Plymouth came back from the dead to snatch victory in a tightly fought feisty encounter in the U18 Devon Cup quarter final against Bicton College (Exeter Chiefs Academy).
Enjoying the better territory and possession in the first half, Plymouth College took the lead through an Ed Neeves penalty. The chance to double the lead was denied by the upright, though, and Bicton scored a soft try just before half time to go into the break 7-3 up.
Plymouth had contained Bicton up until the try, but let them in for another due to a lapse in concentration. Bicton lead 14-3 going in to the final quarter, but the home side refused to throw in the towel and after good patience and sustained build up work, Seb Slade latched on to the final pass of a slick handling move to slither over wide on the right. Ed Neeves was unable to add the conversion, but when a second try came courtesy of Dom Day, Neeves slotted the extras to earn Plymouth a one point lead. In a tense last five minutes, the defence held firm and the side enjoyed the sweet taste of a hard earned but ultimately thoroughly deserved victory.
All involved should take great heart from this backs-to-the-wall performance, especially in light of the disruption caused by several injuries to regular starters. Those who came in to the starting line up took their opportunity and should be proud of their contribution. Ed Neeves controlled matters well at ten and Jamie Johnson dragged himself off his sick bed to deliver a Herculean performance at open side. However, to name just two players should not detract from the complete effort of all who played.
Final score Plymouth College 15 - Bicton College (Exeter Chiefs Academy) 14
