BRIXHAM RUGBY CLUB

Match Reports for the 2008/9 season
These are on the individual team pages - scroll down to find them

Match Reports 2007/8

Sunday 20th April 2008

DEVON UNDER 13s FESTIVAL
Cup Winners - SIDMOUTH Runners up - BARNSTAPLE
Plate Winners - TAVISTOCK Runners up - TOPSHAM

Saturday 19th April 2008
Brixham 6 Newton Abbot 15 (League)

Saturday 12th April 2008
Taunton 24 Brixham 19 (League)

Saturday 5th April 2008
Brixham 28 Paignton 30 (Friendly)
Paignton might have won the game but did they do enough to prove that they will be able to hold their own in SW Two next season?
Both sides had players out – for various reasons – but while Brixham plugged their gaps from within their visitors brought in players from elsewhere. OK, Exeter to be exact.
Brixham leaked points through missed tackles as they have for much of the season and contributed to their own downfall. – but might have stolen a victory at the end.
Paignton went ahead in the sixth minute when Brixham were on the offensive. Running the ball from deep in their own half, the visitors evaded several tackles to open the scoring with an unconverted try. Three penalties from Ben Lovell for Brixham and two from Paignton’s James Onslow followed as the game went from one end to the other. Paignton extended their lead with an unconverted try from their “guest” flanker but Brixham levelled the score by half time when outside half Ross Edwards went over for a try converted with the last kick of the half by Lovell.
Ten minutes into the second half and Paignton were ahead again when they were awarded a penalty try (converted by Onslow). Twenty minutes of endeavour by both sides later and another Paignton try, and Onslow conversion, put Brixham 30-16 behind.
For the remainder of the match the Fishermen showed the Cherries what they were made of and attacked incessantly. Andy Hawkes, on for injured captain Adam Thomas, piled over for a try followed minutes later by replacement prop Steve Green (playing his first game for how long?). The conversion by Ben Lovell narrowed the deficit to two points.
From the restart Brixham forced Paignton into errors and a penalty. In the blustery wind Lovell was unsuccessful with his kick and Paignton had the win. Much relief to the mid-Bay side – but no disgrace to the homesters and we look forward to League meetings next season.

Saturday 29th March 2008
Brixham 0 Yatton 0 (League)
In rugby drawn games are uncommon but pointless draws are rare. On Saturday Brixham and Yatton contrived such a scoreline – with a little assistance from a cold strong wind blowing across a sticky muddy pitch.
Brixham had a less than ideal start when prop Matthew Skeet injured his knee in the second minute and left the field on a stretcher. The ten minute delay while he received medical attention disrupted both teams’ pre-match plans and the game lacked any real continuity. Yatton withstood early pressure from Brixham and as the first half wore on began to have the better of the play. The visitors missed two opportunities to break the deadlock – both penalty goal attempts failing in the wind.
In the second period neither side was able to dominate proceedings and it seemed like a single score – of any kind – would be enough for victory. A score never came and the final whistle brought relief to all of the spectators and players.

Tiverton Reserves 6 Brixham Crusaders 19
Tiverton Thirds 22 Brixham Albion 8

Saturday 8th March 2008
Brixham 0 Barnstaple 19 (League)
Barnstaple virtually guaranteed themselves a promotion play-off with their win at Astley Park on Saturday while Brixham remain safe in the middle of the league table.
Brixham opened brightly and had an early opportunity to take the lead. Ben Lovell missed the penalty goal. Barnstaple now began to get control of the game and their well drilled pack and pacy backs had Brixham on the back foot for much of the first half. With little possession Brixham could make no use of the strong wind and the slope.
Barnstaple opened the scoring with a try on the half-hour mark and added another before half-time to turn around 12-0 ahead.
With the elements in their favour in the second half it seemed that Barnstaple would pile on the points. Four minutes in and they added a third try and conversion – the writing was on the wall for Brixham.
They read the words but ignored the script and kept the visitors under pressure for much of the second period. Unfortunately the Barum defence kept them at bay and when they had the ball astute kicking pushed Brixham well back into their own half.
For much of this season Brixham have lacked the bite to turn pressure into points and this match was no exception.

Saturday 1st March 2008
Hornets 18 Brixham 13 (League)
Brixham Crusaders 86 Crediton Reserves 5 (Merit)
14 tries and eight conversions - seven tries in each half. Here they all are:.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Brixham Colts 0 Crediton Colts 13 (Friendly)

Saturday 23rd February 2008
Barton Hill 11 Brixham 20 (League)
Having convincingly beaten table-topping Exmouth last week, the Fishermen travelled to Bristol on Saturday to take on Barton Hill who are involved in the relegation dogfight.
Barton Hill started strongly and in the first half put Brixham under some pressure. With half time approaching all they had to show for their efforts were two penalty goals – but these had been cancelled out by Ben Lovell who had slotted a brace for Brixham. A try shortly before the break gave the hosts an 11-6 lead but in the second period Brixham showed more of the form that had toppled Exmouth.
With their forwards getting on top Brixham took the lead when hooker Dan Stead went over for a try converted by Lovell. The same combination later extended the lead for Brixham. The Fishermen withstood a late rally by Barton Hill and wrapped up a good away win.

Sunday 17th February 2008
Brixham 29 Newton Abbot 18 (Under 16s – Fishermens Cup)
Saturday 16th February 2008
Brixham 20 Exmouth 0 (League)
Brixham played their best rugby of the season on Saturday and humbled league leaders Exmouth at Astley Park. The victory owed much to the great team effort of the Brixham side – exemplified by the fact that it was one of the normally unsung heroes – a prop forward – who was selected as man of the match.
With the biting wind at their backs in the first half Exmouth clearly intended to build a comfortable lead. Brixham failed to get the ball to go the requisite 10 metres from the kick-off – and gave possession away immediately but this was virtually the only mistake they made. At the resulting scrum they disrupted the Exmouth pack and continued to do so throughout the game.
For the first ten minutes Brixham attacked the Exmouth line but missed the opportunity to take the lead when a Ben Lovell penalty went wide. Exmouth then mounted a brief spell of pressure but they went similarly unrewarded.
The remainder of the first period saw Brixham dominating territorially with their pack denying the visitors much useable possession from set pieces. With five minutes of the first half remaining the Exmouth defence were caught offside and Ben Lovell successfully kicked the penalty which got Brixham ahead at the break.
Behind at half time and with the wind now in Brixham’s favour, the Exmouth game-plan was in tatters. To make matters worse Brixham were in no mood to allow them back into the game. Three minutes into the second half and Brixham were pressing the Exmouth line. When the ball was recycled from a maul centre Jake Lawrence spotted a gap in the Exmouth defence and nipped in from ten metres for a try under the posts. Lovell added the conversion.
Ten minutes later and Brixham were still on the offensive. Lovell’s kicking boot added another penalty to the tally.
Exmouth mounted only one attack worthy of the name in the second period but the home defence held firm and as the game moved into its closing stages it was virtually continuous Brixham pressure. In the dying seconds Exmouth, in desperation, tried to run the ball out of defence but when the ball went loose it was snaffled by Brixham winger Peter Chart who evaded the vestiges of an Exmouth defence to ground the ball near the posts.
Lovell added the conversion and the referee had seen enough and blew for time.

Sunday 10th February 2008
Paignton 17 Brixham 20 (Under 16s – Fishermens Cup)
Brixham completed the double over Paignton in a thrilling contest on Sunday and remain in second place in the Fishermen’s Cup table. Paignton led for most of the match but Brixham were deserving winners.
Paignton opened the scoring with a penalty goal but this was cancelled out almost immediately when Cody Dyer kicked one for Brixham. Paignton regained the lead after they won a lineout 5 metres from the line. A classic catch and drive that Brixham could not halt was rewarded with a try. Paignton extended their lead with a drop goal which bounced over off the cross bar and went further ahead with a penalty goal.
At half-time Brixham trailed 14-3 but stern coaching had them more fired up for the second period. Tom McLean started the fightback when he won the chase for a kick ahead to touch down for a try. Paignton responded with another penalty goal before McLean touched down for a second try after good handling by the Brixham backs.
With Dyer missing both conversions Paignton had a 17-13 lead with ten minutes remaining.
Brixham spent this time testing the Paignton defences and with just a minute left Zac Gillies went over in the corner for the try that put Brixham in the lead for the first time. Dyer landed a difficult conversion and there was not enough time left for the host to recover the game.

Saturday 9th February 2008
St Marys OB 32 Brixham 10 (League)
Brixham Crusaders 22 Sidmouth Reserves 7
The last two Crusaders games have been mismatches and resulted in heavy defeats. Saturday saw a return to Merit Table action and a much less one-sided contest.
Both sides had opportunities to score in the opening exchanges but Sidmouth had the edge and deservedly went ahead with a converted try midway through the first half. A subsequent penalty attempt fell short and Brixham began to get back into the game. Roger Chadwick kicked a penalty that left them trailing 7-3 at half-time.
The second period saw Brixham increase the pressure on Sidmouth and after a typical run by replacement prop Lee Squire had disrupted their defence, centre Aurin Parham went through for a try by the posts. Chadwick converted and Brixham had their noses in front.
Further attacks kept them in the Sidmouth half and after a 5 metre scrum the other prop – Corne Van Deventer – burrowed over for a try, Chadwick again adding the extras. With the Brixham pack dominating the scrums Sidmouth struggled to get useful possession and Brixham wrapped the game up when their backs combined to give winger Antony Soper space to go over in the corner.
Brixham Colts 26 Wiveliscombe Colts 14
For the first 20 minutes Brixham seemed to be still in the changing rooms and did not start playing rugby until they were 14 points adrift. Eventually they were fairly comfortable winners.

Saturday 2nd February 2008
Brixham Colts 14 Bridgwater Colts 26 (Friendly)
Two evenly matched teams provided an entertaining contest on Saturday. Brixham weathered early pressure from their guests and had generally the better of the first half. Two tries, both converted by Nathan Dallow, took them to a 14-0 interval lead.
Early in the second period the visitors’ pack gave Brixham a demonstration of how a rolling maul should be done. From virtually the halfway line they powered towards the Brixham line but, once halted, were able to quickly release the ball to their No 8 to cross for a try. The conversion cut the Brixham lead to seven points.
As the second half progressed neither side was able to make a scoring break as play swung from end to end. With ten minutes left Bridgwater created a gap and the resulting try narrowed the gap to just two points. A subsequent Brixham attack went unrewarded when Dallow’s penalty attempt rebounded from the post and the visitors were back on the offensive and crossed for a third try under the posts; easily converted.
Brixham could not get enough good possession in the remaining time and Bridgwater rounded the game off deep in injury time with a fourth try. The touchline conversion sailed through to end the match.

Saturday 26th January 2008
Brixham 12 Torquay 7 (League)
Saturday’s League encounter was the third meeting of the local rivals this season. Torquay had won the earlier matches but both were close games and Brixham had something to prove.
Brixham attacked straight from the start. The early pressure was rewarded with a penalty but Matt Dempsey’s kick went just wide. Torquay began to get back into the match but with Ben Passenger’s kicking game off colour could not pin Brixham back as much as they had in the previous encounters. Several phases of attack by Brixham midway through the first half broke the deadlock. Winger Peter Chart spotted a gap in the visitors defence and broke through to touch down under the posts – Dempsey added the conversion.
With the play evenly balanced both sides had opportunities to kick penalty goals but the score stayed at 7-0 to the interval.
Torquay pressed from the restart but a drop goal attempt went begging and Brixham weathered the storm. Ten minutes into the second period and Brixham extended their lead. Sustained assaults on the Torquay line were rewarded when the forwards drove over the line and flanker Alun Glanvill grounded the ball. Dempsey missed the conversion. The extended lead did not last long. Five minutes of attack by the Torquay pack culminated in the ball being passed out for their centre to expose a chink in the Fishermens defence and score a try. The conversion cut the Brixham lead to five points and set up a tense finale.
As the referees watch ticked down Torquay had the better of things territorially and Brixham’s defence was tested. Late on there was a five minute spell when Torquay were camped in the home 22. Heroic defence kept them at bay and with no penalties conceded during the period Brixham were able to clear their lines.
The final whistle brought relief to the home fans but the visiting supporters had little to complain about. On the day the better team won.

Saturday 19th January 2008
Brixham Crusaders 5 Launceston Development XV 99
Against the development team of a National One side, Brixham’s second string were, on paper, likely to face a daunting prospect. From the moment when Launceston ran the ball at Brixham in the second minute for their opening try the result was never in much doubt.
The strong running of their back-row forwards and the pace and handling skills of their backs produced five more tries before Brixham got on the scoreboard. A kick ahead by Ross Edwards saw the ball heading over the dead ball line but Antony Soper got the Brixham points when his fingertips grounded the ball. Another try from Launceston closed the first half and they turned around 39-5 ahead.
Launceston did not need the slope or the wind in the second period and ran in another ten tries to complete the rout.
The First XV match at Barton Hill was cancelled due to the state of their pitch.

Saturday 12th January 2008
Brixham 3 Torquay 16 (Devon Cup Q/F)
Despite Friday’s rain the pitch at Astley Park had dried out sufficiently for this Devon Cup quarter final match. The rain that fell throughout the game made handling difficult for both sides and spectating unpleasant.
Brixham opened strongly and were straight on the attack. Within five minutes they had the lead. Torquay offended at a scrum in front of their posts and Matthew Dempsey waited till the ball had split the uprights before saying thank you. Five minutes later Brixham thought they had extended their lead when the backs put fullback Nigel Southcombe clear and he touched down in the corner – only to be pulled back for a forward pass earlier in the move.
Torquay now began to get into the game more and a try from their winger put them ahead. Local derbies often get passionate and tempers get frayed. In this case to such an extent that the referee issued five yellow cards within less than ten minutes.
With halftime approaching Brixham could have gone back ahead but Dempsey’s penalty rebounded off the post. Torquay were not so unlucky minutes later with a penalty attempt and turned around with an 8-3 lead.
In the second period, with the slope in their favour and the driving drizzle at their backs, Torquay were on top. Brixham were reduced to living on scraps of possession and could mount no sustained attacks on the Torquay line. At the other end of the pitch their defence against the visitors pack held firm and Torquay could only add two scores – an unconverted try and a penalty.

Saturday 5th January 2008
Brixham 21 Camborne 12 (League)
A spate of injuries have prevented Brixham from having a settled side and results in the first half of the season have been mixed. A win against bottom of the table Camborne was just what the doctor ordered.
Brixham opened brightly and their first attack resulted in an early lead. The Camborne defence was caught offside and Sean Onslow gratefully slotted the penalty.
For the next 25 minutes Brixham rarely got out of their own half. Astute kicking by the visitors kept the Fishermen penned back in defence. When their backs failed to make progress the Cornish forwards took over and contrived two tries for a 12-3 lead.
Brixham’s second attack did not happen until the thirty-second minute – but received no reward when Onslow’s penalty kick unaccountably went wide. For the remaindere of the first half it was virtually all Brixham but the Camborne defence held firm under considerable pressure and maintained their sides lead.
Playing down the slope in the second period, Brixham started as they had finished the first – pressing the Camborne defence. Four minutes in and the deficit was reduced to 12-6 with an Onslow penalty. With Camborne now playing entirely in their own half Brixham were constantly attacking but finding no gaps. A lineout close to the visitors’ line provided the platform for the forwards who drove over the line; Alun Glanvill grounding the ball for a try. The difficult conversion attempt failed and Brixham were now just a point behind with 20 minutes to go.
Camborne saw the game slipping away from them and mounted their first serious attack of the half. Brixham were under a brief period of pressure but weathered the flurry and were back on the attack.
Ten minutes from time and the ball was spun wide through the backs and full-back Nigel Southcombe was over in the corner for the try that put the Fishermen ahead. As the clock ticked down it was still Brixham attacking and in the final move of the match No 8 Chris Dorling went over for the try that wrapped up the victory.
.
Wednesday 26th December 2007
Club XV 5 Presidents XV 37

Saturday 22nd December 2007
Paignton 13 Brixham 18 (Friendly)

Saturday 15th December 2007
Clevedon 31 Brixham 8 (League)
Brixham Crusaders 0 Kingsbridge 31
Brixham Albion 10 Devonport Services Reserves 17

Saturday 1st December 2007
Brixham 9 Taunton 9 (League)
Brixham bounced back from their recent series of poor results by holding promotion-chasing Taunton in a tight contest at Astley Park. Taunton might reflect on the fact that the scoreline would have been different but for two two tries disallowed for forward passes – but Brixham were also disallowed a try when prop Matt Skeet broke clear with the line at his mercy.
The scoring - six penalty goals – does scant justice to an intriguing contest. Brixham went behind after just two minutes but drew level and took the lead with two kicks from Sean Onslow. Taunton had the opportunity to turn around on level terms but a kick late in the first half went awry.
Having had the assistance of the slope and a strong wind in the first half – and only being three points ahead – Brixham might have expected to struggle in the second period.
Taunton, however, proved unable to take advantage of the elements and Brixham extended their lead when Onslow converted his third penalty attempt from a difficult angle when the ball squeezed over. Taunton replied almost immediately with their second penalty goal – and a little help from the post
With 15 minutes remaining Onslow had another opportunity to show his kicking prowess but his kick fell short – the same fate befell the Taunton kicker Jon Martin just a minute later.
With the clock ticking down Taunton threw everything into attack and when Brixham were caught offside at a ruck were awarded the penalty to level the scores.
The final whistle brought the season to its halfway point and Brixham are firmly in mid-table. Brixham have suffered a lot through injuries so far but with the pack producing another excellent performance and the defensive errors cut out the side can look forward to the second half of the season with confidence.

Saturday 24th November 2007
Newton Abbot 21 Brixham 6 (League)
Brixham Crusaders 20 Newton Reserves 25

Saturday 17th November 2007
Brixham 6 Exmouth 38 (Intermediate Cup)

Saturday 10th November 2007
Brixham 15 Clevedon 30 (League)
Saltash 3 Brixham Crusaders 57 (Friendly)

Saturday 3rd November 2007
Camborne 7 Brixham 7 (League)
Brixham Crusaders 22 Ivybridge Reserves 20 (Merit)
Brixham took the lead with their first attack with a try when the forwards drove a maul over the line but the conversion was awry. Almost immediately after the restart Ivybridge were awarded a penalty and duly got themselves on the scoreboard. Another restart, another Brixham attack and a second try in the corner (and another conversion missed). Minutes later it was all-square when Ivybridge scored a converted try.
Twenty points in ten minutes - it could not go on this way! Ivybridge began to dominate territorially - aided by the tendency of the Fishermen to throw lineout balls away. Ivybridge took the lead through a penalty goal but got little reward for their efforts and turned around 17-13 behind when Brixham scored a converted try in the last minute of the half.
The second half saw Ivybridge continuing to have the territorial advantage but Brixham now had the lineouts sorted out and were under less pressure. Lack of discipline among the visitors' players also aided the Crusaders cause but Ivbridge went back in front with a converted try. In the last ten minutes Brixham continually probed the defense and after a succession of penalties close to the Ivybridge line achieved the winning score with a try in the corner. One minute of subsequent play was not enough for the visitors.

Brixham Colts 0 Ivybridge Colts 5 (Merit)

Saturday 27th October 2007
Brixham 16 Barton Hill 8 (League)
A dull, drizzly day was matched by a contest that failed to shed much brightness.
Brixham started well and within five minutes had the lead. Their opening attacks culminated in a 5 metre scrum and scrum-half Sean Onslow scampered over near the corner for a try.
Barton Hill had not come down to be steamrollered and for most of the first half it was they who were on the attack. Several times they threatened the Brixham line but their sole reward was a penalty goal. With the interval beckoning Brixham launched a rare attack and Phil Maddick converted a penalty to see the lead restored at half-time.
With the slope and wind in their favour Brixham were under far less pressure in the second half. A high tackle on winger Matt Dudleston gave Maddick his second penalty goal and Brixham began to dominate proceedings. The forwards drove close to, and over, the goal line on occasions but the decisive score came with only five minutes left when the backs combined to put centre Darren Coles over for a try in the corner.
Barton Hill got a try back in injury time but the Fishermen had the win.

Saturday 20th October 2007
Torquay 14 Brixham 8 (League)
Brixham have the most miserly defence in the League but, like England, don't score enough tries. On the balance of play this was probably a fair result but Brixham can reflect on the fact that if they had made more of their chances in the first quarter it would have been their hosts playing catch up.
Dropped balls, penalties at rucks and mauls and other mistakes left Brixham with far less possession than the Tics but Torquay were unable to do much with it in the face of the Brixham defence and their only try came from a set piece move from a 5 metre scrum. The Brixham try also started from a set piece - a lineout on the 22 - from which Lee Squire made a typical break to set up Ryan Bradfield. Brixham claimed a second try when Chris Dorling went over but the referee was unsighted and said he had been held up.
Another away defeat but Brixham can look on many positive aspects of the performance and the negatives are all things that will be addressed.
There were no video clips of the game - the Torquay chairman would not allow filming because of Child Protection ( for his ball boys). Next time I will carry my CRB check and see what reason he cites!

Brixham Crusaders 6 Torquay Extras 20 (Merit)
Torquay III 42 Brixham Albion 5 (Merit)
Brixham Colts 3 Torquay Colts 44 (Merit)

Saturday 13th October 2007
Brixham Colts 45 Honiton Colts 3

Sunday 7th October 2007
Brixham Colts 39 Wiveliscombe Colts 10 (National Cup)

Saturday 6th October 2007
Brixham 16 St Marys OB 5 (League)
No report yet but here are some video bits:
Two Brixham scores and a compilation of some of Seans contributions
The video of Andy Hawkes headbutting a St Mary's boot while lying on the ground received an X certificate and cannot be shown here.

Saturday 29th September 2007
Exmouth 16 Brixham 14 (League)
Brixham travelled to Exmouth hoping for a good performance in conditions at Exmouth were excellent for rugby.
Centre Phillip Maddick opened the scoring for Brixham with a well-struck penalty when Exmouth were caught offside and went further ahead in the 10th minute when Brixham stretched the Exmouth defence right and left before putting standoff Jake Lawrence in for a try to make it 8-0. Brixham went further ahead in the 23rd and 25th minutes with further penalties from Maddick to give Brixham a 14-point lead. Before the break Exmouth skipper Mike Wathes scored a try from a mix up in the Brixham defence to make it 14-5 at half-time to Brixham.
Brixham lost Tim Bumby with a calf injury at the start of the second half and he was replaced by Ross Edwards. Tim had been very forceful coming into the line and causing problems to the Exmouth defence. Nathan Riley also came on for Andy Hawkes.who was not feeling well.
Ten minutes into the second half Brixham were penalised for not releasing which allowed John Boltrukiewicz to kick an easy goal to reduce Brixham’s lead to 14-8.
Five minutes later Exmouth penned Brixham back into the right hand corner which allowed them to create space for centre Dave Sleeman to squeeze over to make 14-13..
Boltrukiewicz missed the conversion and had two further chances to put Exmouth in front which he also missed before being replaced by Richard Caddywould in the closing minutes.
Three minutes into injury time Brixham flanker Andrew Penhaligon (who had a very fine game) had to come off with a neck injury and was replaced by the front row replacement Matthew Skeet which meant that Brixham had to make positional changes.
In the very first scrum Skeet was penalised for “boring in” which allowed Caddywould to kick a penalty to give Exmouth the lead 14-16 - the final score.
The Brixham coaching team were very unhappy at the last refereeing decision but were full of praise for taking on the league leaders in such a fashion.
The side was without wing Adam Chadwick (school visit to France), Ben Lovell (shoulder injury), prop Lee Squire (foot), prop/hooker Dan Stead (knee), lock and captain Adam Thomas (shoulder), flankers Alun Glanvill (ribs) and Dan Ritson (cheekbone) and winger James Agates (knee). Chris Dorling was making a comeback in the Crusaders.
One of the positives of Saturdays games was that despite the long injury list and unavailabilities (48} Brixham still fielded 3 Senior sides and a Colts team.
Brixham Crusaders 8 Exmouth Reserves 40
Brixham Colts 20 Exmouth Colts 12

Saturday 22nd September 2007
Brixham 24 Hornets 8 (League)
The Fishermen were on the attack from the kick off and with only three minutes on the clock had taken the lead. Quick passing along the backs sped the ball to fullback Tim Bumby who crossed in the corner for the opening try. The touchline conversion by centre Phil Maddick split the posts for a seven point lead. Further pressure by Brixham in the next fifteen minutes saw them camped in the Hornets half but their sole reward was a penalty by Maddick to extend the lead.
This score stimulated Hornets who then had an attacking spell but the home defence held them at bay. The rest of the first half was played mainly between the 22's with neither side able to create any openings but on the stroke of halftime Hornets were successful with a penalty to get on the scoreboard.
The second period opened with Hornets in an attacking mood and Brixham on the back foot. The visitors' pressure eventually led to a try after 13 minutes but the conversion fell short and Brixham still had a narrow lead. Brixham responded almost immediately with their first real attack of the second half. A charging run by prop Lee Squire upset the Hornets defence and several passes later winger Adam Chadwick scored a try in the corner. Maddick was successful with his second touchline conversion.
The remaining 25 minutes of the game was almost a repeat of the closing stages of the first - both sides failing to create any openings or exert any consistent pressure. With the game already in injury time Hornets launched a final attack but when this broke down Brixham were able to break out of defence. Two passes later and stand-off Jake Lawrence crossed the line unopposed for a try. Maddicks conversion was the final nail in Hornets' coffin.

Crediton Reserves 12 Brixham Crusaders 31 (Merit)
Brixham Albion 26 Bideford Reserves 12 (Merit)

Sunday 16th September 2007
Under 16s - Brixham 17 Devonport Services 20 (Fishermens Cup)

Saturday 15th September 2007
Barnstaple 13 Brixham 6 (League)

No match report

Brixham Crusaders 30 Barnstaple Reserves 38 (Merit)

No report but here are videos of the four Brixham tries

New Cross v Brixham Albion
Brixham Colts 27 Barnstaple Colts 12

Saturday 8th September 2007
Yatton 12 Brixham 20 (League)

No match report yet!

Brixham Crusaders 43 Tiverton Reserves 31 (Merit Table)

No report but here are videos of the six Brixham tries

Brixham Albion 21 Tiverton Thirds 7
Saturday 1st September 2007
Brixham v Redruth Dev XV
No match report

Saturday 25th August 2007
Brixham 5 Coney Hill 17 (Friendly)
The sun shone and the temperature was hot but both sides enjoyed a useful warm-up game for their forthcoming League campaigns. Rugby matches are often a game of two halves but this one was not. It was a game of three thirds. To a biased supporter of the Fishermen the result was probably a draw but the scoreline says different.
Brixham started brightly and opened the scoring after eight minutes when scrum-half Corey Moore finished off a move with a try in the left corner. Though Brixham were slightly on top they found it difficult to break down the Coney Hill defence but should have added to their score following a strong run by No 8 Chris Dorling. Instead they found themselves back on level terms when a missed tackle enabled the visitors to break through the middle and go over the line. The conversion attempt came back off the post and honours were even in the first period.
Brixham made a number of changes for the second period and were forced to defend for most of it. Coney Hill took the lead midway through when they created a overlap on the left and scored their second try but Brixham began to get back into the game in the last ten minutes but were unable to convert their pressure into points. The second period, on the balance of play went to the Hill.
More changes in the line-up for Brixham in the third period and the Fishermen dominated territorially. Unfortunately the visitors' defence was too well organised and the attacks only came close to scoring. With the referee already thinking about his shower Coney Hill paid virtually their only visit to the Brixham half. A well-worked move in midfield and their winger, having come out of position, found a gap in the middle to run in under the posts. The conversion was the last kick of the game.

Saturday 11th August 2007
Red v Blacks (Practice match)
With persistent driving rain and a pitch that the weather had turned into more of a paddy field than a sports ground, the opening practice match provided little of a spectacle for the hardy souls who ventured up to Astley Park on Saturday.
Given the conditions the coaches and management can have learned little from the display. The greasy ball was difficult to handle and mistakes abounded when any form of passing play was attempted. As a result the match descended into a squabble of mauls between the two packs. Even the attempt by one of the packs to make progress by means of an old-fashioned dribble by the forwards came to naught in the pond in front of the grandstand.
The only score of the match came late on when a rolling maul rumbled and squelched over 60 metres.to the try line - the scorer was indistinguishable when the mass of bodies was sorted out.
If this was not the game that you saw, don't worry, I am just practising writing fiction!
Phil