So the game was almost like a sevens game with uncontested scrums. Torrington adjusted to this best in the early stages. Their number 8 Huxtable scoring after a five yard scrum.
Bude lost Danny Huddlestone to an altercation with an advertising board and had to borrow another player. Showing great spirit the X-Men swept up the slope and Blaine Wickett touched down a well worked score. Rollo McGrath converted.
Torrington then scored three tries in quick succession, one of which was converted. The X-Men's 16 year old scrum-half (a Torrington youth) was now linking well with his half-back partner the ageing Rollo McGrath. Bude's running in open play was starting to cause problems, particularly the giant strides of Jonah Lomu Mobbs.
After aggressive rucking from the forwards Bude worked the blindside and Mobbs deftly off-loaded for Paul Anderson to score.
On the stroke of half time Bude's oldest player the sprightly 58 year old Derek Hart nearly wriggled over to score after another sweeping move.
The second half belonged to the X-Men's gallant ten. With Blaine Wickett having a storming game and starting to off-load balls out of the contact area, the X-Men started to dominate. Wickett scored two excellent tries one of which was converted by McGrath to give Bude a two point lead.
But once again, Bude let Huxtable slip off the back of the scrum and regain the lead for Torrington.
With ten minutes to go McGrath, Hart and Lomu-Mobbs let a speculative high kick from Torrington bounce precariously on the halfway line. It could so easily have bounced invitingly up for an on-rushing Torrington attacker. But the ball span backwards and suddenly the Torrington half opened up for the X-Men's prop Scott (Mr Johnson) Henwood. He sprinted away like he'd just spotted wife Jayney in one of her pink numbers. Mr Johnson touched down to the acclaim of his team-mates.
There was still time for Torrington to pound the X-Men line with a series of five yard scrums. But each time Huxtable was greeted by the entire Bude pack and driven back.
This was a famous victory for the X-Men ten. But great thanks must go to Torrington for making what could have been a disaster into an enjoyable, competitive game.
X-Men: Mr Johnson, R. Mill, C. Cholwill, R. Cann, D. Gregory, B. Wickett, R. McGrath, J.L. Mobbs, D. Hart and D. Huddlestone (I've always wanted to be in advertising).