Teams 
Bideford Chiefs Progress in Counties National Cup with Win Over Helston – 27–10
Tries: Charlie Stevenson (2), Mark Schofield, Will Bliss, Sam Olde
Conversion: Mitch Harris
Bideford Chiefs enjoyed a fantastic day of rugby with a hard-fought Counties National Cup victory over a strong Helston side, coming away with a 27–10 win. The Chiefs battled through the cup with a well-deserved triumph against a talented Cornish outfit who made the long trip north and certainly didn’t disappoint.
With a few regulars unavailable through injury and other commitments, Bideford made some enforced changes , opening the door for young Harvey Beal to step up from the Colts and take a well-earned place on the bench for his first senior cap.
Helston made a fast and physical start, their second row charging through several tackles straight from kick-off to gain early territory. But it was Bideford who struck first, Charlie Stevenson showing electric pace and sharp footwork from a set play to race clear and score out wide. The tricky wind made conversions difficult, and Mitch Harris was unlucky with his first attempt despite a solid kicking display overall.
Bideford’s second try came soon after , Stevenson again breaking the line before finding Mark Schofield inside to finish off a fine move. Schofield and Stevenson then combined beautifully once more, this time creating space for Will Bliss to dart under the posts. Credit also to Liam Balsdon, whose big turnover sparked the attack, and to Bliss for his superb support line and composure to ground the ball after a juggling act near the try line. Harris added the extras.
Helston hit back through their powerful forwards, executing a well-worked catch-and-drive to get on the scoreboard. But Bideford responded through veteran Sam Olde, who rolled back the years with a brilliant interception on halfway before showing there’s still plenty left in the tank, finishing in trademark style with a dive over the line.
The half-time score line perhaps flattered the Chiefs, as Helston were relentless in attack, but Bideford’s defensive grit and commitment held firm, with some thunderous tackles across the park.
The second half was a tight, evenly matched contest, both sides throwing everything at it. Each managed one try apiece, Bideford’s coming once again from Charlie Stevenson, who capped off a standout performance with his second of the day after sustained pressure from the Biddy pack.
There were strong performances all over the field, notably from Fred Fishleigh, Mark Schofield, Fraser Priest, Will Bliss, and Dave Evans-Pearce, but Man of the Match went deservedly to Charlie Stevenson for his two-try display and all-round attacking threat.
A special mention goes to colt Harvey Beal, who made his senior debut, a fantastic achievement and surely the first of many appearances in the red and white. Best of luck in your trial this week, Harvey!
The Chiefs now enjoy a well-earned weekend off to recover and regroup before returning to action.
The day ended with a brilliant show of camaraderie and a promise of a pre-season camp at Helston next year for the Chiefs, Quins, and Vets, a trip that’s already shaping up to be one to remember!
Bideford Quins Do the Double Over Barnstaple
Tries: Jordan Taylor, Billy Teape, Ollie Sanders, Amos Waters
Conversions: Amos Waters (3)
It was a tough week for selection, with a number of regulars unavailable, particularly in the front row. But up stepped veterans John Crew and Richard Norman, answering the call and setting the tone early. Joining them were Matt Dennis, Jamie Giddy and Mike Buckland, two more experienced heads adding strength to the bench, and their efforts were hugely appreciated.
Having beaten Barnstaple earlier in the season, this return fixture was always going to be a grudge match. With their second team not playing, Barnstaple arrived well reinforced and clearly intent on settling the score from the last encounter.
However, just minutes before kick off it emerged that Barnstaple had made the short trip without a recognised front row, perhaps word had spread that the Quins’ vets were lacing up again! It was a disappointing discovery, especially after Bideford’s coaches had worked hard to ensure proper cover and make sure the game went ahead.
As expected, Barnstaple’s youthful side started brightly, showing plenty of pace and energy to take an early lead. But Bideford soon settled into their rhythm, controlling possession and building pressure through solid phases and good ball retention. The tries that followed came from well-executed team moves and strong composure under pressure.
Coach Ben Braddick was full of praise for the team’s effort and was delighted to see the Quins complete the league double over Barnstaple.
All in all, it was a fantastic day, and night, for the Biddy lads. For some of the veterans, though, perhaps it was a well-earned Horlicks before bed rather than a late-night celebration!
The Ladies 19-10 win against Newton Abbot
The Cherry and Whites took the pitch to embark on the second round of the cup against an unknown side of Newton Abbot.
With a small squad of 16 and strong pep talk from the coaches, the team were ready to bring it home to hopefully make it 4/4 wins.
The first 20 minutes both sides found it hard to build momentum due to knock ons, penalties and the ball spilling into touch.
Newton Abbot put points on the board first 30 minutes into first half leaving Bideford with a sour taste. The team turned this around 5 minutes later with a score from Joy and conversion scored by Adi making the score 7-5.
Not long after taking the lead, the Bideford defence developed some cracks allowing Newton Abbot to gain momentum and score but no conversion just before half time making the score 7-10
A Half time team huddle led by game day Captain Amber, ignited the fight and confidence back into the team even with the rain starting to lash down.
The second half saw Bideford kick off to Newton Abbot. Bideford were able to gain possession soon after, utilising the space out in the wing. This allowed ‘Liv’ to cross the try line taking the score 12-10 to Bideford
Bideford then spent 28 minutes in Newton Abbot’s half with scrums, line outs, knock on’s, kicks and tired legs a plenty.
With the half nearly coming to a close and Bideford spending a good 15 minutes in Newton Abbot’s 22. The team found their momentum and drive to finally convert one of the many overlaps they created with a score from Daisy converted by Adi to make the final score 19-10 to the home side.
Forward of the match was awarded to Amber for her consistent dominant play and keeping the team motivated to get the win!
Back of the match went to Adi for her dominant tackles and of course her footwork leaving both teams unsure of where she would be going next.
The win means Bideford Ladies will move into the 3rd round of the cup against Paignton.
Juniors Rugby
The U15s delivered their best performance so far this season with convincing 43-17 victory over Cullompton. Despite being an inexperienced squad Bideford played intelligent rugby, combined with gnarly edge. What really pleased the coaches today was the way they kept their shape both with and without the ball. They showed a ruthlessness in attack that this group haven’t delivered before, running in 7 tries in total. Having lost to Cullompton last season this was a bit of a marker in the squad’s development. Bideford don’t have the marquee players that some other squads are blessed with but this has forced them to play a more grown up 15 man rugby which is starting to play dividends. The coaches man of the match went to second row Harry Berry whilst the parents player of the match was a tie between outside centre Chase Madge and left wing Henry Lawrence 👏
Bideford U14s vs Torrington U14s Match Report
Today saw Bideford U14s take on Torrington U14s for the first time at the Kingsley 3G pitch and what a fantastic game it was!
We matched the sides at 14 players each, with Bideford showing great sportsmanship by lending a prop to make it a fully contested scrum match. Huge thanks to Theo, Oli, Jacob, and Jack for stepping up and having periods playing for Torrington — brilliant teamwork and attitude all round
The game gave us a great opportunity to try players in different positions and give some of our newer players valuable game time. The boys adapted brilliantly and played with confidence, showing how much they’re developing each week.
Bideford came away with a convincing win, scoring lots of well-worked tries across the team a real reflection of how well we’re passing the ball and supporting each other. It was fantastic to see so many different names on the scoresheet!
A huge thank you to all the parents and supporters who came along to watch and cheer the boys on — your support makes a massive difference. For future games at the school the coffee van will be open for hot drinks and food, unfortunately it was a last minute change in location so was too late to sort.
Great effort all round, lads onwards and upwards!
Under 13’s took on Plymstock Oaks – proving to be their toughest challenge so far this season.
With a depleted squad because of school half term holidays, it was a great opportunity for lots of players to get some good game time under their belts.
A real challenging game where at times there appeared to be refs both and on off the pitch! Bideford started strong and took a 2-0 lead going in to half time. Second half was very stop start and the match finished 3 – 3.
Good luck to Oaks for the rest of the season.
Under 12’s
This week saw us take 16 players down to Okehampton to ‘host’ Plymstock oaks in a neutral ground. A new fixture to the calendar and a club that tends produce very good sides. We started a little nervy again and took our time getting into the game. This has been feature of the last few matches and we need more focused start. That being said we managed to hold our defensive line and run in a try or two in the first quarter. We started to find our form in the second quarter and the subs started to be rotated. What is really encouraging for us coaches is that we didn’t lose momentum or our defensive shape throughout the game whoever was on the pitch. This bodes well for solid performances throughout the squad which is what we want. For the rest of the game we kept a defensive clean sweep and ran in numerous tries. We started to rotate positions and bringing more shape round the 9/10 channels in the second half. More to work on there but looking good. There were some really notable performances today, Seb, Jake, and Stanley S having great games. Sonny played his first game and looked right at home.
Two stand out performances were from firstly Billy who is looking really strong in defence and the carry, setting up great foundations for the team. Secondly and this weeks MoM was Charlie F who is starting look more comfortable in the 10 jersey as the weeks go on, controlling the play well, getting stuck in to the rucks, and kicking well from hand. Just to note October has seen the team let in only 2 tries in all the matches they have played. That is an amazing achievement and shows what great work you are all putting in defensively.
