Battling Barum clinch Cornwall win

Barnstaple Chiefs battled to a 15-8 victory at St Austell in a game of tight defence and limited opportunities.

In a rare treat for lovers of tackling and disciplined defence, the scores were blank at the half-time interval but the Chiefs finally broke the shackles with a converted try from Ben Beattie, plus a penalty.

The Cornish hosts also struck a penalty to leave the scores at 10-3 to Barum but it was game on when St Austell dotted down. The conversion was missed for a two-point contest and the next score would prove crucial.

Thankfully, the Chiefs were the side to find that decisive breakthrough, Brandon Moore crossing the whitewash and, while it was a game lacking flair in the attacking areas, the win was still very satisfying for Barum.

It was another tough day at the office for Bideford RFC despite taking an early lead, as they eventually went down to a 48-7 defeat at Tiverton. 

“We can't buy a win at the minute,” said Bideford boss Bradley Goaman. “The boys worked their socks off but when you lose momentum, we find it difficult to get back in. The scoreline is a tough one to take but we just have to move on.

“Tiverton dominated possession for large parts and, when we made mistakes, Tiverton gradually turned the screw. We started really well, going seven points up after five minutes, but the hosts went up the gears and we had a lot of defending to do for large parts of the game. Tiverton were a decent outfit and good luck to them. Prop Dec Smale had a tidy game for us.”

There was no action on the pitch at Torrington RFC but still plenty of hard work over the weekend, as volunteers put in a proper shift for the next stage of the new changing room project, adding a layer of stone to the flooring.

On the professional scene, Exeter Chiefs can take attacking positives from scoring three tries on the road at high-flying Bath but that wasn’t enough to prevent a 41-24 defeat. The Chiefs suffered from the concession of too many penalties on the day and they will need better discipline for this weekend’s trip to Toulon in the European Cup.