Teams 
Harpers Cup – Round 1
Bideford used this Harpers Cup clash to experiment with new combinations and bring in some high-performing Quins players who fully deserved their opportunity to step up. Unfortunately, the game itself was a scrappy affair, with little rhythm and not a lot of free-flowing rugby to speak of.
The highlight for Bideford came early on with a well-executed inter passing move, finished brilliantly by Mark Schofield, who cut through the Bude defence to dot down under the posts. It was a moment of real quality, and, truthfully, the high point of Bideford’s attacking play.
From there, things became increasingly disjointed. Bude’s physical and relentless approach began to frustrate Bideford. Off-the-ball antics, largely unseen by the referee, succeeded in unsettling the Biddy side. To Bude’s credit, it worked for them. Their skipper Hockridge was constantly in the ref’s ear, managing the game cleverly and doing exactly what a captain should do in a tight contest.
There were chances for Bideford to take control, none more clear than a first-half chip ahead where Sam Olde looked certain to score under the posts. He was tackled in mid-air as he went to ground the ball, an obvious penalty try, even acknowledged by Bude’s own touch judge. Unfortunately, the referee didn’t see it, and play continued. That could, and arguably should, have been the turning point.
In the final 15 minutes, Bideford were down to 14 men but showed real character in defence. They held firm until Bude eventually scored what can only be described as a fluke try, enough to tip the game in their favour.
There are certainly a few talking points from the match, particularly around foul play. The club will be reviewing these incidents in the coming days to ensure standards are upheld and player welfare remains a priority.
Despite the result, there were promising performances across the pitch, especially from those stepping up into the squad. With the return leg on the horizon, there’s no doubt it will be another fierce contest, and Bideford will be ready to meet the challenge. Bude may be favourites, but we’ll relish the underdog role.
Bideford Colts
Bideford welcomed Sidmouth Colts in this 3rd round of the merit table campaign. Both sides were evenly matched from the outset and both teams found it difficult to unlock each others defence. Some resolute and offensive tackling prevented any threatening incursions. Some big hits from Vice Captain Harvey Beal shuddered around the ground. The set piece for Bideford worked well and the line out was a huge improvement in its accuracy and effectiveness.
Frustratingly despite good field positions from the boot of Fin Potter failed to bear fruit as chance to create scores were squandered from poor ball retention in contact and being turned over. Bideford Colts lacked the killer instinct and accuracy to get the scoreboard ticking over.
The game was all square at 0-0 at half time.
The second half brought a pick up of the wind which assisted Sidmouth Full back Logan to exploite deep into Bideford Territory with a fine boot. Penalties and errors meant Sidmouth wee able to raise their game and capitalise on sustained 22 pressure. They scored three second half tries and 2 conversions leaving them 19-0 winners.
Bideford were under par by their standards and the players know more was expected of them. Bideford failed to use the width of the pitch and playing narrow played into Sidmouth style of play. Discipline around the breakdown cost us. Stand out players for Bideford were open side Harri Rhodes who worked tirelessly in the breakdown and commanding of the line out. Charlie Ackland at full back was strong and lively. Some great moments but the Biddy Colts know they could perform better.
Bideford U16: 31 – 12 Okehampton
It was a mixed day for Bideford U16s as they secured a win over Okehampton, but never quite hit their stride. Despite the scoreline, the performance felt flat—especially when compared to the intensity shown in the recent Kingsbridge fixture.
The warning signs were there from the warm-up. Several players arrived late, and the energy was low, almost as if the result had been decided before kick-off. That mindset crept into the match, and although there were flashes of quality, Bideford operated well below their best.
With a few regulars unavailable, the coaches rolled out arguably the biggest front row in the team’s history—and it delivered. The standout performance came from John Davenport, who once again showed his quality. He bagged two tries: one from a textbook catch-and-drive, and another following a well-worked open-play move.
A new experience for the Bideford lads came in the form of a Grade 4 referee, which brought a huge penalty count. This forced Bideford to ease off at the breakdown and limit their involvement in scrums, despite being physically dominant in that area.
Finn Booth had a strong day with the boot, slotting four penalties and two conversions. He narrowly missed a third penalty as the newly introduced ‘shot clock’—yes, even in youth rugby now—added pressure to get the ball down and struck quickly.
Seb Cackett was back to his elusive best, running some excellent lines and finishing off a slick team move with a well-deserved try.
In truth, Bideford probably played at about 30% of their potential. When the full 100% shows up, opposition teams are going to have a real problem on their hands.
Notable performances came from Henry Davies, Finn Booth, Jake Maund, and John Davenport.
- Forward of the Match: John Davenport – Tireless in defence, powerful in attack, and two tries to cap a top display.
- Back of the Match: Jake Maund – Worked relentlessly off the ball, chasing down kicks and helping shut down Okehampton’s counters.
Trys – Davenport x 2, Cackett
Cons – Booth x2
Pens – Booth x4
Under 15’s
Sadly a loss for the U15s in a tightly fought contest. The morning started badly with a couple of illness cry offs leaving Bide with a bare 15. Two quick tries from Oke added to our woes. However, the Bide boys were not going to just roll over and fought incredibly hard for each other. Bide the had an injury so both team had to reduce to 14v14. Bideford got themselves back into the game finishing the half 12-21. Bideford played some of the better rugby in the second half and with 4 minutes left pulled the score back to 24-28. Sadly, with the last play of the match a pick go through the centre of ruck saw Oke score a breakaway try and the posts. The game ended 24-35.
The try of the match goes to Bideford and shows what we’re capable of.
Under 13’s
Under 13’s carried on their impressive start to the season with a convincing win against a hard tackling Okehampton side. The scoreboard was stopped at 10 tries to 0 in Bideford’s favour however the sides agreed to continue to play to give all players good match time.
From the start Bideford put together some well worked backs moves that enabled the hard running Alfie Jones to score a fine try in the corner. Jones was a threat all day in attack, scoring a bag full of tries himself and supported well by Griff Robinson, himself running hard from full back touching down on a number of occasions.
Caz Hammersley returned to the Bideford lineup after missing the last two seasons, he showed the coaches what a strong runner and tough competitor he is, and along with Eben Ball (both pushing 6ft) they constantly made the defence put in some strong tackles on the gain line.
Other scorers included Ball, Jake Squance, who showed impressive pace down the wing to score his first try of the season, along with Callan Lloyd, Edgar fuller and Fin Corner-Hodges all grabbing a brace. The Bideford coaches were very pleased with a full team performance, showing some great set plays and a solid defensive display which wasn’t breached.
Full credit to Okehampton to keep playing for the full allotted time, the score really didn’t reflect the effort they put in, their tackling was brilliant at times and the full back was awarded Player of the match by Bideford. Griff Robinson awarded player of the match by Okehampton.
Under 12’s
Oke 5 : Bid 4
Bideford under 12’s season has kicked off with a tightly contested affair against a home opposition who chose an enormous squad of 20 + to field 12 to keep their team fresh throughout the game. Travelling with 15 in a rotating game day squad to maximise game time and learning the Bideford boys fought gallantly with great attacking effort, some fierce contact from all and good orchestration from the half backs. We saw some great debuts from our new players and some much improved performances from some of our established squad. Solid effort from all 15 who made the journey
