“Torquay looked as if they’ve not been training” said Dave, father of Alex Brooks, in the bar after Cully’s landslide victory over the seasiders. Dave’s remark turned out to be truer than he thought as big Jonathan Woodhead the Torquay five confirmed shortly afterwards that their coaches had walked out and left them at sixes and sevens as there had been no training sessions organised during the week. This was however the same side that pushed Cully hard in the away leg to narrowly lose15-16 so a 49 point margin of victory by Cully is no mean achievement and a vindication of Playing Chairman, Steve Luxon’s strategy to maintain the high tempo style, employed against the university last week, to run the bigger visitors ragged. Referee Paddy Dummett is now in danger of becoming Cully’s good luck charm after presiding over two fine victories in a row.

The conduct and nature of the game was wholly unexpected. Indeed the previous leg was a fortuitous win for Cullompton, clinched with the only try of the game with full back Ross Toms adding the vital two points with his touchline conversion and this match was a replay of a game abandoned the previous week, with Cully well in arrears, after the referee pulled up injured. With no hint of what was to come Torquay went ahead when the referee took exception to some advice by Cully ten Lewys Ryan and Tic’s centre James Wood, who kicked all fourteen Torquay points last time, stroked over a forty five metre attempt to put his side 0-3 up.

The first indication that things were going to be different this time came on eight minutes with the first scrum of the game. On the last occasion the Cully pack even with John Snell and Ross Crang propping, conceded more than one scrum penalty. This week’s front row of Chris Grant, Jeremy Turner and Gareth Walker can therefore take pride in the fact that the Cully eight held firm in this scrum with Torbay ball and continued to do so throughout the game with hooker Turner even managing to pinch a couple against the head. The stability of this set piece made it a platform that was a priceless advantage to number eight, Sam Harris, making it easier to carry the ball away from the base of the scrum and also took the pressure off him and flankers Sean Mardell and Scott Reed when a quick response was required in defence.

It is fortunate that Grant did not hear or at least took no notice of comments in the grandstand each week about his lineout throw in and persevered through some rather average performances to work on his long ball to the back of the line. The university game saw perfection achieved and even although there were one or two wayward throws this week, balls to lock Josh Mammola and Mardell, in the middle and at the back of the line respectively, were a reliable route to the side’s backs and open play. Mobility is a word that applies to the whole Cully team and even the more portly members of the front row are never caught looking flatfooted. This factor coupled to reliable set pieces, set the scene for the team to execute, with great success, Luxon’s high tempo game plan.

Torquay enjoyed the lead for four minutes before the avalanche began. In the tenth minute Turner broke away from a maul formed at a penalty lineout in the opposition twenty two to score a try converted by centre Adam Pearce. Seven minutes later winger Marcus Busch was on the end of a move initiated by Grant who snaffled a loose ball and quickly passed. Busch went in to the corner and repeated the score eight minutes later after a great tackle breaking run from half way. In view of what followed it mattered not that Pearce missed his first kicks in a month on the conversions. On twenty nine minutes it was Turner again, dabbing the ball over from winger Josh Luxon who was tackled just short of the line. Another four minutes saw Mardell and Harris take route one to the posts with Harris getting the touchdown and two minutes later it was route one again for Mammola from a Turner assist with good approach work by Pearce and Mardell. Pearce found the mark with all three conversions for 38-3 at the break.

The bench came on at half time and the club welcomed back Rob Lennox to the flank, safely back from his latest tour of duty. Tom Parker came on at prop and Paul Baker replaced Luxon on the wing only for Luxon to make a prompt return to the field when scrum half Tom Cole who had played well to that point, lost his battle with a bug and brought his heart up. Luxon went to the opposite wing and James Shere, having a great first game back on his return from New Zealand, took the nine position. With the game and the bonus point in the bag, Cully’s intensity had dropped a little after the restart which was all Torquay needed to grab back some meaningful territory and possession. On forty five minutes the Tic’s took a typical score with a couple of minutes pressure in the Cully five leading to a pick and go from flanker Josh Mackin converted by Wood for 38-10.

It was normal service resumed on the hour when a short period of pressure on the visitors five saw Busch grab his hat trick in the corner after taking a fine flat twenty five metre pass from Shere by the posts. Further tries followed on sixty eight and seventy four minutes respectively. Grant had one behind a well executed maul and Luxon was put in by Busch’s loupy pass when the latter discovered his arm was not quite long enough to reach the line. All three were converted by Pearce for 59-10