Local rugby round-up:
James Brooks kicked over 19 points during a comprehensive 37-7 victory over Exmouth which saw Redingensians Rams win the National League 3 South West title on Saturday.
Centre pairing Dave Massey and Dan Barnes both bagged tries during the win, as did flanker Azza Hopkins on what was a jubilant afternoon at Old Bath Road.
“It was a fantastic win and it’s been a huge achievement for the entire squad and the club itself and I could not be more proud of the boys,” said Rams captain Andy Amor.
“It’s been achieved through hard work, a great team atmosphere, good morale and playing for each other.”
The win over runners-up Exmouth means Rams take both the title and their place in National League 2 Division South next season, which means the Sonning-based side are now one of the top 72 clubs in the country.
But things did not go according to plan, initially, for the hosts, who fell behind when lock Jack Fahy trundled over the line for the opening score on 16 minutes.
Fly-half George Meadows added the extras and the Devon side led 7-0.
But they were ahead for just six minutes; Brooks clearing the posts with a converted penalty awarded after a Redingensians drive for the line was stopped illegally.
The home side, though, were dealt a blow soon after when James Hughes (illegal entry) and Hopkins (offside) were sent to the sin-bin, leaving Rams with just 13 men on the field for some four minutes.
Yet the disadvantage did not stop Brooks sending over another penalty before excellent work, with Hughes now back in play, resulted in Massey running in under the posts to extend the advantage to 17-7 at half time.
Rams continued to crank up the pressure after the break, which resulted in the large home support being treated to yet more point scoring.
Brooks set the tone when slotting over his third penalty of the game, with man-of-the-match Hopkins and Barns crossing the whitewash, both converted by the scrum-half, to cap off a memorable afternoon for the now-league champions.
Victory moves Rams 14 points clear of their closest rivals ahead of the final round of matches this weekend, where Mike Tewkesbury’s men are guests at Barnstaple (2.30pm).
Rams: Duffelen; Poole, Barnes, Massey, Foxley; Flower, Brooks, Steadman, Henderson, Baker; Hughes, Bryson; Amor (c), Hopkins, Guttridge. Reps (all used): Weller, Root, Clark.
In the same Division, Ian Burch helped himself to two tries as Bracknell ended a run of successive defeats with the crushing 40-17 bonus-point success at Newton Abbot.
Nick Ovens, Stuart Silvester, Ollie Taylor and Barry Dwyer also dabbed down at Rackerhayes.
Rory Greenslade-Jones’ charges bring the campaign to a close with a home fixture against Old Centralians this Saturday (3pm).
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