The Okes travelled down to Truro to face a side they had beaten comfortably at home in September but that had improved dramatically since then.

They were greeted by bright and sunny conditions allied with a keen wind blowing down the pitch which they played into in the opening period.

From the outset it was clear that the wind was to be a decisive factor and that the hosts were going to use it to maximum advantage. It took only seven minutes for Truro to cross the whitewash for the first time as centre Theo Gayton charged down a clearance kick before feeding brother and No.8 Adam who had the simple task of dotting down. The straightforward conversion was missed but Truro were 5-0 up.

Five minutes later the lead was extended to 12-0 as winger Luke Tidball won the race to the ball following a kick ahead. This time a very tricky conversion bisected the uprights.

The Okes then dug their collective heels in and were successful in repelling all that the home side could throw at them with centres Tom Powell and Luke Honeychurch prominent. There were also the first signs that the visiting pack was getting the better of their opponents at scrum time but attacking forays were restricted to the occasional break out from deep by the free-running Honeychurch and fly-half Jordan Pethertbridge.

However, on thirty-five minutes Truro scored again following a penalty resulting in a yellow card for Okes' Simon Cox. The ball was kicked to the corner and despite the initial catch and drive being well defended, the ball was eventually recycled to flanker Ashley Riches who managed to stretch to the line in the tackle. The conversion again went awry but the hosts had a comfortable 17-0 at the interval.

In truth, The Okes had shown signs that with the wind behind them they were capable of getting back into the game as they had played the first forty with plenty of heart and determination. Unfortunately though, the first 20 minutes of the second period saw them fall further behind as they suffered their poorest spell of the match.

Firstly, Adam Gayton was the benefiary of some indifferent defence before slipping the ball to hooker Ben Teasdale who scored the bonus point try. This was quickly followed by a simple try for Jake Champion as Okehampton lost control of the ball from the base of a scrum.

At 29-0 down it looked as though the floodgates may open but full credit to the Okes who then went on to play their best rugby of the match as the wind at their backs suddenly disappeared. A quick tap penalty found it's way to Jordan Petherbridge who showed good feet before offloading to Gary Sizmur in the tackle to score the visitors' first points. The conversion was good and Oke had a spring in their step. The pack now began to take control of the set piece and eventually shunted the home eight back some 25 metres, puncuated by infringements, before the referee had no option but to award the penalty try.

The final whistle went shortly afterwards and although there can be no complaints about the result Okehampton were left to wonder what might have been. The overall performance showed great resolve it was encouraging to see 2nd rows Sam Turner and Peter Gillard taking the ball on at pace into the face of a well organised and aggresive home defence. The midfield of Petherbridge, Powell and Honeychurch all caught the eye and the front row did it's usual job of destruction come the end.

Nest week sees high-flying Kingsbridge at Oaklands Park. Kick-off is at 14:30.

Okehampton RFC

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