Sat 8 Feb 2020
The relatively short trip up the M5 to Cullompton proved to be a very satisfying one for a Kingsbridge team with a much changed back line. With several regulars unavailable, a few of the so called finishers got the chance to play a full part in what turned out to be a convincing win.
Cullompton are not the side who dominated Devon Junior rugby for several seasons but on their own patch they are a difficult side to beat. The pitch, although looking in good condition, was heavy and adding in a strong wind made conditions difficult for the players.
Kingsbridge played down the slight slope with the wind behind them in the first half and were soon on the attack. The usual pick and drive was not working as well as usual and Cullompton were holding the Blue and Whites at bay with relative ease. Gradually though the power of the Kingsbridge pack began to tell and some slick handling saw Ben Glover crash over in the corner taking two defenders with him to open the scoring. Kingsbridge were now starting to dominate a bit more and from a tap down at the lineout Stu Harris gathered the ball well and touched down near the posts. Fly half Ben Newman added the extras to give Kingsbridge a 0-12 lead going into half time.
With the wind behind them Cullompton would have fancied getting back into the game and within a few minutes their hopes rose when they attacked from inside their own half and some pretty bad tackling let them score to reduce the arrears to 12-5.
This seemed to goad Kingsbridge into action and soon the towering figure of Scott Lowry was on the score sheet with a forward inspired try. A rare visit into the visitors territory gave the home side a successful penalty to take the score to 17-8
The flow of the game was now in Kingsbridge favour and the best of the action was occurring inside the Cullompton 22. With the Blue and Whites pack exerting control over the home side, chances were becoming more plentiful and it wasn’t long before the tireless Stu Winzer took the ball and drove over from let’s say twenty yards - your reporter being very slightly unsighted. Newman converted to give Kingsbridge a 24-8 lead.
From then on it was just a matter of how many more points Kingsbridge could accrue before the final whistle. As it turned out there was just one more try with Dan Jarvis finishing off a move to make the final score 29-8.
From the look of the other league results it seems that Wellington and St Austell will be fighting it out for promotion, which will leave Kingsbridge and Teignmouth most likely to contest the Devon Intermediate Cup for Level 7 teams. This cup is played between the top two Devon teams in the WCW league at the end of the season, so it is imperative that Kingsbridge keep on winning to secure the final at High House at the beginning of May.
This weekend sees Kingsbridge return to High House for the visit of Falmouth in the league with the match being very kindly sponsored by CLEARWATER FINANCIAL and KO at 2.30 pm. Kingsbridge A XV will hope to return to action with a visit to face Plymouth University after their scheduled Merit Table match with Brixham was cancelled last weekend as the visitors were unable to raise a team. Kingsbridge Colts welcome Torquay to the Longfield Pitch for a 2.00 pm kick off.
