Sidmouth Under-8s took a strong contingent to Mid Devon to face Cullompton.

With 16 players in Sidmouth colours and 18 ready for action fro the host club, 8-a-side matches were the order of the day.

In the opening match the Sidmouth defence was outstanding and there were two seven-tag turnovers, both of which led to a try being scored, much to the delight of the coaching staff!

Level two tries each at the break, the second half produced similar fare, strong attacking play and organised defence.

Leah Patch proved to be a particular thorn in Cullompton’s side, easily topping the tagging table. However, a salient lesson was learnt when, just after regaining the lead at 3-2, the Sidmouth players switched off for a moment to let Cullompton back in, and, despite pushing to the end, there was no way through for a winning score and the match ended 3-3.

Game two saw Sidmouth start powerfully and race into a commanding lead with Karan Bountra and Eli Moss leading the charge, ably supported by Henry Tanner and Will Cotton with great passing and very few dropped balls.

A 3-1 half-time advantage was added to after the break with a try for both teams – Sidmouth securing a 4-2 win.

Game three saw the most emphatic success for the Sidmouth team who served up some lovely free-flowing rugby combined with good skills sets that led to a 6-1 success. The pick of the six scores came from a great straight run from Isaac Wall that saw the ball go through the hands to Sam Smart who stretched his legs flying up the wing. Although the try line was in sight, a trio of defenders were closing in and young Smart made a lovely pass over the top that was collected by Noah Clifton to finish off a superb move with a try.

The fourth and final game saw more good all-round play thanks to some fabulous work by Alex Harvey and Joseph Hooper that saw the side win 5-3.

The Player of the Day was a tough call. Leah Patch was terrific throughout, but she was shaded to the honour by the excellent Jake Dunstan who showed real commitment in defence and attack and was always looking to create good team play. This weekend (March 13) it’s a trip to Withycombe for the Under-8s.