Report courtesy of the Herald Express

Not one of Torquay Athletic's more sparkling performances, but sometimes you can only play as well as the opposition allow you to.

Yatton had little or nothing to offer going forwards and when they did try and break out they were cut down by the Torquay defence.

One speculative chip over the top into the home 22, and a penalty that never was, were the only occasions in first half when Yatton looked remotely threatening.

In the second half Yatton were equally devoid of scoring chances until the last 10 minutes when they pounded away at the Torquay line from close quarters without success.

The game was already lost by then - Torquay were 19-0 up and generally on top - and it was little more than sabre rattling to keep spirits up by the look of it.

Torquay had enough possession to have won by substantially more, but didn't have enough of it in the last third of the field. Getting there proved difficult, despite the promptings of Ollie Pitts from full-back, Matt Allanson on the left wing and Matt Jackson in the centre.

Yatton weren't going to allow Torquay to run through them at will and, while their tackling wasn't always pretty, it was certainly effective.

The first scoring chance of any kind came on 21 minutes when Torquay strayed offside near their own 22 and Yatton full-back Tony Hill lined up to kick.

Twice Hill put the ball on the kicking tee - and twice it fell off, despite the near total absence of any sort of breeze. Referee Andy Dawson from Manchester wasn't impressed by the delay and ordered a scrum to Torquay instead.

Forty minutes came and went without a score until the deadlock was finally broken in stoppage time.

Torquay attacked up the left though Adam Last, who slipped the last pass to Ben Dommett, who crashed over. Jackson converted from a difficult angle.

Midway through the second half Allanson made one of his trademark, slippery runs which paved the way for Pitts to go over. The conversion failed.

Four minutes later Allanson left the Yatton defence floundering as he raced in for a try that Jackson converted for 19-0.

After Yatton's brief excursion to the other end, Torquay broke away and Last scored on the end of a pass from Tom Harris that had the away followers hollering that it went forward.

PINK TICS RAISE CASH BONANZA


11:00 - 13 February 2008

Torquay Athletic expect to raise more than £3,000 for cancer units at Torbay Hospital from their fund-raising day last Saturday.

The Tics designated the game against Yatton as a fund-raiser for the Ricky Grant Unit and the chemotherapy day unit at the hospital.Two club members have been recent patients at the hospital, which prompted players and supporters to get onside for the event.

The team played in limited edition pink shirts - a colour associated with cancer charities - which were auctioned off after the match.

The shirts had been donated by sponsors Bedrock Business Finance with instructions to flog them off after the game.

Tics skipper Ben Passenger was the auctioneer as the shirts went under the hammer, one of which went for £140.

When the proceeds of a raffle, a donation of £350 from the club's past players' assocoation and other items were factored in, the tally stood at around £2,700.

Money is still coming in - and a few extra shirts have been ordered by people who missed out in the auction.

Passenger, who with Bedrock's Gary Spencer was one of the driving forces behind the event, said the day was a massive success.

"Thanks to everyone who supported it, we raised a lot of money for a worthwhile cause," said Passenger.

"Yatton stayed late into the night and joined in by putting one of their shirts up for auction as well.

"The Yatton chairman bought it back for £60 as they needed the shirt for this Saturday's game!"

Mark Crang of Bedrock said his company was glad to have been involved in such a worthwhile enterprise.