Osbourne impresses with superb dummy move

Sidmouth Under-12s entertained Cullompton at Sidford and, with good numbers again on parade the contest was played over four quarters with team one playing the first and third quarters and team two playing the second and fourth.

The first quarter saw some quality handling by Cullompton being the undoing of the home side. The home side were guilty of a number of missed tackles, but they did score a fine consolation whilst the strong-running visiting side managed to bag five tries.

The second quarter, featuring an almost completely changed Sidmouth side, saw a terrific home try from Ted Osbourne who served up a terrific dummy that fooled the entire Cully defence and was followed by a gutsy run to the line as Sidmouth ended the quarter with a 2-1 success.

The third quarter started with a brilliant surging run almost the length of the field down the left wing from Sidmouth. The cover defence made a splendid last-ditch tackle, with it being 50-50 whether the Sidmouth player would manage the last few yards, but he went for the offload which just failed to go to hand and the attack was snuffed out. The rest of the quarter was all Cullompton and they ran in four unanswered tries.

The last quarter showed good phase play from both teams. Cullompton made a break through the middle only for it to be snuffed out by a gutsy last-ditch tackle from Miles Lewis which saved a certain score. Good teamwork from Sidmouth led to a score, followed by one back from Cullompton to level things up and that’s how it ended.

Under-12s coach John Lister said: “The team does need to improve on their discipline, their line speed and general awareness in defence. That said, they were a different team when in possession, so all-in-all it was an enjoyable game to watch.”