Tribute Western Counties West
Wadebridge Camels 22 Tiverton 16
By Nigel Walrond
WADEBRIDGE Camels maintained their place in the top three of the table by making it four wins out of five with a hard-fought victory over Tiverton.
The key part of the game was arguably the opening quarter of the contest, when the visitors heaped on the pressure, but they were denied by some excellent defence and failed to trouble the scoreboard.
The hosts, who were missing player-head coach Mike Rawlings and prop Richard Treleaven, who were both attending weddings, with Rawlings the best man, survived the onslaught and gradually began to get on top of their opponents.
They took a 10th-minute lead when a quick tap penalty led to a long-range try by winger Rhys Bright, with fly half James Grubb converting superbly from out wide in very blustery conditions.
Grubb then kicked a penalty following an excellent turnover by lock Dickie Dawe to make it 10-0.
However, Tivvy eventually managed to cross the whitewash before the break when Callum Stone scored a try in the corner and converted it himself, to leave the mid-Devon side only trailing by three points at the interval.
Tiverton made a disastrous start to the second half, though, when they dropped the kick-off, a Camels player hacked the ball on and it flew into the grateful arms of winger Dom Hawkey, who ran 40 metres to score, with Grubb again slotting a terrific conversion from the touchline against the wind.
Wadebridge then suffered a bad spell in the game, giving away plenty of penalties, and Tiverton punished them, with Ben Prowse banging over a short-range effort and Stone two from distance, to leave the game on a knife edge at 17-16.
Camels eased their nerves with a try by openside flanker Matt Ballard in the corner after he broke off a catch-and-drive move, and even though Grubb missed the conversion, it was enough to seal victory as Tiverton could not find a way back into the game.
Camels are now two points behind leaders Truro – who they play in their next home match on October 22 - and face a trip to fourth-from-bottom Burnham-on-Sea on Saturday, with the Somerset-based side having won only one of their five games so far this campaign.
Burnham were thrashed 58-15 at Truro last weekend so will be licking their wounds and keen to bounce back.
Wadebridge: Pengelly, Bright, Pretty, Thomas, D Hawkey, James Grubb, Collings, Cotton, Tarby, Scott, Dawe, Johns, Smith, Ballard, Blackmore. Replacements: Baker, House, Kempthorne.
Wadebridge: Tries: Bright, Hawkey, Ballard; Cons: J Grubb (2); Pen; J Grubb.
Tiverton: Try: Stone; Con: Stone; Pens: Prowse, Stone (2).