TOPSHAM RFC head coach Ross Bovingdon praised his team’s unwavering belief after they took the spoils in the Men’s Regional 2 Championship​ final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, writes Phil Campbell.

The men from Devon’s late three-try rally was enough to earn them a 47-26 win against Lutterworth in a pulsating encounter in the southwest London sunshine.

Both sides traded blows throughout the match but Bovingdon, who has been at the helm for six years, knew his outfit had what it took to come out on top.

“It was not easy out there today,” he said. “Lutterworth pushed us all the way, so huge credit to the way they performed but to get the win, it feels euphoric.

“We said at the start of the game that Lutterworth would have a purple patch and come at us, and they did.

“We just stuck with our principles and that belief has been with us all season.

“The result of which is now, we are champions.”

After a scoreless opening 15 minutes, converted tries from Topsham’s Robin Edbrooke and Erin Inglis gave their side a 14-0 advantage.

Lutterworth’s Justin Trombas responded when he burst down the right wing and stretched over before Kieran Hussey finished off a fine move down the left, with Harry Read’s conversion leaving the score 14-12 going into the break.

When the match resumed, Austin Crow edged Topsham seven points ahead, but Joe Latham’s converted score levelled proceedings at 19-19.

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued, and Joe Cave put Topsham ahead again when he pounced on a speculative kick that landed behind the try-line.

Lutterworth hit back through Trombas’ second score, with Read slotting home a difficult kick, as the two teams once again found themselves level-pegging with 15 minutes left on the clock.

As the game entered its final stages, Topsham were finally able to put the game to bed through Cave’s second try, Shane O’Hanrahan’s spectacular effort and Max Hammond’s last-minute score.

Amongst those in attendance at the Home of Rugby were hundreds of Topsham supporters and Bovingdon could not speak highly enough of his team’s fans.

He added: “That crowd was amazing. They created a great atmosphere, and it was special that so many family members were here today.”

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