A dazzling hat-trick from George Russell ultimately made the difference in a thrilling 4-3 win for Ottery St Mary at home to Barnstaple Town Reserves in the Devon Football League.

The Otters entered the game on the back of two heavy defeats and with Barnstaple’s first-team having their game postponed, there was always the prospect of Barum fielding a strengthened line-up.

Whoever was in the opposition ranks, they certainly contributed to a fabulous match but Russell was inspired, banging in his treble over a clinical 20-minute spell in the first half. Substitute Jack Carpenter also hit the net for Ottery and three great points that leaves them seventh in the table.

The Otters are next in action on Saturday, April 1, when lowly Topsham Town are the visitors to Washbrook Meadows.

Sidmouth Town’s impressive seven-game winning run in the South-West Peninsula League came to an end with a 2-0 defeat at Teignmouth.

The Vikings were up against it inside ten minutes, with Tiernan West dismissed for a dangerous tackle. Ashley Smith made a brilliant save to deny the Teigns, as Sidmouth set in for a long afternoon of defending.

While the Vikings did look dangerous on the counter-attack, it was the excellence of Smith that kept them in the game. He was eventually beaten by a cruel ricochet, as his initial save bounced off a Sidmouth defender and trickled into the net.

The Vikings launched themselves forward in search of a heroic leveller, with Louis Jagger Cane firing inches over and Tom Bray denied a strong penalty shout. In the 90th minute, with Sidmouth pushing bodies forward, Teignmouth broke and made it 2-0 with a close-range finish from Sean Ayre. 

It was an incredibly valiant effort from Sidmouth Town but the club did have some weekend cheer, with the reserve team producing some outstanding football in a 5-2 win at Dawlish United in the Premier Division of the Devon & Exeter League.

Scott Hughes opened the scoring and, after a spell of home pressure, he headed in a second. Jack Drew-Cull made it 3-0 with a 25-yard strike. Hughes completed his hat-trick and, despite Dawlish grabbing a couple of their own, Marius Pislary added gloss to an impressive victory on the road.