Brixham 9 - 9 Taunton RFC

Nine all - three kicks apiece. Sounds boring - far from it. For the 1960s purist, a war of attrition, a fascinating mud wrestle.

For the basketball brigade, not so compelling.

A mid-morning cloudburst at Astley Park and another before kick-off made the pitch treacherous and then there was the perennial Brixham gale howling down the ground.

Neither side made best use of the elements, the Fishermen in the first half and Taunton in the second. They seemed to prefer to run from deep by either spreading the ball wide or picking and driving. No "up and unders" were on offer and rarely did either outfit try to pin the opposition into their 22 with the big boot and attack from close range.

Brixham never looked like scoring a try at any stage and in the second period didn't get as far as the visitors' 22.

Taunton twice crossed the home try line. 15 minutes from time Alan Gill's crossfield sprint gave his co-winger, Ben Rudkin, a run at the line, but en route to the points a tackle forced his foot into touch.

10 minutes later the "try" was more clear cut. Flanker Pieter Tosen dived into the opposite corner but the Torquay referee ruled the pass was forward. No chance! This was a clear cut mistake costing Taunton a valuable point in the quest for promotion.

79 years young, Danny "Mr. Brixham" Irvine, when asked his views after the final whistle, responded with a knowing smirk - they were happy to share the spoils… Taunton drop one place in the league to third.

Fly half Jon Martin kicked the first penalty 4 minutes into the game and Sean Onslow replied for Brixham soon afterwards. He gave them the lead on 20 minutes which they held until the break. Martin was just off target with his second effort after his non-kicking foot skidded.

His second session kick-off went dead behind the posts, showing the strength of the wind; possession in contact was lost many times by both sides as they struggled to get to grips with the conditions before Onslow landed his third penalty and Martin his second, via the junction of upright and crossbar. Both kickers failed with one each before Martin levelled the scores 5 minutes from time, just before the refereeing howler.

Bill Luckett