NORTH Tawton RFC waited until their last league match of the season to record their first home defeat of the season, reports Chris Phare.

They did score a penalty in the last five minutes though to help secure a losing bonus point that might prove vital to retaining the runners-up spot as it turned out with New Cross beaten by the new league champions Crediton.

It gives North Tawton a well-deserved second place in the league and it is definitely worth noting that Crediton’s two defeats all season came home and away to the Tawts of all teams.

With other results set aside, it really was not North Tawton’s day both on the final scoreboard and with the officiating too. They didn’t play their best it has to be said but they seemed to, by the final whistle, have had the will to play rugby blown out of them. Regardless, all credit should go to Sidmouth for getting the win.

It was the Tawts who took the lead courtesy of a Simon Quick try, the missed conversion leaving the score at 5-0 early on. For a short while, it looked like normal home service could be expected but in real money, it was a struggle from there on in for the home side to get any momentum going.

Sidmouth scored next with the conversion giving them a lead that they never lost, 5 -7.

Despite some good runs and line breaks by both forwards and backs, the vast majority of these were finished by the referees’ whistle.

A good, flowing move by Sidmouth took them down the wing and ended up with a good try, the conversion added for a 5-14 lead and at this point, one could feel the game slipping away from the home team. A yellow card for verbals did not help the Tawton cause at all.

The game rumbled on with an attack from one side repelled by an attack from the other, North Tawton now aware that the bonus point could be very valuable in the greater scheme of things.

At last, the other arm goes up and the Tawts get a shot at goal- Jack Phare knocking it over for a big three points. This brought up the final score of 8-14 from what was not the game North Tawton wished to finish their league program.

Either way, it was put to bed to conclude another league season with their next game being an away trip to Totnes in the cup next week.

Looking at the final standings and as previously mentioned, Crediton came out on top with 16 wins and two defeats. They led the way with 78 points to the 67 of North Tawton, 62 of third-placed New Cross and 58 of fourth-placed Sidmouth IIs.

At the other end of the table, Newton Abbot IIs brought up the rear with 18 defeats from 18, Exeter Athletic and Cullompton IIs meanwhile winning five games apiece for points tallies of six and 19 respectively.