Devonport Services 29 Bournville 47
Bournville reached three landmarks in an end-of-season try fest on their first-ever visit to the Rectory Field.
The win was Bournville’s first on the road this season which also gave them their first and only double of the campaign and it was also their first victory on turf since they won at Barnstaple in February 2023. All their subsequent wins had been on artificial surfaces at Avery Fields or Hornets – which was last season’s only away success.
The five points ensured that Bourns avoided collecting the National Two West wooden spoon – that went to their hosts – but came too late to save them from relegation which was confirmed three weeks ago.
Bournville finished 12 points behind 12th placed Exeter University and would have needed 12 more points to have avoided relegation. Billingham, who finished 12th in National Two North on 52 points were reprieved due to league restructuring at Championship level.
But the win means that Bourns go into the summer break on a winning note having taken a stranglehold on this match by scoring five of their seven tries in the first-half.
It was a typical end-of-season encounter with the pressure off both sides and the chance to play some fast and open rugby in good conditions.
Mikey Ho started a busy afternoon for the scoreboard operator by finishing off a break from Sam Grimshaw with the opening try of the afternoon after three minutes.
Nathan Decalmer bagged the first of his brace five minutes later before Joe Nellany added his first try for the club on 14 minutes.
Devonport responded with unconverted tries from hooker Aiden Taylor but Grimshaw secured the try bonus point for Bourns inside 27 minutes and Reiss Price rounded off an excellent handling move featuring forwards and backs just before the break.
Jacob Fewtrell converted all five of the first-half tries to give Bourns a 35-10 lead at the break.
But Bourns lost Decalmer to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on late in the first-half and Services, as they had at Avery Fields in the season opener, used their driving maul to effect to reduce the lead to six points with tries from full-back Matthew Negle-Opie, centre Dan Lilley and replacement prop James McFarlane.
Ho made another crucial intervention, this time in defence by gathering a high ball to check another Services’ attack and Bourns ended the fightback when Lewis Hall was driven over from a lineout two minutes from time.
Decalmer then produced one of his long-range specials for the final try of the season but the most popular score of the afternoon was the conversion landed by James Weaver in his last act as a first team player before taking up a coaching position with the Blues.
The win also ensured that departing Director of Rugby Paul Sumner ended his long career with the club on a high.
