21 May 2014
South West round-up
Exeter Centurions confirmed their status as serious contenders in the South West Division with a first ever away win in Barnstaple against a pugnacious North Devon Raiders team.
Strugging with injury and unavailability, Exeter were forced to make nine changes from the previous week’s defeat of Plymouth, but the new recruits filled the shirts with pride and came away with an historic victory.
Coldstream Guardsman Ed Powell led the charge in the opening exchanges.
Drafted into the unfamiliar fullback birth, Powell opened the scoring for Centurions in the first five minutes, joining the attack on the left flank to touch down after Alex Stevens’ kick through.
Minutes later, Powell was in again, in the same area of the field, scooting from dummy half to exploit an unguarded blind-side.
Raiders, characterised as ever by a powerful pack, tried in vain to break the Exeter line, whereas in past encounters they have simply steamrollered through the middle.
Their sustained pressure was bound to tell, though, and after a couple of penalties in quick succession, the tireless Mikey Sumner managed to grab a score back for the home team.
Within minutes, Exeter had restored their advantage, Alex Stevens finding Exeter University’s impressive centre, Alex Mills-Baker, cutting an inside line that carried him to the line.
Mills-Baker has now scored in each of his three appearances for Centurions. Stevens added his first successful conversion, and added to that with a try from close range, just before the interval, giving the visitors a 20-4 advantage.
Wigan-born coach Stuart Harrison was able to impart a little craft to the home team in time for the restart and Raiders rocked Exeter with a couple of quick tries, the first from Devon forward Nigel East and a second from centre Jake Meredith.
Missed conversions kept an eight-point margin, as the contest became a fierce slugging-match in the summer heat, with tempers threatening to boil over more than once.
Stevens required a spell in the blood-bin for a cut hand that later needed stitches and Cumbrian halfback Johnny Bainbridge was forced to end his fine performance on the side line after taking a hand-off to the face from Sumner.
Exeter’s defensive ploy, of packing the centre-field and offering Raiders the flanks, seemed to be paying dividends.
Debutant backs Sam Harris and Asher Brindley both contributed fine cover tackles as North Devon’s wingers were caught by the sliding cover, while in the middle of the park, big hits from student Rhys Biggins and time-served utility player Dan Mountstevens stopped the home side in their tracks.
Neither side found enough sustained possession to force the issue and it took a moment of inspiration from Gethin Jones’ barrelling run to add a further try for Exeter with 20 minutes remaining.
Exeter seemed to have the edge, with Steph Archer twice getting within inches of the line, only on both occasions to be penalised for indiscretions at the play-the-ball, once after Stevens appeared to score on the next play, only for the official to rule that Archer had obstructed the marker defence.
With penalties come field position, and eventually Raiders were able to pull back another try, East this time turning provider for his brother Shaun and with Mike Prestige adding the conversion, Raiders were back within one score.
But as the home team fought to level the contest, the ball was spilled on the Exeter 20m line.
From the resulting scrum, Alex Stevens, who had switched into loose forward, picked up the ball and broke clear of the defence, racing 75 metres to touch down near enough to the posts to make Tom Franklin’s a conversion a formality.
For the final few minutes, Raiders pounded away at the Exeter line, but the Centurions’ resolution and commitment carried them to the end and the final whistle played a welcome tune to the hard-pressed visitors.
The result leaves Exeter clear at the top of the table with two wins from two and also means that they have reached the Cup semi-final with the game acting as an eliminator for that competition.
In the day’s other fixture, Plymouth Titans registered their first win, beating reigning champions Devon Sharks by 48-24.
The Sharks are Exeter’s next opponents in Torquay on May 31, with the same teams meeting in the Cup semi-final at Flowerpots a week later.
The Cup holders Cornish Rebels begin their league campaign next weekend against the Raiders in Redruth.