South West 1 West
Teignmouth 20, North Petherton 21

THERE were contrasting emotions in South West 1 West on Saturday, as Bridgwater & Albion slumped to a home defeat and North Petherton squeezed out an away win by a point at Teignmouth.

Pethy's 21-20 win takes them out of the bottom three and within five points of rivals Albion.

They did it the hard way, fighting back from 20-8 down, thanks to Sam Williams and Mac Taylor’s tries, plus Harry Roberts’ conversion and two penalties, one right at the death.

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ALSO at the weekend, there was another heavy defeat for Bridgwater & Albion 2nds, beaten 96-0 at St Bernadette’s Old Boys.

Morganians were awarded a walkover against Clevedon 2nds, while Albion 3rds failed to raise a side at home to Winscombe 2nds.

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Women’s NC South West 1
North Petherton RFC Ladies 29, Oakmeadians 24

NORTH Petherton Ladies continued their impressive form with a nail-biting win over Oakmeadians Ladies, writes Sharon Sweet.

The game started strongly for Oakmeadians, as their powerful forwards smashed through the Pethy defence at speed.

Some fantastic tackles from Kate Williams, Gemma Thorne and Vicki Redwood thwarted their efforts for a time, but a lucky break meant the Oakmeadians winger was able to storm over the try line.

Pethy were again under pressure from the visitors but the defensive work was outstanding, and the hard work prevailed as half-back Stacey Saunders intercepted a pass and flew over to level the score.

But the away side reacted well and played some lovely rugby through the hands, sending the ball wide for another try.

From the restart, Pethy responded again, using the pick and go to good effect before Janet Dyer forced her way over.

As the interval approached, Oakmeadians went on to score two further converted tries to go in at half time 24-10 up.

Five minutes into the second half, Claire Williams reduced the arrears as she caught the Oakmeadians ladies off guard to storm under the posts, and Rosie Wheeler converted.

The interaction between the forwards and the backs was outstanding as Natasha Palmer sent a well-executed pass into Saunders, who skipped over for her second try of the game.

Oakmeadians looked well coached and battled hard, but Pethy’s tenacity was clear and a quick offload to centre Claire Williams brought another try, Wheeler converting.

A tense final five minutes saw the visitors storm up the field, but two attempts were held up by the hosts.

In a brutal game with some fantastic play, it was the hosts’ stubborn defence that came out on top.

Forward of the match: Vicki Redwood; Back of the match: Alex Williams