Sat 25 Jan 2020
WESTON SUPER MARE 17 BARNSTAPLE 22
report by Chris Heath
Barnstaple won this titanic top of the table battle which they just about deserved through their clinical finishing and superb driving game.
Weston started brightly and were in front in the second minute. Hooker George Bamsey started the move with a barrelling run which resulted in a line out.
Flanker Ben Tothill claimed the ball and after prop Ollie Streeter had made inroads it was recycled and centre Cameron Maslen provided the scoring pass for full back Alex Howman.
Scrum half Dan Lomax missed the conversion and Barum soon hit back with a midfield trundle which eventually ended with a penalty try and flanker Jacob Cox in the bin.
Weston weathered the storm and actually took the lead through a Lomax penalty but the respite was short lived as the visitors catch and drive game reaped dividends when hooker James Starkey touched down to give Barnstaple a four point lead at half time.
The second period began with a tremendous break by Cox which led to a Lomax three pointer and with only a point in it Weston were scenting an improbable victory.
However Weston continued to make elementary errors when attacking and with the penalty count totting up eventually Barnstaple got the crucial score through open side flanker Winston James. Centre Kyran MacManus slotted the difficult conversion to put Barum eight points to the good.
Lomax and MacManus then traded penalties and with time running out it looked as though Weston would end up pointless.
A very late penalty was then awarded to the hosts and Lomax kept his cool to slot a far from easy attempt to give Weston a well deserved losing bonus point.
Weston despite the absence of leading try scorer Brad Talbot hooker Adam Fisher and influential scrum half Kadin Brocks were still up for the fight with centre Huw Morgan particularly catching the eye but the difference in the end was the clinical edge Barnstaple possessed.
