The Land Rover Cup for the South West was held at Exeter Saracens and Sidmouth Under-12s attended with a full squad of 18 players ready to go, writes Andy Cole.

Placed in a pool containing Perranporth, Exeter Saracens, Bideford and Topsham, Sidmouth asserted themselves well.

Their first game was a competitive contest with Perranporth in which Tom Fletcher grabbed the only try of the game to seal victory.

The team settled well with Freddie Eul Barker tackling well and Ryan Cozens kicking well to clear the lines.

Next up, tries from Finn Hobday and Will Cockayne Cotterill saw the side to a 2-0 win over Bideford. The third game was a stiffer test as they took on a strong Topsham side that beat them 2-0.

The final game of the morning action saw Sidmouth meet hosts Exeter Saracens. Gabe Roberts showed good pace to run in the first try and another from Eul Barker sealed another 2-0 success.

As the committee totted up the points and published the pools for the afternoon matches it all meant a two-and-a-half-hour wait before Sidmouth saw action again!

Perhaps the long wait played a part, but the lads were unable to find any of the tempo they had produced in the morning and they were edged out 1-0 by Redruth.

Two further games followed against Winborne and Barnstaple who both took their chances well against a tiring Sidmouth squad.

This was the Sidmouth Under-12s first competitive matches of the season and they can be proud of their performance. There were plenty of positives to take from the tournament and overall the team managed a respectable eighth place finish out of the 20 competing team.