Sidmouth Under-13s secured a place in the last eight of the Devon Cup on Sunday at Paignton in what turned out to be a one-sided affair, writes Pete Bond.

With the hosts unable to raise a full side and requesting uncontested scrums from the outset, the omens for a proper contest were not good.

With three tries on the board after just five minutes it soon became clear the challenge for the Sidmouth players would be playing good quality rugby and keeping discipline against a much weaker side!

They rose to the challenge admirably keeping the ball alive and using the width of the pitch to run in seven high-quality first half tries.

Knowing that sterner tests will follow, the emphasis in the second half was on ball retention and practising moves from the training ground.

Credit to the team for coming through a new type of challenge while never allowing standards to fall.

It was also gratifying to see the likes of Sam Norton, Jacob Madeley, Aiden Waldron and Jamie Malec get reward for the improvement they’ve shown over the season so far.