TEIGNMOUTH RFC 1st XV hosted North Petherton on Saturday, September 28 and both teams started well.

You could see from the off that they were going to be evenly matched and possession was certainly going back and forth.

Teigns scored the first points of the game with 12, Mayne slotting a penalty kick to make it 3-0. North Petherton (NP) hit back swiftly though, a great catch from a kick creating the first try under the posts and the conversion followed too.

Woolnough, Mayne and Ford linked up well for the home side and that trio were able to set up 15, Cooper for an unconverted try, taking them in the lead 8-7.

A knock-on from Teignmouth gifted their opponents a penalty in a dangerous area and they were able to cross the white line again, adding the conversion and then a kicked penalty shortly after to make it 7-17.

With half time pending Teign’s won their scrum, 8, Franklin picked off the back of the scrum, passed out to 14, Bond who scored to close the gap. The conversion sailed wide leaving the score at 13-17 at the halfway point.

Another converted try from NP took them out of reach once again before a high tackle earned one of their players a yellow card.

Scrum-half Woolnough made sure the man advantage paid off by adding a score of his own although once again, the conversion was unsuccessful.

Great play followed with some hard hits and Teign’s pushing forward. Teign’s showed some good handling and eventually gained the opportunity for Franklin to put Teign’s in the lead, converted by Mayne to make it 25-24.

The close game gained momentum with a penalty being awarded to NP and a kick for posts put them back in the lead at 25-27.

A yellow card for Teign’s put the sides at 14 men apiece and NP kicked for posts but gained no points. The discipline issues weren’t letting up either with another NP player being given his marching orders- a third sin-bin of the fixture.

Mayne notched another penalty to change the lead yet again and the final points of the game also came courtesy of Teignmouth. They fought through the tension of the occasion to maul over the try line, Franklin touching down for a second time in the game.

It really was a battle and both teams gave it their all with Teignmouth having just about enough to stay ahead by the time the final whistle blew. Dan Woolnough, Teignmouth’s try-scoring scrum-half was named as the Man of the Match.

Pete Parsons, the Teignmouth captain, said the result was better than the game itself: “It was a good result, but a niggly game that – annoyingly – we got drawn into at times.”