Bideford beaten by dubious late try against Tavistock

The big regret from a fascinating Devon derby was the controversy surrounding the decisive final play of the game.

Up until that moment, Bideford and Tavistock had served up a cracking game of rugby in tricky conditions. The Chiefs made a bright start and grabbed the lead when Harry Bloodworth dived over in the corner, with Matt Lewis kicking the extras.

Pete Bowes extended the home lead, Lewis again kicking the conversion, but Tavvy struck back with an unconverted try on 25 minutes. Momentum soon swung back in favour of Bideford, as Dean Folland touched down for a 21 – 5 advantage at the interval.

Gradually, Tavvy started to make inroads in the game and reduced the score to 21 – 12. A penalty to the visitors made it a one-score game and with the clock in the red at the end of the game, the big decision went in favour of Tavvy.

The Chiefs felt there was a clear knock-on as George Hillson muscled his way through the melee to score. Hillson then kept his nerve to strike the winning conversion for a 22 – 21 victory for Tavistock.

“It was very frustrating to lose in the last play,” said Bideford boss Bradley Goaman. “The players were outstanding. We dominated the first half and our defensive pressure was fantastic.

“We had a couple of opportunities to put the game to bed in the second half but, unfortunately, couldn’t take them. Matt Lewis had a classy game at fly half and ran the show, Fraser Priest also caught the eye.”

There was better news for Barnstaple Chiefs, as they outplayed Okehampton to secure a powerful 45 – 14 victory. The Barum tries were scored by George Snell, Cameron Johnson (2), Jacob Murphy, Will Topps and Brandon Moore. Murphy also had a great day with the boot. Barnstaple Athletic lost 26 – 24 at North Tawton, while the Buccaneers trounced Tiverton 38 – 7.

Ilfracombe suffered a 43 – 26 loss in an entertaining game at Honiton 2nds but there was a better outcome for South Molton in East Devon, as the All Blacks edged past Honiton 1sts with a 22 – 20 victory. Well done Torrington, who recorded their first win of the season with a 39 – 12 defeat of Newton Abbot 2nds.