Barnstaple RFC Colts 12,

Sidmouth RFC Colts 3

Sidmouth Colts can certainly take pride and optimism away from a narrow defeat at Barnstaple, in which they can consider themselves unlucky not to have come away with more, writes Jack Colwill.

Sidmouth quickly settled into this game despite freezing gale force winds and poor handling conditions, matching Barum’s considerably larger pack all over the pitch.

Sid drew first blood through a penalty from Jevon Astley-Jones, who had a good game in an unfamiliar wing position, after Barum had missed one of their own. Paddy Lee and Tom Irish were carrying the ball well in the forwards, making hard yards consistently.

However, as the game went on, Sidmouth began to make mistakes, which allowed Barnstaple some space out wide. Sidmouth managed to defend these well, but eventually they gave up a try. Another followed soon after, but Sid responded by tightening up their defence and working their way back into the game. The half-time score was 12-3.

The second half was evenly contested, with neither side being able to fashion any gilt-edged opportunities. As Sidmouth tired, handling errors as a result of poor conditions started to disrupt their rhythm.

Despite defeat, there are many positives the Colts can take from this game, notably some fluent passages of play in the backs and a good performance from a smaller pack than the opposition’s. Thanks must be extended to Hayden Down and Christian Goddard, from the U16s, who put in good shifts.