Tribute Devon two

Dartmouth 75,

Plympton Victoria 8

Dartmouth kept their 100 per cent home league record this season, making Norton their fortress once more.

Dartmouth had the luxury of having a new signing Henry Mc­Cready and first league games for Dave Law­rence and Luke Bon­stow.

Dartmouth's strength and depth proved too much for Plym Vic, with Dartmouth racking up over 20 points in the first half and securing the much-needed bonus-point.

Fly-half Richard Lobb was on top form and only missed one conversion all afternoon, bagging 25 points for himself.

Right from the off, Dartmouth showed their intent and were rewarded with a well-worked try from McCready, who received the ball from full-back Scott Silsbury before sprinting past the opposition's full-back in the first five minutes.

Plym Vic tried to tighten up and to an extent it worked until Dartmouth's skipper John Dingle penetrated the Vic's defence for his well-deserved try for the afternoon.

Dingle broke through a couple of tackles to go over the whitewash with 20 minutes gone.

Just after that Henry McCready came off for treatment and Dart­mouth's winger Dan Jones came on and within minutes was on the scoresheet himself.

This time, the ball went through the hands and reached Jones on the right wing, who went over for his first of the season.

Dartmouth piled on the pressure and fresh from the physio, Kerry Anne Webb, on came Dartmouth's Henry McCready and added his second of the afternoon with a 50-yard sprint down the right wing to help Dart­mouth secure the bonus point just before half-time.

The half-time talk from John Dingle was to ask the Dartmouth players to concentrate at the start of the second half and keep up the expansive rugby that the supporters came to watch.

Chris Chater and Lee Chase made a couple of changes during the interval., bringing on Reg Varney and Dave Lawrence for Martin Sharam and Lawrence Searle.

It wasn't very long before Dave Lawrence and John Dingle linked up, Dingle offloading from a scrum and Law­rence, showing the form and speed he had when playing junior rugby, received the ball on the half-rway line, dummied a couple of Vic players and ran under the post for a magnificent try.

With Dartmouth still piling on the pressure, Richard Lobb chipped a great ball over the Vic defence and Karl Caunter, using his rugby brain, latched on to the ball and with a clean pair of heels ran his well-worked try over the Vic's line and celebrated in style.

Plym Vic got a penalty and a consolation try, but from then on it was all one-way traffic. Dan Jones got his second of the afternoon, closely followed by Rory Shillabeer.

Richard Lobb bagged a try and a conversion and just after that, coach Chris Chater bought on Luke Bon­stow for Jamie Kearney and Vince May for Scott Silsbury.

The next try should have been scored by Karl Caunter, but he unselfishly popped the ball to Gerrard Picot, who duly went over for the penultimate try of the afternoon.

It wasn't long before Picot was going over for his second of the afternoon and the last try of the match.

With all that, Plym Vic never gave up all afternoon and gave a good account of themselves to give Dart­mouth a good strong game before their next match, which will be against Salcombe this coming Saturday.

Richard Lobb was named man-of-the-match and would have a deserved drink at Dartmouth's adopted clubhouse The Seale Arms.

Dartmouth's past players have their reunion on November 1 at the Anzac club, starting at 7.30pm. Mem­bers and past players are most welcome.