Dartmouth dreaming in fairytale season

There is something very special taking place at Dartmouth RFC, a rugby club without a clubhouse but with huge hearts.

The Darts have now gone 19 league games without defeat. Along the way, they have picked up the Papa Johns community shield at Saracens ground in London, plus the Devon Junior bowl.

It is an incredible turnaround for a club that almost folded last year due to a lack of players. For some added local pride, the Darts have recorded wins over Torquay and Brixham 2nds this season, and a victory at Kingsbridge this weekend will see them crowned as league champions.

This fairytale story has been covered in the March edition of the famous ‘Rugby World’ magazine and the Rugby News Paper.

The victory that took the Darts to the brink of glory was a tight 14-11 success over Tamar Saracens, who are in second place and have been the closest challengers throughout the campaign.

Prior to the Tamar triumph, Dartmouth travelled to third-placed Brixham 2nds and a wonderful occasion for the club, with huge numbers of travelling support cheering on the Riversiders.

In brutal weather, the Darts set down an early marker with a try from John Dingle, Sam Churchill adding the extras. Brixham hit back with a score from Phil Haydn but another break by Dingle set up Billy Colthart to restore the lead.

The battering ram of Karl Caunter extended the advantage to 19-7 and a red card for Brixham made their task even tougher. Winger Josh Squires used his explosive pace for the next Dartmouth try, 24-7, although Harry Williams reduced the arrears with a score before half-time.

After the break, the Darts went try-crazy, with Tom Clark, Luke Bridgwood, Lewis Sharam, Phil Rawle and Colthart all dotting down. Roll on Saturday for the Dartmouth dream.