HONITON U11s tuned up for the looming Devon Festival with a 35-15 win over visiting Wellington in a mud bath.

Honiton played with a real tempo and an intensity that was only matched by some of the gusts of wind.

Tight forwards Isaac Stanbury and Osian Owen excelled in the conditions as they dominated the breakdown and took ball at will from the Wellington attackers.

Skipper and fly-half Edward Grimshaw had the platform to distribute the ball to willing runners such as Tim Goody who was the first to score early on after a mesmerising run.

Goody was joined on the scoresheet soon afterwards by scrum half Joe Evans, who deceived the Wellington defenders on his way to line.

James Harris was next to score for Honiton when some good work on the blind-side saw the Honiton forwards take route one before Felix Williams offloaded smartly to Harris who straightened up then splashed down.

Although the Lacelads were15-0 up at half time, there was no room for complacency

The defence, led by Arthur Hattan and Cameron Pegg, was steadfast and the Lacelads crossed next when prolonged pressure near the Wellington line saw Osian Owen smash his way through..

Weillington struck next but the comeback was short-lived as Joshua Giles cut a fine line to take at pace and crash over.

Wellington managed a further two tries but it was Evans who had the final say.

Hattan carried strongly before the ensuing ruck saw the Lacelads spin the ball wide to Evans, who stepped inside to cap a fine Honiton victory.

With so many good performances it was always going to be difficult to single out a man of the match, but the accolade was given to Hattan for his unyielding tackling and powerful running.