ON a blustery afternoon at the Mannings, Drybrook were looking for a performance to spark some life into their mediocre start to the league campaign, writes Chris Tingle.

Okehampton arrived on the back of a positive start with good wins over Brixham and Launceston already in their bag.

It was the visitors who kicked off playing towards the clubhouse and the ball was taken back into contact by the Drybrook pack.

Back to nearly full strength Drybrook piled on the pressure and were rewarded with a sweetly struck penalty from Tom Treherne, on six minutes, to take the lead.

The first try of the afternoon came six minutes later when razor sharp Ollie Moore sped past the defence to go over on the right hand side. Treherne added the extras for a 10-point lead.

Moore added his second in much the same fashion five minutes later and although the conversion bounced back off the upright Drybrook were well in control with 20 minutes played.

Okehampton started to play some cohesive rugby and their greatest threat came from outside centre Brandon Horn, who showed good strength and pace to break through some lacklustre defending to open his team’s account with a converted try.

Stung by this lapse in concentration Drybrook bounced straight back and after good work from the forwards live-wire scrum-half Dylan Coetzee was on hand to go over near the posts for a well deserved try which Treherne converted.

With five minutes of the half remaining Drybrook again looked to attack and good breaks by Sam Peaper and Ben Large saw play taken up to the visitors 22, where, on the stroke of half-time, they were forced into conceding a penalty for slowing down the ball at the breakdown.

The kick went wide but Drybrook were very good value for their 22-7 lead at the break.

If the first half had been all action the second period took 25 minutes to ignite.

The game had developed into something of a stalemate with neither team able to break the deadlock.

The visitors eventually broke through and again it was Horn who crossed for his second try of the afternoon.

The conversion brought the Devonians right back into the game and the tension was beginning to build around the Mannings Arena.

Drybrook were in no mood to let this one get away and they sealed the bonus point with another Moore try, converted by Treherne.

Drybrook’s pack were now well on top, and the visitors were driven back time and again by the Foresters at the scrummage and in the maul.

It was fitting that skipper Mitch Bourne was on the back of one such maul to grab the home team’s final try, again converted by Treherne.

It was quite a day for the Drybrook captain as later his wife Meg gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Clemmie Alba Bourne.

Drybrook finished the game well on top and it was good to see them playing with the confidence and style we have become accustomed to over the last few years at the Mannings.

The man of the match was scrum-half Dylan Coetzee who had an excellent game and was well backed up by the rest of his team.

Kyle Frowen was again outstanding and hat-trick man Ollie Moore was also in fine form.

It was good to see Glen Nott back in the powerhouse and Ashley Howells back where he belongs in the green of Drybrook.

This weekend sees the team on the road with a long away trip to Cornwall, where they will be playing the Cornish All Blacks, Launceston.

Drybrook - T Treherne, O Moore, D Price, B Large(Capt), R Capel-Thomas, D Worseley, D Coetzee, M Bourne (capt), S Peaper, K Frowen, G Nott, W Greenway, M Addis, M Renton, D Jelf, F Bourne, A Suter, S Grimshaw.