Just like the winners of the Pedrick Cup Final last week, Saltash III, Devonport Services third string had the perfect balance of youth and experience which saw them take the Ellis Cup last night. The Rectory side claimed their 3rd win in 4 years in this competition with the only interruption being Argaum Chiefs victory in 2011-12.

However this was a very competitive encounter in which Argaum played their full part. The early exchanges were very balanced with The Wanderers gaining some ascendancy up front but not able to get their backs running as fluently as the opposition. Midway through the half the ball was spread wide through the Devonport back line, which contained a number of young colts, for the winger to dot down in the corner. The conversion was missed, as was a later penalty, and Argaum's defence held out well until half time.

It was at times a bruising encounter and a number of injuries saw some reshuffles which disrupted the flow at times. Argaum did create some good opportunities with good runs from Hayden Baugh and Ryan Phillips. This resulted in a penalty which James Riley, who played well in the fly-half berth, slotted over to make it 3-5.

This stung Services who slowly started to take control of the match, with former Argaum captain Steve Mole orchestrating events from midfield. A combination of some hefty ball-carrying forwards and swift backs saw Services make inroads which, despite some heroic defence, ultimately saw Argaum's penalty count stack up. Two penalties were converted before a try sealed the game for the Blues at 3-16.

Wanderers were never able to establish enough possession and field position in the second half to threaten the result but they remained competitive throughout and will have learned a great deal from this experience.