U10s Launceston 10 vs Exmouth 20

On a pitch that was a foot under water not long ago, the Under 10 lads made the long drive down to Launceston well worthwhile!
The battle for points was slogged out in difficult ground conditions, which by match end, made distinguishing one team from the other a task in itself.
Exmouth players Finn Musgrove and Harry Sale were hands on the ball for the first two tries; ably supported by their team mates who drove the maul en masse over the line. Ryan Langeson notably upping his game this week to get stuck into the maul and the mud! Attempts to pass wide from Scott Acheson were quickly scuppered as slippery hands struggled to hang on to loose balls and Launceston stepped up to the challenge and broke through the defensive line to score a try in reply. Just before half time Ieuan Brockway managed to escape the pack long enough to score Exmouth’s third try for the Young Cockles. The players coming off as the half time whistle blew were, by now, visibly tiring as the effort of moving through the quagmire took its toll.
The second half saw an early run from Finn Musgrove to take the Exmouth score up to 20. However, moving at speed was, by this stage, near impossible as the mud sucked at boots as well as energy, so most play took place in the centre of slow moving mauls and rucks. Driving skills and sheer dogged determination to push for the line took precedent, but despite their efforts Exmouth were unable to extend their lead and the home team took another try two minutes before the final whistle.
All players deserved praise for their efforts today. The whole team rose to the challenge and really enjoyed a game played in testing conditions to gain a well-deserved win. Finn Musgrove was named Man of the Match, whilst Connor Philps took home the Outstanding Effort Award. The chosen chant of “MUD, MUD, EXMOUTH” at end of Coach Taff’s feedback could easily have been extended to include “Glorious” today!