Gloucestershire scored 35 unanswered second-half points to race to a 55-12 victory over Devon in their county championship opener at Cleve yesterday.

After 20 minutes Devon led 12-10 and it looked as if it was going to be an evenly contested game - and for the most part in the first half it was.

The second 40 was a completely different story as Gloucestershire’s forwards, led by captain Jack Preece, who dominated the breakdown with his fellow back row forwards Will Keenan and Matt Lane, took control.

They pinned Devon back in their own half for large parts and such was their domination that they ran in eight tries in total.

Man-of-the-match Sam Goatley scored four, the first after just two minutes as Gloucestershire made a quickfire start.

Harrison Yorke made the break that led to his second try but his third and fourth tries were made and finished by the impressive Cinderford centre.

His last try may have been the best, a good 40-metre break after the forwards had done a lot of the hard work to create the space for him.

Nimble feet, opportunistic and determined, he edged out Preece for the individual honours although the openside flanker, who also scored two tries, came out of the blocks like a firecracker for the second period to lead his team to a thumping victory.

Devon were plucky and if it were a boxing contest they would probably have won the first half on points. Their backs were quick to pounce on Gloucestershire errors, with the home side’s midfield defence looking porous and some tactical kicking wayward.

But the game changed just before half time with Goatley’s third try and shortly afterwards on the stroke of half time Devon conceded a penalty which Lewis Dennet, now with his kicking boots on, slotted as he started to find his range, giving Gloucestershire a lead which they were never to lose.

Newent’s Tom Webb and Old Patesians’ James Gahan completed the try-scoring in the 73rd and 8th minutes.

Replacement Webb also slotted two conversions while Hartpury College’s Dennet kicked four conversions and a penalty.

Gloucestershire:
E Rees (Cinderford), H Yorke (Cinderford), B Goatley (Cleve), S Goatley (Cinderford), J Gahan (Old Pats), L Dennet (Hartpury), O Venni (Royal Agri Coll), J Lloyd (Dings), D Brooker (Galasheils), J Elliot (Moseley), R Fuller (Hartpury), H Hone (Moseley), W Keenan (Cinderford), J Preece (Moseley) Captain, M lane (Cinderford). Reps, P Vinicone (CLeve), T Jerrum (Cleve), L Beer (Cleeve), R Webb (Newent), T Webb (Newent), B Gardner (Newent), G Angel (Old Pats).

Devon:
J Petherbridge (Barnstaple), T Scholes (Ivybridge), L Paterson (Ivybridge), M Pinkus (Ivybridge), H Ridgeway (Exmouth), T Whelan (Sidmouth), J Mattin (Exmouth) R Morris (Barnstaple) A Crouch (Barnstaple), M Fitt (Ivybridge), J Fahy (Exmouth), M Richards (Exmouth), R Luscombe (Kingsbridge), J Harris (Exmouth), S Thomas (Brixham), L Maggs (Brixham), M Dowrick (Newton Abbot), K Angell (Barnstaple), M Wathes (Exmouth), R Dingle (Ivybridge), B Watts (Ivybridge), D Akerman (Ivybridge).

Attendance: 150

Referee: James Clarke (RFU)