Sidmouth 34 Paignton 3

SIDMOUTH enjoyed a convincing win in this friendly match ahead of the new season.

They opened the scoring after just three minutes, when Paignton's defence were unable to stop Gareth Pearson's pile-driving run from close range.

They added another try before half-time when James Powell ran on to his own chip to touch down.

Sidmouth's strong defence held firm throughout and further tries came from Jake Sawer and Charlie Davies, with Johnny Hamill scoring twice from two excellent moves.

under-16s

Exeter Saracens 22 Exmouth 32

Exmouth got their new league campaign off to a winning start when they beat Saracens at Exeter Arena.

Injuries meant Sarries only had 13 players, so Exmouth also started with 13.

The visitors scored first against the run of play, Lloyd Watkins slipping a pass to Tyler Wright, who put Ryan Poulter in for a drive to the line.

But Sarries hit back with two tries in quick succession as first Ben Warren forced his way over and then Steve Ashworth followed suit. Ollie Goodfellow converted the first.

Exmouth found their stride as the half progressed and Watkins and Josh Adams crossed to give them a 17-12 half-time lead.

Wing Tom White touched down for the Exeter team to level the scores, but a James England penalty put the visitors back in front. Further Cockles tries from Danny Sansom and Brad Neilsen — with Goodfellow responding for Saracens — closed out the scoring.

Cullompton 10 Topsham 44

A dominant second half showing ensured Topsham enjoyed a big win in their first match.

Fly-half Ben Ward got the ball rolling with two penalties before winger Nathan Poole scored the Tops' first try of the season in the corner.

Some good handling allowed them to score a second try, before Cully punished a handling error. A tight first half finished 18-10 in Topsham's favour.

After half-time Topsham's pack was dominant, with hooker Elliot Banks-Price winning many against the head.

Scrum-half Jack Dart passed the ball out with pace and accuracy, allowing Ward and inside centre Sam Skinner to run some excellent lines.

Full-back James Dyer took advantage of the mid field dynamics, breaking the gain line many times and helping the team secure a further five tries.

Okehampton 31 Exeter 7

The Chiefs were beaten by Okehampton in a tough first Landscape League fixture of the season.

Okey put 47 unanswered points on Exeter near the end of last season and the Chiefs were looking for an improvement.

A brilliant solo try from centre Adam Harris was the highlight for Exeter as they showed signs of progression from last year. Aidan White kicked the conversion.

The Chiefs were 19-7 down at half-time and couldn't prevent Okey from scoring twice more without reply after the break.

under-15s

Exmouth 21 Exeter Saracens 19

A late converted try proved the difference between the sides as Exmouth earned a narrow victory over Exeter Saracens.

The visitors opened the scoring when Owen Mugford broke through to dot down, James Tancock converting.

Exmouth subsequently rallied, but good tackling by Theo Thomson, Jack Price and Dominic Ditchburn helped keep them at bay until just before half-time, when a converted try levelled the scores.

After an even start to the second half, a strong run from Ross Watts eventually saw Joe Parker released on the wing. A delightful step back inside allowed him to cross for a try, but the conversion was crucially missed by Tancock.

A converted try put the Cockles in front for the first time, but Tancock intercepted an Exmouth pass and ran in under the posts. Tancock added the extras to put his side five in front.

The decisive score came when an Exmouth player gathered a loose ball, beat two missed tackles and raced clear to touch down, before their kicker held his nerve to seal the win.

under-14s

Exeter Saracens 60 Exmouth 0

Under-strength Exmouth were no match for a rampant Exeter Saracens.

The Exeter team was strong in all departments and were lead well by Harvey Ridgeway. The back row of Toby Papp, Dan Goodchild and Micheal Winter also impressed.

Sarries fly-half Zac Mattin controlled the play and was well supported by centres Ollie May and Harrison Elliott.

Toby Papp scored four tries, Harry Skinner and Tyler Cole Hall two each and Harrison Elliott and man of the match Josh Wigmore one apiece. Mattin converted five.

under-13s

Tiverton 26 Exeter Chiefs 0

The Cherokees were beaten in their first match of the season and first ever on a full-size pitch.

There were plenty of positives for Exeter, but they couldn't stop Tiverton taking a 7-0 lead into half-time. Three more tries and two conversions after the break sealed the result.

Withycombe's junior section will host a registration day at Raleigh Park on Sunday from 10am. The club is looking to recruit new players for its under-7s, 8s, 9s, 12s and 15s teams. For more details log on to www.withycomberugby.co.uk.