Barnstaple end losing streak in 'painful' clash with Maidenhead

BARNSTAPLE got their first win in seven attempts but the result was the only thing they enjoyed about Saturday's match against Maidenhead.

Six tries were scored in a 36-0 victory over National Three south west's bottom team – Barum's first win since January 5.

But a delayed start; a lengthy delay for treatment to Barnstaple's Linford Brock; playing the last few minutes of the first half on a different pitch; two red cards and frequent blasts on the referee's whistle did not make for a great occasion.

"It was painful to watch," said Kevin Squire, Barnstaple's director of rugby.

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After the start was delayed by about 20 minutes because referee Karl Gibson was caught in traffic, Squire felt his side were just getting into their stride at 14-0 up with tries by Ryan Carter and Brock, converted by Luke Berry.

That all changed when Brock was flattened by a high and late tackle from Christian Shepherd that saw the Maidenhead wing and captain sent off.

With Brock feeling tingling in a hand and deadness in one of his legs, he was kept in position on the pitch and an ambulance was called.

After a long delay, the remainder of the first half, almost ten minutes, was completed on one of the back pitches at Pottington Road.

By the end of half time, Brock was on his way to hospital and the match resumed on the main pitch.

Brock escaped serious injury and by about 6pm had strolled into the bar.

"You have to go through the process because you never know what damage has been done," said Squire. "The one time you don't will be the time someone has broken their neck. But the delay killed the game.

"We were comfortably in control and beginning to find our rhythm. The second half descended into a very poor game between two struggling sides.

"There were so many penalties and punchy incidents, there was no momentum to the game at all.

"We won six tries to nil but I was expecting more than that and we would have scored more had there not been so many disruptions to the flow of play."

Will Topps ran in unopposed for Barnstaple's third try on the alternative pitch.

Back in front of the grandstand for the second half, Luke Berry was on the end of a fine handling move to score the bonus-point try before adding the conversion.

Winston James, the captain and open-side flanker, was showing signs of returning to top form after his back injury and drove over for his seventh try of the season.

It finished 14-a-side after Matt Gohl, the Barnstaple lock, was shown the game's second red card for tip tackling an opponent.

Topps broke through a tackle in the final play of the game to join Brock at the top of the Barum try-scoring chart on 14 for the season.

Barnstaple wing Toby Williamson is raising funds for his next trip with the Tag Rugby Trust through a physical challenge.

At CrossFit North Devon, Barnstaple, on Saturday, March 30, Williamson will complete one burpee for every £1 donated.

For each burpee he will start with his chest and hips on the floor before springing to his feet and jumping to touch a target.

Williamson has been to Romania and Zambia with the trust. He hopes to return to both countries this year.

Visit justgiving.com/burpeechallenge to make a donation.