Torquay 3-13 Clevedon

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Worrying mount up for Tics in wake of defeat
Monday, February 08, 2010, 09:26
South West One
TORQUAY are right in the thick of a relegation battle now after this defeat plunged them to third from bottom in the table.....

www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk
Report courtesy of the Herald Express

The Tics have been hovering over the danger zone for a while well aware there was little or no room for error.
The truth is that depleted Torquay did magnificently well to hold a vastly superior Clevedon side to a relatively slender win. Had their own passing and handling been better – it fluctuated between woeful and dreadful at times – they may even have scraped a win.

The forwards enjoyed an even share of the ball, but what happened after it left their possession wasn't always pretty.
Clevedon didn't always make the best of the chances they had – and were harried into mistakes at every turn by Torquay's cobbled-together defence.
But Clevedon had enough ball to afford a mistake or several and did put away two tries, neither of which Torquay could complain about.
That's six defeats in a row now for the Tics. Home supporters haven't seen their team win since October 10 when they defeated Ivybridge 14-8. Sidmouth moved ahead of them out of the bottom three on the back of a win over Ivybridge on Saturday. Right behind them on points difference only are Yatton.
Two of Torquay's next three games are against Sidmouth and Yatton. The other is at Paignton this Saturday Nothing less than four points out of six will do now to start moving in the right direction up the table.
Torquay's backline was horribly depleted due to injuries, but the team made the best of a bad job and got on with it.
Clevedon went ahead on 15 minutes when Torquay were penalised for a high tackle and Steve Johnson took the three points on offer.
Regular Torquay scrum-half Ed Cribb – who did a sterling job in a strange position on the right wing – appeared to have put Chris Dorling in for a try but the move was called back for a forward pass.
Clevedon scored a good-looking try on 22 minutes when Tom O'Rourke's run split the home defence and wing-forward Owen Biggins followed up behind to claim the try.
Torquay attacked from the restart, won the ball back in the Clevedon 22 and got the visitors in such a fluster they gave away a penalty that James Wood kicked for 8-3 at half time.
The second half was played out largely between the 22s with opportunities limited at either end.
Seven minutes in Clevedon attacked along the grandstand side. Tom Thie chipped and Johnson chased to carry the ball over in Clubhouse Corner.