Sidmouth Under-16s were edged out 14-10 in a game at Plymouth Argaum that was contested in heavy fog in conditions so heavy that, not too long into the contest, players were unrecognisable owing to the conditions!

The home side kicked off and, within the first few minutes of play, a fumbled catch by Sidmouth sent the ball scuttling towards their posts and an Argaum player carried the ball over to score early points with a converted try. Regrouping, Sidmouth pushed back up field and put pressure on the Argaum defence. The pressure was sustained and eventually Davies crossed for a well deserved try.

Play continued in the home half until an interception by the Tigers took them deep into Sidmouth territory where some stoic defending held up the try attempt.

Play was soon back in the Argaum half where a neat interception by Bright looked promising, but he was brought down, and, although Sidmouth retained possession, they were unable to make it count and that brought to an end the first half action with the home side holding a narrow 7-5 lead at the break.

Early in the second half the Tigers scored another converted try from a penalty kick. Sidmouth retaliated, put pressure on the Argaum defence, and a dummy and dive from captain Allen secured a second try, but no conversion.

Dix made a great run, Pearse worked hard and both props made good ground to generate momentum. The scrum was strong, but line-outs were less accurate than usual in the wet and windy conditions. Sidmouth maintained pressure up until the final whistle, but were unable to find a further score and the match ended with the home side victors by a margin of just four points.

Coach Daryl Pearce said: “We could have played more tactically, particularly in their exit strategy, to work with the slope and wind to their advantage, but overall the match was close fought and evenly matched. Having gifted Argaum early points made the difference in the end.”

Chugg-White was named the Sidmouth Man of the Match and he also cleaned up in the post-match crisp and cream egg eating and coke drinking contest!