Weston complete the double over South Devon rivals Exmouth

Weston were on the attack from the first whistle and played with great determination and speed and put great pressure on the visitors defence. On six minutes it was Dan Spelman who crossed the line for the opening try, converted by George Chapman.

Exmouth were having trouble getting any possession and from a penalty kick, drilled into the corner by Chapman Weston lost possession at the lineout but turned the ball over and were awarded a scrum. The forwards drove for The line and quickly recycled the ball, set up a maul, and veteran David Bird was on hand to touch down for his trademark try. The conversion was made again by Chapman and with a quarter of an hour gone Weston looked to be in charge.

When Exmouth gained control of the ball they held on to it for long periods of time but Weston's defence was secure and their tackling led to mistakes by Exmouth and none of their attacks led to much ground made.

With the bitterly cold wind at their backs Weston continued to pressure the visitors and from quickly recycled ball Weston set up a left wing attack and when the ball came to Robbie Mackay he got clear of the cover and sprinted for the line and managed to turn and make ground nearer to the posts before touching down. Chapman’s conversion was successful. He was on hand to attempt a penalty in front of the posts, despite the crowd urging Weston to take the scrum option, he kicked the goal cleanly and the sides turned round with Weston 24 points to nil in front.

Exmouth had the wind at their backs in the second half and with greater energy and application they gained some momentum. A series of forward drives resulted in a touch down and conversion, and Exmouth were on the board.

Weston picked themselves up and pressed hard in the Exmouth half of the field, and against the run of play a ball given out of play by the touch judge, was fielded by Exmouth and their winger crossed for a hotly disputed try. With the conversion made Exmouth looked to be on the verge of getting even but a terrific display of forward pressure kept them well contained in their own half.

Eventually this pressure from Weston paid off and after a number of phases the ball was moved to the wing where Chris Young, who had been at fly half took a sweetly timed pass and sprinted for the corner. He dived to score the bonus point try to the delight of the home fans and although the conversion was missed Weston were in front by 15 points with seven minutes on the clock. The home fans nerves were further stretched when A good passage of play led to a third Exmouth try and the scores were 29-21.
Despite Weston being penalised twice in injury time Exmouth could not make ground and Weston’s defence remained secure as the ref blew for full time.

This bonus point win was vital for Weston and even with the top sides losing Weston remain in 9th place. They still need at least one more win to be certain of safety in this very competitive league.