the pitch, Barnstaple Chiefs produced some excellent rugby to win 34-25 at Matson in an entertaining clash, while the Athletic overpowered Honiton with a 40-18 triumph.

The Chiefs enjoyed a strong start at Matson, Brandon Moore dotting down for a try converted by Jacob Murphy. Moore added his second try on 23 minutes and Barum continued to impress, with Murphy adding a try to his impeccable kicking display.

A further score from Nathaniel Bayet secured the bonus point before half-time and Barum added their final try through Ben Hilton on the hour.

Team: Dominic Robson, Nathaniel Bayet, Mitchell Turner, Callum Davies, Ben Hilton, Charlie Banfield, Ryan Smale, Brandon Moore, Ben Beattie, Jacob Murphy, Cameron Johnson, Jonathan Carter, Sam Roberts, William Topps, Ryan Lee.

Barnstaple Athletic ran in six tries in their defeat of Honiton, starting with Morgan Gabe intercepting a pass on the halfway line and powering forward to notch the opening score. Tyler Gordon-Oke added the extra points.

The power of Joe Messenger came to the fore for the next try, as he steamed through the Honiton defence to make it 12-0. The visitors got on the scoreboard with a couple of penalties but Barum extended their lead to 19-6 when Scott Incledon dotted down after a period of sustained pressure from the home side.

Barum then turned the screw with further tries from Alex Penny and Gordon-Oke. Honiton grabbed a consolation score before Messenger took the tally to 40 points.

A final word of congratulations to Barnstaple Colts player Harry Woodman, who has been selected for the Devon Under-18 squad.