8:49am Wednesday 6th August 2008
By Echo Reporter
EXETER CENTURIONS 36
SOUTH DORSET GIANTS 24
SOUTH Dorset Giants lost their final game of the summer in a 60-point thriller at Exeter.
The Giants entered the game in confident mood on the back of two successive victories, but it took a bit of time to get the journey out of their system, making some basic errors in the opening minutes.
They did, however, open the scoring with a Nathan Walmsley penalty after ten minutes. Then a mistake cost the Giants dear as the Centurions' scrum-half went over under the posts ten minutes later for a converted score.
Going into the second quarter, the Giants started to apply some pressure of their own and after being camped in Exeter's 20-metre zone, good handling from Anthony Cowburn and Walmsley put wing Dan Hopkins into the corner with Walmsley adding the extras.
Back came Exeter in a topsy-turvy match, adding a penalty and seeing their second row use his bulk to smash through the Giants' defence, which was now putting some big hits in led by hooker Cowburn and loose forward Will Hughes.
At the end of the first half an indiscretion cost South Dorset a further two points.
The second half started as the first ended with Exeter kicking a penalty via their stand off. Trailing by ten points, the Giants started to make inroads into the home defence, which ultimately led to centre James Ford crashing through underneath the posts with Walmsley again adding the extras.
The visitors added another try when good approach play by Adam Hoxey and Hughes gave captain Dave Allan a run to the line which, using all his experience, he managed to finish well.
Capitalising on a handling error, Exeter were then next to cross the line through their prop forward, with their stand off adding the extras and a further penalty five minutes later to take the match away from the Giants.
However, with a new found belief, the Giants again exerted pressure on the home line and some excellent handling from Cowburn and Allan put Ford in for his brace. The kick was missed but, sensing a whiff of victory, a superb break from Ford and good support by Allan and Hoxey put wing Andy Wood in on a run to the line.
Unfortunately the ball was spilled and any chance of victory evaporated. In the last minute some naive positioning allowed the Exeter stand off to reclaim his own kick and then finish the scoring, in a thoroughly entertaining match.
Captain Allan said: "Although the result was disappointing, what the players have achieved this season has been fantastic and they can feel very proud of their efforts.
"Mark Sample will be taking over from me as captain next year when we join the South West Conference and I honestly believe this team will go from strength to strength.
"Players like Tim Comben, Will Hughes, Adam Hoxey, James Borring-ton and James Ford are allowed to express themselves in rugby league, with ball in hand, in a way that they don't get the opportunity to in rugby union."
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