DEVIZES duly completed the double against Chippenham in this Bath and District Merit Table game played at the Chivers Ground on Saturday.
Having thrashed Chippenham earlier in the season Devizes met sterner resistance from a strengthened XV.
Devizes were held to a seven-point lead in the first half but raised their game after the interval to clinically demolish an increasingly demoralised Chippenham XV scoring three more tries without reply.
A treacherous surface and driving wind combined with referee interventions meant there were frequent stoppages in spite of Devizes' determination to keep the ball in the hand and give the game some semblance of continuity.
Matt Monkton, now a centre in his own right, made the first significant break, passing to the ever-present flanker Cornish who surged for 40 metres before being stopped.
Regaining possession, fly-half and skipper Andy Webb cross kicked into the hands of winger Liam Young to go over unopposed. Webb converted for a seven-point lead.
Andy Thompson, at scrum half, one of the three youth players present, orchestrated several attacks which unfortunately petered out.
The zig-zag runs of Matt Monkton and the pace of centre Oliver Perryman breached the gain line on several occasions.
Chippenham forwards tried to outmuscle the Devizes pack but didn't reckon on the unrelenting challenge from Cornish, Dave Burbury and Adrian Henigan.
Scrums were fairly even but Devizes cleaned out the line-out and were much more organised in broken play.
In a dramatic second half, although playing into the wind, Devizes continued to dominate territory and even weaken Chippenham scrummaging.
Three replacements, strategically introduced by team manager Tim Carson gave Devizes fresh impetus. Veteran scrum half Mark Davies invigorated the Devizes pack.
Matt Monkton made another telling break to take play into the strike zone.
Devizes won a scrum ball and drove forward for number eight Henigan to pick up and feed Davies who darted through for a try. Against all the odds Andy Webb converted to move the score on to 14-0.
A multi passing attack ended when Devizes infringed near the Chippenham line.
Chippenham tried to run the ball out of defence but were stopped by a flying tackle from Dave Burbury.
Devizes immediately attacked, spinning the ball wide to winger Gareth Cannings who stepped inside a tackle to score. Webb missed the conversion.
Chippenham's kick off was run back by Cornish. In the ensuing ruck Devizes were awarded a penalty which was quickly taken by Davies and Monkton completed the scoring.
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