Sat 18 Sep 2021
BRIXHAM 13 WESTON SUPER MARE 21
report by Chris Heath
Weston lost the toss and had to play down the slope in the first half and were on the attack from the off. Brixham were penalised for a deliberate knock on and Fly half James Mackay narrowly missed with the ensuing penalty attempt.
Weston continued to press but a couple of errors and wrong options meant that the game remained scoreless until the twentieth minute when Brixham having weathered the initial storm grew into the game and only excellent defence from the visitors kept them at.bay.
Brixham eventually took the lead when they ran the ball directly from a line out enabling winger Joel Ashworth to cross wide out on the right.
Fly half Mitch Pinkus added the extras and then added a penalty to put the hosts ten points up.
Weston’s heads never dropped and towards the end of the half a mini break by flanker Jack Woodland led to a penalty near the home try line.
The visitors elected to take a scrum and Mackay expertly ran the ball blind to give left wing debutant Joe Burgess the simplest of tries.
Mackay added the conversion from wide out to cut Brixham’s lead to three points. Unfortunately he injured himself in this period and had to retire from the game to be replaced by Huw Morgan.
Half time came and went and Weston introduced new signing Gary Carpenter to the front row in place of Chris Burton.
With the slope against them in the second period Weston turned their game up a notch and right wing Ollie Walrond was stopped near the line.
Birthday boy Harry Jones then had a fine run which was stopped near the line. However the ball was recycled and found it’s way to lock Ashley Russell who was loitering wide out to finish off a fine passage of play.
Walrond replaced Mackay as kicker and expertly kicked the extras from wide out.
Almost from the restart Walrond who had redeployed to fly half put a beauty of a kick in to set full back Jack Woodland over but he was adjudged to have been in front of the kicker.
Weston were now dominating the scrum and props Ollie Streeter and Sam Coles were both having excellent games along with the impressive Carpenter.
Streeter was stopped just short of the line following another superb passage of play which came from another Jones break.
With a quarter of an hour remaining Weston were camped on Brixham’s line and the hosts conceded penalty after penalty.
With no cards forthcoming Weston eventually took matters into their own hands and finally pushed over for number eight and skipper Tom Sugg to touchdown.
Walrond again providing an tremendous conversion. Pinkus converted a late penalty for the hosts but Weston thoroughly deserved their win.
The pack was hard working throughout and the backs showed signs of becoming a potent force.
Streeter and Coles were outstanding and Russell produced miracles in the line out.
Woodland was everywhere and Sugg led from the front.
New scrum half JJ Williams had a fine afternoon and his delivery and decision making was of a high order.
Walrond also impressed especially when he replaced Mackay.
All in all a thoroughly competent couple of weeks with room still for improvement.
