Tribute Devon one

Salcombe RFC 24,

Dartmouth RFC 18

Dartmouth are getting ever closer to their elusive win, but they need to concentrate on their fitness and their discipline.

Having said that, for reasons that only the official could answer, Dartmouth were disallowed two perfectly good tries in the second half.

The first try to be disallowed, was Reg Varney powering his way over the white wash, two feet away from the right-hand post. The second was Glenn Allison going over on the far right.

Both of these tries were in a space of four minutes of each other and it could have been a different game and outcome.

Players like Richard Lobb, Scott Silsbury, Dave Cudd, Andy Williams, John Dingle, Dec Hammond, Nick Shillibeer and Colin Wilson were gutted after the game. Richard Lobb again put over some lovely kicks, earning the team eight points.

Skipper Reg Varney, felt the team had been robbed and Dec Hammond had put in one of his best performances for a while. All of these boys deserved a better verdict.

Dartmouth's scrummaging was awesome, their line-outs were brilliant. Once again 'Evergreen' Andy Williams, leaping like a Salmon, stole line-out ball on at least three different occasions.

A welcome return from Glenn Allison and Will Lockerbie in the three-quarters certainly helped, but all of this and all Dartmouth get is another losing bonus point. Time and games are running out for luckless Dartmouth.

Salcombe were the first to score with a well-worked try, the Crabs splitting Dartmouth's defence and Salcombe's fly-half adding the extras with only seven minutes gone.

Three minutes later Richard Lobb slotted over his first penalty of the day. It was nip and tuck after Dartmouth's penalty and when the game reached the twenty-five minute mark, Dartmouth piled on the pressure and won a scrum against the head.

Driving forward, Glenn Allison ran some good line and Sausage Hammond, shouting for the ball, sprinted through the Crabs' defence for an unstoppable try. Richard Lobb slotted the ball over to take the score to 7-10 with half an hour gone.

Within two minutes of the restart, Salcombe hit back with a penalty of their own, the referee adjudging Colin Wilson had taken the ball from the scrum before the ball had come out.

With four minutes to go before half-time, Dartmouth's unstoppable rolling maul went into action, with Reg Varney at the back of the maul going over for Dartmouth's second try of the day, taking the score to 10-15.

Dartmouth's discipline let them down again, this time from the restart.

Again a Dartmouth player knocked on and from the resulting scrum a Dartmouth flanker was penalised for not binding, with Salcombe pegging the score back to just two points with the resulting penalty. Richard Lobb had the last word of the first half with an outstanding penalty kick from the half-way line, taking the score to 13-18 on the first half whistle. 

Dartmouth almost wished that the referee didn't blow the whistle to start the second half as they felt decisions went against them.

Starting the second half at 100 mph, Dartmouth made sure from the start that Dartmouth were in the Crabs' face right from the kick-off. Salcombe knocked on from Luke Chase's restart before Dartmouth, dominant in the scrum, recycled the ball, Varney going over but the official adjudging the ball to be held up.

Salcombe restarted the game with a twenty-two drop out, before Lobb spun the ball out to Lockerbie, who spread it to Allison.

Allison went over, but the referee brought play back for a Salcombe line-out, adjudging Allison to have gone into touch before touching the ball down.

With Salcombe holding on for dear life, they got a life line, when the referee picked Dartmouth up for not giving five yards from a Salcombe scrum.

Salcombe's fly-half slotted over to take the score to 13-18.

With Dartmouth shell-shocked by the desisions, Salcombe hit back with a chip through, catching the Dartmouth defence flat footed and going over for their second of the day to take the scores level with eight minutes to go.

Four minutes after that Salcombe were awarded another penalty, with Salcombe's ten slotting the ball over to give the Crabs the lead.

From this point on there was no way back for Dartmouth, with the referee bringing out a yellow card for Reg Varney and giving a penalty to Salcombe right in front of the posts. Chris Drew made no mistake and Salcombe won what was an agricultural game of rugby 24-18.

Dartmouth take on University of Exeter this weekend at Norton Playing Fields with a 2pm kick-off.

This game should have taken place at the beginning of this month but due to adverse weather conditions the game had to be called off.

Dartmouth hope to have a couple of new faces for this game, and they need all the points they can get.

Mathematically Dartmouth can still stay in Devon One but they must convert all the chances they have into points.

If you have a couple of hours spare this Saturday, come up to Norton and give the lads some vocal support. Mick Chambers will host you at the Seale Arms after the game, everyone is more than welcome. Come on Dartmouth.