Fishermen take top spot with Exmouth victory

Brixham RFC have jumped into pole position in the Regional 1 Tribute SW Division after an epic 27-32 fightback victory at title rivals Exmouth.

The Fishermen took full advantage of a major upset for previous leaders Barnstaple, who went down to a shock 43-40 loss at lowly Ivybridge, but it was no plain sailing in a superb game of rugby in East Devon.

The two sides exchanged penalties in the opening stages, Mitch Pinkus, slotting for Brixham, before Exmouth dotted down for the game’s opening try on 17 minutes. The hosts extended their lead to 17-3 with a penalty try and plenty of work to do for the Fishermen.

The situation got worse for Brixham when Exmouth stretched their advantage to 22-3 with just 24 minutes on the clock but the recovery mission began with another penalty, followed by Koree Britton scoring from a powerful Fishermen scrum.

Exmouth added another try early in the second period to lead 27-11 but the rest of the game was all about Brixham brilliance. Connor Doneathy dotted down for a converted score and Tommy Drennan then crossed to make it a two-point game.

The glory moment was reserved for Jason Capaldi, who dived over to secure a sensational Brixham victory, and amazing resilience after trailing for long periods. The Fishermen host Ivybridge this weekend, hoping to avoid a Barnstaple-style slip up.

In a dominant Torbay derby, Brixham Crusaders trounced Torquay Extras 86-0 to remain third in the Counties 3 Tribute Devon SW Division, while the ladies of Brixham Sirens battled bravely before going down to a 15-27 home loss against St Austell.

Morgan Alcock bagged a hat-trick as Torquay Athletic stretched their lead at the top of the Counties 2 Tribute Devon Division with a powerful 66-0 demolition of Withycombe.

The other scorers for the Tics included Matt Allanson (2), Joel Armitage (2), Matt Butler (2) and Ryan Hannauer. The extras were kicked by Mawgan Penrice. The Tics will look to continue their title procession with a visit from Exeter Saracens on Saturday.

Paignton are the third Torbay club leading their division, despite suffering a rare defeat in the Counties 1 Tribute Western West Division. Henry Hoare scored the only try for the Cherries, who were beaten 18-13 at second-placed Pirates Amateurs.

Paignton host Barnstaple 2nds on Saturday, when the club will no doubt be remembering the great Brian Latto, a huge supporter of the club who has sadly passed away.