Local Sport

Chiefs off to Twickers (Again)

Exeter Chiefs were made to battle hard for the prize of a National Trophy final at Twickenham, and will be looking to surpass their predecessors who finished runners up in 2002 and 2003.

With the benefit of a home tie in the semi on Saturday, the Chiefs looked to make a strong start but the decision to turn down a kick at goal for an attacking line-out backfired badly.

When the ball came back from a maul the backs tried to spread it wide but only succeeded in giving the opposition full back an interception and length of the field dash for a try. Things were further compounded when weak tackling let in another Pertemps Bees try, but once again the forwards came to the rescue with a try from no. 8 Richard Baxter.

Four second half penalties resulted in a 19-12 victory and booked a place in the final, ensuring another trip to Twickenham and opportunity for Devon-folk to venture outside of the county boundaries.

With sporting success at a premium in the south-west, chances to follow a team to a final have been somewhat limited in recent years but who can forget Tiverton Town's historic victories in the F.A. Vase at Wembley in the 1998/99 & 1999/2000 seasons (actually, my memory of the second final is a bit hazy, but with the cider being so weak in Middlesex I knocked back 10 pints of it and don't recall too much about the winner) or Exeter City's FA Cup victory at Old Trafford last season - ok so we didn't win, but it felt like it and the ECFC faithful outsang the Mancs from start to finish.

For those of you looking to make the trip up for the Final at Twickenham a reminder that tractors on the M4 aren't too popular, and shot-gun fire during the match when a try is scored is likely to get you ejected from the ground.