Victory in rugby is often said to go to the team who wants it most and although Cullompton’s efforts on Saturday didn’t produce that elusive win, their performance was much better than expected. At the away leg of this fixture Wells had raced into a 22-0 lead at half time and the fact that a Cully triumph did not look out of the question this week with the score 12-17 and twelve minutes to go, led those present to speculate that the Wells side must have changed. A little research revealed however that the side was exactly the same which leads to the inescapable conclusion that this week’s slightly experimental looking team did much better than the last one.

Throughout the game it was apparent that the speedy Wells quartet, full back Jon Branch, winger George Froud and centres Alex Knight and Luke Jenkins were not allowed the same freedom to wreak havoc as they did last time as good defensive tackling was nipping their breaks in the bud with each individual in the Cully team seeming determined to show what he could do. Amongst the keenest were Alex Edwards, Chris Pring and Tom Pitkin. Edwards was enjoying his first start in the ten shirt and laid on a performance to match that of Max Richards and Matt Garner making him the third decent flyhalf to appear for Cully in two months. Chris Pring on his first start as hooker compensated for his slight lack of stature with technique and made the lineout a secure platform for Cully possession as well as producing the highest put in ever witnessed at Stafford Park, giving flanker Alex Ford a bit of “high ball” practice at the tail of the line. First XV debutant, Ben Pitkin, came off the bench mid second half as full back and did not have long to impress but kept a cool head as he gathered an awkward bobbling ball in the home twenty two in the path of two rapidly closing Well’s backs and held on for help to arrive.

It would have been too great a break with tradition for Cully not to concede an early try and in the twenty second minute a momentary lapse of concentration allowed visiting lock Louis Cohen a twenty metre break to the line for a try converted by fly half Aaron Cook. That the 0-7 scoreline survived until twelve minutes into the second half was a testimony to the Cully players new and old. Regulars, Josh Mammola, Ford, Sean Mardel and Aaron Conway and Ollie Reed when they came off the bench all caught the eye of head coach Chris Wall for their tackling and awareness. Prop Marcus Robert’s fitness has come on in leaps and bounds and he always seemed to be one of the first at the breakdowns or on hand to take on a ball. Number eight Chris Griffith’s comeback continued, presiding at the base of a Cullompton scrum that held back a Wells pack who seemed to have it all their way on the last encounter. A welcome return was made on the wing by Tom Frankpitt whose presence was undiminished despite being kept away this season by work commitments and was included on the strength of a great performance in the draw against Exmouth seconds last week

Cully mounted a quick reply to the fifty eighth minute Cook penalty which took the Wells lead to 0-10. A Cully lineout near half way was taken down into a maul which made good ground and has become a bit of a Cully trademark lately. Centres Josh Barratt and Tom Harald both made good progress with crash balls and following some attractive passing Ford scored and Edwards was unlucky not to convert when his attempt bounced out off the post. However 5-10 soon became 5-17 when a quickly taken tap penalty left two Wells players in the position to almost walk over the line and flanker Matt Macrea scored with the conversion flying wide
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The flurry of scoring continued when Barratt intercepted a ball as Wells was working it to and fro along the Cully five seeking a break and he maintained his two metre lead the length of the pitch to the visitor’s line, touching down near enough the posts to give novice place kicker Edwards a chance which he drilled through the middle to bring Cully back into contention at 12-17. Well’s restart was short but they managed to get their hands on the ball as it unexpectedly shot out of the resulting scrum and it was quick hands to their winger George Killen who kept ahead of the pursuit after he caught the defence napping, The try in the corner was not converted but it stretched the visitors lead to 12-22 and gave Wells a cushion with only twelve minutes to go.

Wells underlined their win with a well constructed score for the other winger Froud and with the Cook conversion the 12-29 lead remained despite a Cully drive crossing the line in the closing moments which to the disappointment of the Cully crowd attracted a long blast on the referee’s whistle signifying a knock on and the end of the game. This close encounter with a side that won decisively last time they met will give Cully hope of that elusive victory against the next opponents, Drybrook, again at home this Saturday.