Brixham on the brink of glory

The pressure is on and absolutely zero room for mistakes but Brixham are just four games away from sealing the Regional 1 Tribute SW title.

The Fishermen welcomed Lydney to Astley Park on Saturday and, after being awarded the Austell Tribute Devon Team of the Month for January, they set about extending their winning streak to an impressive 15 games. The last time Brixham tasted league defeat was a 26-22 reverse at St Austell in September.

In a tight first period, Brixham took a slender 7-5 lead into the break, thanks to a score from Joel Ashworth, and the game remained in the balance up the final 20 minutes. The power of Brixham’s pack set the platform for their second score and it was a try that summed up all that is brilliant about regional rugby.

The Fishermen relentlessly pounded the visiting defence, recycling for phase after phase of attacks. Lydney, to their immense credit, held firm for almost three minutes before the ball was spun wide for the lurking Matt Crosscombe to score in the corner.

Lydney fought back with a try of their own to make the scores 12-12 but that’s when Brixham found an extra gear. Jordan Watson was the man to exploit a gap in the tiring Lydney defence and surge over the line for 17-12.

Victory and the bonus point was secured by Ashworth finishing off another slick move in difficult conditions and there was still time for Jason Capaldi to execute a monumental tackle in preventing Lydney a late consolation.

The Fishermen are one point above Barnstaple in the table and next travel to Matson.

Tries from Joel Armitage (2), Carl Turner, Craig Withers, Tony Brierley and a penalty try was enough for Torquay to make it 18 straight victories in the Counties 2 Tribute Devon Division.

Paignton were leading St Ives 19-3 on Saturday when the referee abandoned the game. It was a decision that prompted a mixed reaction, as it appeared the game had become increasingly fractious. Some felt the referee made the right call, others were of the opinion that dishing out a few cards could have possibly calmed the situation.

Paignton are third in the Counties 1 Tribute Western West Division, six points behind leaders Pirates Amateurs and two behind Barnstaple 2nds.