Sat 29 Nov 2025, 14:30
Regional 2 South West
Okehampton 21 Weston-super-Mare 26
On a breezy, changeable day in deepest Devon, Regional 2 Tribute Ale South West’s unbeaten leaders, Weston-super-Mare, ended Okehampton’s run of five home victories, but both sides collected a bonus point.
After a few minutes, it was apparent that this was going to be a keenly contested match. However, it was a very stop-start affair with knock-ons, misdirection of kicks, and a general inability for either team to get a grip on the game.
Weston-super-Mare then produced the best move so far, started by full-back George Nuttycombe and carried on by left wing Hayden Main and outside centre Alex Howman, which ended with the visitors camped on the Okehampton line.
A superb catch and drive resulted in second row lock Sam Larrimore diving over the whitewash - it had taken 25 minutes to break the stalemate – but fly half Archie Tilsley narrowly missed with the conversion attempt.
The game was then stopped after what looked like a serious injury to captain Charlie Brabham. He was replaced by Adam Fisher, who went to hooker with Gary Carpenter moving to prop.
Towards the end of the half, Okehampton were penalised for a deliberate knock-on, and from the resulting line-out Tilsley produced a superb touch kick from the penalty. He was then on hand to dance his way to the line before adding the extras.
Okehampton came back into the game when a speculative up-and-under was gleefully gathered for the hosts’ first score, which was converted on the stroke of half-time with Weston-super-Mare leading 12-7.
With the breeze and the slope in their favour, Okehampton started the second half, but Weston had other ideas. After great work by No.8 Nasili Ikahihifo and Howman, right wing Keanu Ballard was on hand to give an inside pass for scrum half Jack Press to score.
Tilsley produced an impressive conversion. Okehampton tries to counter, but great defence by the visitors kept them at bay until a mix-up at the back of a scrum on the Weston line gave Okehampton the simplest of scores, which was converted.
That cut the Westons’ lead to five points. Ashley Russell and Ryan Watterston replaced Jacob Simpson and Hayden Main with second row Tom Sugg relocating to the back row and Watterston deployed to wing.
Weston then produced a fantastic phase of play in which they kept hitting and hitting and this superb play ended with centre Marcus Nel crossing with Tilsley again providing an excellent conversion.
With eight minutes still to play, Okehampton scored in the left corner, which was excellently converted, to cut the visitors’ lead again to five points. Ut was a tense and nervous time with yet another contentious refereeing decision resulting in a scrum to the hosts.
Weston defended well and eventually earned a scrum in their twenty-two-metre area. So, it was down to keeping the ball for Weston, who did it magnificently to wind the clock down and sealed the win.
The bonus point victory leaves Weston-super-Mare nine points clear of next Saturday’s (December 6) visitors, second-placed Tiverton, who won 48-5 at home to struggling Cullompton.
