Teams 
Bideford were left frustrated after a dramatic finish saw South Molton snatch victory with the final kick of the game in a fiercely contested encounter. In a match that truly was a tale of two halves, the Chiefs produced some excellent rugby but ultimately paid the price for a series of costly penalties that allowed the hosts to stay within striking distance.
Tries: Olde, Harris (2)
Conversions: Pearn (2)
Penalties: Pearn (2)
Bideford suffered a heartbreaking defeat to an impressive South Molton side, with the home team securing victory with the final kick of the game. Ultimately, too many penalties proved costly for the Chiefs and allowed South Molton to remain in contention throughout.
Bideford dominated much of the first half while playing up the slope, defending superbly and putting together some excellent attacking phases. They looked the more composed side early on and were rewarded with tries from Olde and Mitch Harris, both converted by Pearn. Despite Bideford’s control, South Molton managed to strike back twice in the half to keep themselves firmly in the contest at the break.
South Molton have proven to be a difficult side to beat on their home patch this season. Teams such as Topsham, Tavistock and OPM have all found results hard to come by there, which is a testament to the physical, hard-hitting rugby the North Devon side produce on home soil.
The second half told a different story. South Molton used the slope and their knowledge of the pitch to their advantage, gradually building pressure. Bideford’s plan was to keep play in the opposition half, and there were some impressive passages of attacking rugby. One of the highlights came when Mitch Harris finished brilliantly after latching onto a clever chip over the South Molton defence.
Despite those moments of quality, discipline proved to be Bideford’s biggest issue. A series of unnecessary penalties – five or six in key areas – repeatedly handed South Molton field position. From there, their powerful forward pack capitalised, rumbling over from close range and adding points from the tee.
In the end, it was another penalty that decided the match. With the final kick of the game, South Molton slotted the points to seal a deserved victory and leave Bideford frustrated after a match that had looked within their control at times.
The Chiefs now have a weekend off before returning to action with a tough home fixture against league leaders Devonport Services, who arrive in excellent form.
Quins 88–17 Topsham 3rds
A big win for Quins as they ran in the points against Topsham 3rds, finishing 88–17 in a game that was largely one-way traffic. The lads stuck to the game plan throughout and kept the scoreboard ticking over with some great attacking rugby.
In true rugby spirit, Biddy lent a few players to Topsham and even switched some of the more dominant lads at half-time to help balance things up , but Quins still kept the tries coming.
Big performances up front from Zac Powell, Arthur Souch, Tom Hammond and Ryan Hutchings, while out wide Tim Denford, Harley Brakes and Jordan Taylor were in fine form.
Great shift from the boys. 🏉💪
Ladies
Bideford travelled down to a foggy Exeter on Sunday with a pack of just 15.
The match started incredibly well for Bideford who had the fire in their bellies. Not long in to the first half, forward Ruth Boundy opened the gates for their first try of the day after being camped in Exeters 22 for the first quarter of play. Shortly before half time another forward try from Chloe Roissetter was dotted under the posts, converted by Liv Taylor making the first half score 0-12 to Bideford.
Continuing on from a great first half performance, Bideford dominated the match with two scores from scrum half Scarlett Davies who gained back of the match for her outstanding performance throughout. Then to top off the match with a hat trick of impressive tries scattered across both halves was Roissetter who took home forward of the match. Full time Exeter 0-32 Bideford.
Our Vixens (U18 Ladies) joined with Exeter Saracens U18’s this season to form the SB Panthers and have performed incredibly thus far. So much so, that they have earned their place in the final at the end of the month! Details TBC.
We truly appreciate the partnership between our clubs and the opportunities it has given us which is what rugby is all about, so thank you to Exeter Saracens for hosting us on International Women’s Day, and all the best for the rest of the season!
Thank you to the 15 incredible ladies who played their socks off. Your coaches, management and fans are super proud of you all.
Written up by Coach Jack Blight (age 29)
Juniors
Bideford U15s travelled to Okehampton full of confidence on the back of 2 wins and a draw. Okehampton are a big strong side with a couple of pacey backs. Bideford absorbed a lot of early pressure and started to put some nice phases together themselves. Bideford kicked an early penalty and then traded a try a piece with Oke and were looking pretty comfortable going into the final seconds of the first half. Unfortunately a missed tackle let Okehampton in for soft try to lead 10-8 at the break. Bideford responded well at the start of the 2nd half, grabbing a try to lead 10-13. Then it all unraveled a bit. A strange reffing decision to reverse a penalty on the 5 meter line allowed Okehampton to tap and crash over to retake the lead. Bideford then switched off a bit defensively conceding two further tries from some poor one on one tackling which was frustrating considering the effort the boys had put in before this. In the end Okehampton deservingly won 31-13.
Bideford’s try scorers were Hayden Keet (3) and Alfie Gilbert(15). The Coaches player of the match went Corey Allen (4) whilst the parents vote went Theo Heywood (7). Finally, a big well done to Josh Grey-Stoddart who played his first ever game today.
U14 Girls Match Report
Bideford 48 – 12 Okehampton
As the scoreline would suggest a dominant display from the Bideford Girls saw them
Come out deserved winners against a powerful running Okehampton team.
Playing their first home match on grass of the season the girls the girls were out of the traps early and showing some courageous tackling and slick handling skills to get them selves in front. Okehampton replied swiftly with an unconverted try of their own which night have pegged some teams back. however the bideford girls were up for the challenge and seemed to simply shift up a gear and quickly pulled away again. They were dominant throughout. A really enjoyable game to watch with some really lovely tries underpinned by great work ethic secured a well deserved win for the girls. Lots of positives and far too many tries to mention them all in detail but a great team
Performance. Players of the match for Bideford were Lydia Willan & Wilow Bishop who between them were tireless in their work rate around the park and led the charge. Well done all 👏👏👏
Today the U12’s hosted a double header, welcoming both Barnstaple and Okehampton on another suspiciously dry morning. At this point, the torrential rain of Ilfracombe feels like a distant legend, something the older players tell stories about to scare the younger ones.
We once again had nearly a full squad to choose from, which is rapidly becoming a problem… albeit the sort of problem every coach dreams about. With so many players available, we were able to field two teams: one to face Barnstaple and the other to take on Okehampton. A large pitch was set up to suit our expansive passing game, and we got warmed up.
Match 1 – Barnstaple
We started strongly and moved the ball around the pitch really well, backing each other up in both attack and defence. The passing was excellent, with the ball flowing through hands across the pitch in some great moves, very enjoyable to watch (and not just because we were the ones doing it).
Before long the pressure started showing on the scoreboard and the tries began to stack up. By half time we were comfortably ahead. With the same team staying on for the second half, we had a quick chat, took a quick breath, and got back to it.
The second half was more of the same: strong pressure, great teamwork, and, most importantly, more points on the board. By the end of the game it was a brilliant performance all round.
I’ve already informed Borthwick that you’re all available next Saturday.
Match 2 – Okehampton
Next up were Okehampton, and Team 2 stepped forward. I’m not entirely sure what they serve for breakfast in Okehampton, but a few of their players appeared to have had a bowl of concrete followed by a side of protein shakes. We were definitely looking up to some of them.
That said, it didn’t faze us. We got straight to work. The key was tackling low and well, especially to bring down some of their bigger runners, and we did exactly that. However, their pressure eventually told and they managed to rumble a try over through their forwards.
We responded well and soon scored one of our own. The half continued in that pattern, back and forth, finishing with just a single score in it.
The second half was equally tight and competitive. In the end, Okehampton edged it by a try or two, but that shouldn’t take anything away from our performance. Even their coach commented on how strong we were, which is always nice to hear (especially when it’s not your own coach saying it).
Player of the Day
This week the parents chose the player of the day today so you all had your notepads out.
There were several strong candidates. Seb had a great game in the first fixture, especially going forward. However, today’s award goes to Barnaby, whose tackling in the second match was outstanding.
Well done, Barnaby.
Great effort from everyone today.
U12 girls match review.
U12 girls welcomed South Molton and Crediton to the club for a round robin fixture. All games were played in excellent spirit with a great display of rugby. Great passing, evasion and tackling on show. Congratulations to Elise for her girl of the game performance scoring a number of tries and she demonstrated great tenacity in defence. Well done all.
