Man on a mission

ARGYLE boss Peter Reid has become a man on a scouting mission in recent days, as he looks to improve the club's fortunes.

Without revealing any names, Reid observed four games in as many days in a search for the right players to strengthen his squad at Home Park.

"I watched some good players and I've got one or two irons in the fire," he said. "Hopefully, we can bring one or two loan players in to help us through this difficult time.

"I don't think its rocket science what we're looking for. We're also conceding too many, so there are one or two positions we're looking at."

"It was good to watch a few games. It can be difficult to watch games in Plymouth but they were some interesting games to watch."

(pafc.co.uk)

Role for Rory

Rory Fallon is set to continue his rehabilitation from a hernia operation and take part in Saturday's clash with Huddersfield Town.

The Kiwi striker played 12 minutes for New Zealand a fortnight ago and came on for the last 35 minutes in our defeat at Notts County last weekend.

The recovery process moved to 45 minutes in Tuesday's reserve team loss at Torquay on Tuesday and Argyle manager Peter Reid is keen to use different options against the Terriers.

"Obviously he's been building up his strength and fitness," Reid said. "He had a spell on the pitch with New Zealand and against Notts County last weekend, and he got another 45 minutes under his belt against Torquay on Tuesday, so hopefully, he's fit and raring to go.

"He is available and he'll be a part of it. If he starts or not I don't know, but he'll be involved."

(pafc.co.uk)

Torquay United 3 Argyle 2

Torquay 3 Oastler 35, Yeoman 52, Gritton pen 82

Argyle 2
Sawyer 52, Leonard 75

by Shaun Murphy

Goals from Sam Sawyer and Ryan Leonard were not enough to salvage anything for a youthful Argyle side as they went down 3-2 to Torquay United in the totesport.com Combination at Plainmoor.

Despite being 2-0 down at one stage, Argyle showed great courage to force a way back into the match, only to be let down by an unfortunate penalty decision with eight minutes remaining, which was duly dispatched by ex-Pilgrim Martin Gritton. Joe Oastler and Ashley Yeoma had earlier given the Gulls a double advantage.

The Greens started with an experienced front pairing of Rory Patterson and Rory Fallon in an otherwise youthful looking line-up, which included young Jack Stephens and Curtis Nelson paired together in central defence against the well-travelled Gritton.

In a scrappy opening few minutes it was the home side who managed the first effort on goal. A sharp turn and shot on the edge of the box from Gritton was saved comfortably by Ollie Chenoweth in the Argyle goal.

It was Argyle who nearly opened the scoring after 17 minutes, however. A clever through-ball by Leonard was missed by Rowe-Turner in the home defence and latched on to by Patterson, only for his effort to be saved by the onrushing Danny Potter.

Chenoweth was called into action again minutes later, making a smart save from Lloyd Macklin after Nicky Wroe's pass sent the winger clear on goal. Argyle, meanwhile, were beginning to look dangerous every time they went forward, with the two Rory's starting to link up well in attack.

Another missed interception saw Patterson handed the best chance yet to break the deadlock, but his effort was palmed to safety by Potter. Straight down the other end and a timely block by Stephens from Gritton thwarted the home side as the match began to open up.

The experienced front man wasn't having it all his own way, with Argyle's youthful central defensive pairing giving as good as they had against the ex-Argyle striker.

Despite this, it was the home side who took the lead on 35 minutes when Joe Mason unfortunately sliced a clearance a Wroe corner into the path of Joe Oastler for an easy finish.

To their credit, Argyle reacted in the right manner and Patterson was again unfortunate not to score after finding himself in behind the home defence once again, only to drive the ball wide. The Northern Ireland international was getting himself into some promising positions and could count himself unlucky not to have scored in the opening 45 minutes.

A long range drive from Wayne Carlisle was then spectacularly tipped over by Chenoweth in the final action of a pulsating opening 45 minutes in which the Pilgrims could count themselves unlucky to be behind.

Argyle made a change at the beginning of the second half, switching Sam Sawyer into the heart of the defence in a swap for Fallon, who was clearly suffering the effects of his hernia operation.

Chenoweth was called into action as the game restarted, saving well from Romone Rose as Torquay pressed for a second goal.

With 52 minutes gone it was 2-0 to the home side, Ashley Yeoman connecting to a cutback from Macklin to sidefoot the ball home from 12 yards.

It was harsh on Argyle to find themselves two goals down, and the bench responded by bringing on Matt Rickard for Luke Young in a bid to bolster the attack.

It was almost 3-0 on 60 minutes but the impressive Chenoweth again did well to keep the ball out from close range after a diving header from Macklin following Gritton's knockdown.

Argyle showed great character to get themselves back into the match on 62 minutes. A long throw caused chaos in the home side's penalty area and was flicked on by Sawyer into the net to hand us a lifeline.

Now only a goal behind, Argyle were more than matching their opponents as they started to press forward for an equalizer, though this unfortunately left holes at the back for the home side to exploit. With the next goal crucial for both sides, Macklin and Rose again went close for Torquay.

It wasn't to be, and a breakaway goal from Argyle levelled the match. Mason dispossessed Saul Halpin deep in the Torquay half and ran the full length of the pitch before scuttling a shot goalwards. Potter did well to parry the ball wide but Ryan Leonard was on hand to steer in the equaliser from a difficult angle.

Referee Richard Martin then intervened, with some help from his assistant, to award Torquay a very soft penalty after an innocuous looking challenge by Jake Baker on Oastler. Sympathy was scarce from Gritton, as he stroked home the winner from 12 yards.

The final result was harsh on Argyle, who can take solace from the fact they had more than matched a Torquay side boasting some established names in their line-up.

Torquay United (4-3-3): 16 Danny Potter; 15 Wayne Carlisle, 25 Ed Palmer, 2 Lathaniel Rowe-Turner, 17 Saul Halpin; 14 Lloyd Macklin, 11 Nicky Wroe, 4 Joe Oastler; 9 Romone Rose, 8 Martin Gritton, 24 Ashley Yeoman. Substitues (not used): 7 Joe Parrish, 10 Ray Spear, 12 Scott Taylor.

Booked: Macklin 81

Argyle (4-4-2): 1 Ollie Chenoweth; 2 Ryan Leonard (captain), 4 Jack Stephens, 5 Curtis Nelson, 3 Jamie Richards (16 Connor Clifford 60); 10 Joe Mason, 6 Anton Peterlin, 7 Luke Young (15 Matt Rickard 65), 11 Jake Baker; 8 Rory Patterson, 9 Rory Fallon (17 Sam Sawyer h-t). Substitutes (not used): 12 Jack Ord (gk), 14 Jed Harper-Penman.

Booked: Clifford 72

Referee: Richard Martin

Magnificent seven all win Tora medals

TORQUAY Judokwai members showed plenty of fighting spirit when they travelled to the Tora Judokai tournament in Bristol.

All seven of the Torquay fighters returned with medals, but once again it was the club's female fighters who took top honours.

Toni Malone (9-25kg) is the club's smallest fighter, but that didn't stop her winning all four of her bouts to take her gold medal.

She won all four of her fights with ippon throws.

Lucy Pannell (11-32kg) was also in confident form. She won all three of her bouts to win the gold medal without really being tested.

Pannell defeated team-mate Stacey Malone in the final, who had to settle for a silver medal in her first competition.

Between the two female gold medallists, they have won 10 championship medals this season, and have only failed to get themselves on the medal podium once.

Damon Smith (13-73kg) led the way for the boys in his first competitive appearance.

Not content with winning the gold medal in his weight class, Smith also took the silver medal in the open weight division.

Taking on boys much bigger than himself, he only lost the final by five points.

Making his return to competition for the first time since February, Jacob Ward (11-30kg) came back strongly from a first-round defeat to take a bronze medal.

Jake Slay (10-34kg) also achieved a bronze medal after his semi-final went into golden score time.

In his debut event, Jude Davies (8-30kg) came through to achieve bronze.

Club coach Simon Ward was understandably delighted with his team's efforts.

"Once again our younger fighters dominated this level of competition. All of the fighters were brilliant, producing some quite outstanding throwing techniques.

"I'm really proud of them, especially the new fighters to the team.

"It's such a different environment to club fighting, but to come away from your first event with some victories and even a medal, we can't ask for anything better than that."

A student at Paul Drury's Black Belt Academy in Dawlish has received a coveted black belt in kick-boxing.

Kyle Mitchell, accomplished the rank after a testing which consisted of fitness tests, line work, pad work, sparring, and written theory tests.

Master Drury said: "Kyle is a keen and very dedicated student and we are very proud to have him."

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Primary-aged footballers help raise over £1,000 for charity

STOKE GABRIEL'S 'Football in the Community' scheme have not only been busy with their community programme over the summer, they have also been busy raising money for children's charity CLIC.

Run as part of the 'Football in the Community' programme, local schools took part in raising over £1,000 alongside Stoke Gabriel Football Club.

The schools participated in a sponsored 'penalty shoot out' that saw pupils take great delight in putting the ball past their teachers.

Every child who took part received a certificate and a sticker and was made aware of how CLIC can help children and their families during difficult times. Fifteen prizes were also given to the fifteen children that managed to raise the most money.

"It was a great effort by everybody involved in raising money for such a worthwhile cause", commented Football in the Community Officer Kevin Wills. "I would sincerely like to thank everybody who took some part including all the children that contributed to the total of £1,006. I would also like to thank all the teachers from different schools who were all so supportive."

Stoke Gabriel Football in the Community are holding a 'Football Fun Day' during the Half Term on Wednesday October 27. For further details contact Adam on 07967-124844.

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ACADEMY SOCCER are starting a mini football league at Paignton Community College and Sports College.

The league is open to Under 7s and Under 9s who want to get together for a fun evening of football, as well as introducing players of a young age to a good environment to learn to play.

Each age group will consist of six teams with seven children per side, with each team playing three matches per night. The leagues are set to take place on Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30pm.

For further information contact Dan Harmer on 07791-299907 or Sav Savva on 07811-183271. You can also email academy.soccer@hotmail.co.uk.

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DEVON'S youth team recovered from the setback of losing to Dorset by defeating an Ipplepen XI 6-1 on Monday at Coach Road. A man of the match performance from Sam Farrant (St Blazey) helped Devon to victory, along with a hat-trick from Dale O'Donoghue (Newtown). There were also goals from Ryan Turner (Barnstaple), Ben Burak (Clyst Valley), and Alex Henniker (Elberton Villa) as Devon romped home against an Ipplepen side consisting mainly of 2nd XI players.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Sailing: Three wins give Mason and Giles autumn title

THREE race wins from four outings saw Pete Mason and Dale Giles claim the overall fast handicap class title at Paignton Sailing Club's Autumn Regatta.

Dave Whittle and Hannah Radbourne claimed the overall top spot in the medium handicap, while Carys Roberts was the best of the juniors.

In Saturday's first race, the Fireball of Mason and Giles got the better of Chris Cunningham's RS100 in the fast handicap, with Chris Blackburn's RS600 third.

The medium handicap soon followed, with 12 boats lining up on the start line.

In a close race it was Karl Lloyd and Trish Walker who prevailed in their Albacore, with Steve Ashford and Mike Holmes just behind in a Comet Trio. Third place went to Whittle and Radbourne's Albacore.

In the junior fleet there were six Toppers, which made for competitive racing.

Roberts started with a win, followed by Thomas Stephenson and Paris Thomas.

For race two, the fast handicap got off to another clean start, this time with Blackburn leading the fleet.

However, Mason and Giles managed to close the gap and win the race.

The medium handicap fleet saw five boats competing fiercely for first place, but in the end it was Lloyd and Walker who prevailed.

Whittle and Radbourne were second, with Ashford and Holmes third.

Roberts was once again victorious in the juniors, with Jack and Thomas Stephenson coming in second and third respectively.

A bright Sunday morning greeted race three, and Blackburn stopped Mason and Giles' winning run in the fast handicaps.

Amy Giles and Nigel Williams came home in third place, with only thirty seconds separating the two Fireballs.

Lloyd and Walker were disqualified from the medium handicaps for crossing the start line too early.

This allowed Whittle and Radbourne to take the win, with Ashford and Holmes second, andOllie Wright third.

Roberts continued her junior domination to win from Thomas Stevenson and Paris Thomas.

The final race of the regatta started with two Fireballs in the fast handicap engaging in a tactical upwind battle.

Giles and Williams rounded the windmark first, but it was Mason and Giles who prevailed and confirmed first place overall with their third win.

Giles and Williams took second place, and Blackburn crossed the line in third.

Whittle and Radbourne won their final race to claim first place overall in the medium handicap, with Ashford and Holmes crossing the line in second place. Arthur Phillips managed to claim third place.

And in the juniors Roberts made it four wins out of four to claim first overall, with Paris Thomas and Jack Stephenson rounding off the top three.

In the final fast handicap overall standings, Mason and Giles won from Blackburn in second, and Giles and Williams third.

Ashford and Holmes were medium handicap runners-up from Wright's Laser Radial, while Thomas and Stephenson claimed the minor podium positions in the juniors.

The prize-giving for the Spring and Autumn Regattas will take place on Saturday, October 16, at Paignton Sailing Club.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Fay claims UK expert BMX title

JASON Fay is the new British BMX champion in the men's 17 to 24 expert class.

The 18 year old from Kingsteignton, also the current West Regional champion, won the title at Cheddar Somerset.

Almost 900 riders took part in the event, which began on Sunday with the early morning heats.

In the semi - he just had to go through, another comfortable ride saw Jason through in third place and ready for the final.

Fay continued through to the final, where just eight riders remained.

A strong start by Fay in gate five allowed him to take the high line round the first corner, which set Jason up to pass the early leader and gain more speed for the third straight.

After navigating a tricky last corner safely, Fay held a two-bike length lead to the finish line.

Andrew Fay, the rider's father, was understandably delighted with the result.

Dad said: "Jason did say after the semi-final 'I could do well in this if I get a good start'.

"He got a good start and produced a top-class performance."

Jason is a member of the Decoy BMX club and is sponsored by 'Trax an Jenks' (T& J, BMX racing team) who are a BMX track-building specialist

Also competing in the championship was Jason's brother Oliver Fay. With 46 riders in his age group, the 13 year old finished fifth place overall.
(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Newton runners to tackle high peaks

A GROUP of Devon-based runners are hoping to complete one of the UK's most exhausting and rewarding charity challenges next June.

Along with around 60 other teams, the ladies of Newton Abbot are hoping to send more than four teams to climb more than 4200 metres to the summit and back of four of the highest peaks in Scoland, England, Wales and Ireland.

Needing to raise £4,400 per team, the ladies will be coming up with lots of fundraising ideas and events in the coming weeks.

The ladies are all members of the Newton Abbot branch of the Ladies Running Network, who meet at the Rec Trust.

Anyone wishing to know more about the group should contact Marika Dowse on pinkygym@googlemail.com.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)