Things started so well though for the visitors as they open the scoring almost immediately. Good offloads and wide passes created space for right winger Mike Stevens to produce a good finish in the right corner and once converted they were 5 nil up after barely 5 minutes.

Unfortunately, the offloading game deteriorated from this point, as Okes persisted throughout the majority of the game attempting to play from deep and getting little joy. Another issue for the visitors was their inability to consolidate after a score. As has often been the problem this season,they conceded quickly several times after scoring themselves. This issue reared its head almost immediately after the first try. Awarded a penalty, the Okes failed to find touch and from the opposition kick return Simmon’s clearance kick was charged down. The visitors regathered and crossed to level the scores almost immediately.

The game was swinging both ways at this point and Oke were next on the board when full back Leon Horn chipped ahead and regathered . Setting off for the corner he was tackled just short but was able to offload to wing Marley Parker in support, and he crossed to restore the Okes five point advantage. Once again Okes failed to deal with the kickoff and a couple of knock ons later they found themselves back behind their posts, as the visitors levelled the scores yet again.

The home tails were up and they were now in the ascendancy and they took the lead for the first time on 31 minutes. Missed tackles wide out on the left allowed the winger to cross for a converted score making a 17-10. A penalty from bang in front extended the lead to 10 points as the halftime whistle arrived.

Oke were still not firing when the second half commenced. Direct running was bringing no joy, whilst the visitors offloading game improved and they extended their lead with another penalty to make it 23-10. Oke replacements came on and Joe Mawle soon made impression with some strong carries. The hosts were dominating possession and territory, but Oke reduced the areas with a moment of individual skill from Horn. The full back gathered a kick deep in his own half, after another chip, hack on and re-gather he raced clear under the post to make it 23-17 after Simmons converted.

The last quarter of the game saw Oke lack an attacking edge and variety in their attack. The home side dealt with this effectively and extending their lead with a
Try out wide on the right hand side , followed by a catch and drive effort shortly after. Now 33-17 down all Okes had to play for in the short time remaining was a try bonus point. Suddenly they upped the tempo and after a Saul Holliday break, several phases ensued, before Sonny Luxton hit a good line to crash over under the posts for a converted score as the final whistle blew.

So no joy on the road and Okes will need to learn and improve if they want to maintain that spot in the playoffs. Next week brings a visit of a Cullompton side battling relegation .Kick off 230.