The 3rds are back……!!

This week saw Okehampton field a 3rd team for the first time in several years to compete in a fixture away at Crediton. The newly reformed 3rd team were able to blend together a mixture of old age and not quite so old although not all were happy with the modern “Skin Tight” rugby tops!

Oke suffered a setback before the game had even started when their No 8 Eddy Jones suffered a back injury in the warm up! Luckily though with experience comes versatility and with seconds to go before the start a quick reshuffle saw Mark Curtis fill in at No 8.
Playing downhill first half Oke were still blowing away the cobwebs when they gave away a penalty just outside their 22 however the Crediton fly-half decided to kick the ball way over the dead ball line to let Oke off. After that Oke started to push the Crediton scrum backwards and as confidence grew started to make strong runs through their defence pinning Crediton back in their half.

Oke were then awarded a penalty within kicking distance of the posts but with the policy of playing “running rugby” they went for the kick to touch. The resulting line and drive saw Oke held up over the line however it wasn’t long before they were rewarded as a scrum on the five meter line lead to their first try with Ollie Francis touching down. The conversion was missed (0 -5).

With both sides battling hard in the middle of the park penalties kept going either way before Oke were able to work their way down the pitch, and it wasn’t long before Oke went over the try line with Ollie Francis getting his second of the game. The resulting conversion was missed (0 -10).
With a change to the Oke front row Crediton starting to get the upper hand in the scrums and worked their way up the pitch. Crediton spread the ball out wide to their youngsters which saw their No 12 break through a couple of tackles and score in the corner. The conversion was good and Oke went off at half time 7 -10 to the good. Not long after the second half started Crediton took the lead when their No 10 found a gap in Oke’s defence and raced in to score. The No 10 converted his own try and took Crediton 14-10 up. Crediton playing with the slope looked to put the pressure on however Oke never gave up and battled hard. Oke had a chance to take the lead again when in a good position near the try line however with the Crediton scrum crumbling they were unable to get the ball out for what looked like a certain try.

Oke’s resolute defence and ability to still attack worried Crediton and with minutes left on the clock they decided to kick a penalty to posts to try to kill the game off. The kick was missed which then saw Oke trying to battle back up the pitch to get the win. However with time against them the final whistle went.

With Crediton creating very few chances Oke were bitterly disappointed to lose this game, however considering that with only an hour of training and playing against a team that plays regularly they shouldn’t be too disappointed. It was a great team performance and the spirit and passion couldn’t be faulted. The travelling support was brilliant and was much appreciated.
Providing everyone can move again…….the next3rd team game is home against Exeter Saracens on the 29th October.