Torquay II 15, Dartmouth 37 

Depleted Dartmouth took on Torquay II's and right from the start Dartmouth showed their intention. Dartmouth, notoriously slow starters, brushed all that aside in this terrific performance.

The forwards were determined to stamp their authority on this game. Not satisfied with just bossing the scrums, they were dominant in the line-outs and the rolling mauls and Torquay found them hard to live with. But it was new signing Luke Chase who got Dartmouth on the score sheet with a well-taken solo try.

Dartmouth won the scrum before John Dingle dummied the ball for Chase to run on to.

With the advancing Torquay three-quarters pressing, Chase chipped a lovely floating ball over the top and it fell kindly for Dartmouth's new ten, who took the ball under the posts for the Riversiders' first of the day, before adding the extras.

Five minutes later Damon Pye got on the score sheet with a well-worked try.

Once again Dartmouth were dominant in the scrum and set up a maul. With Nick Shillabeer standing just off the scrum-half's shoulder, he spun the ball out for the sprinting Pye to go over on the far left of the posts.

Dartmouth, already twelve points to the good, made a strange decision to take a kick for goal after winning a penalty on the half-hour mark and Nick Shillabeer, taking over kicking duties, slotted this one over to take Dartmouth into a 15-point lead.

Torquay had to stop the onslaught from Dartmouth and that they did, with the score staying the same up to half time.

The second half started as well as the first half, with Dartmouth's forwards dominating. With just eight minutes of the second half gone, Torquay were awarded a scrum, and Dartmouth's big eight again shoved Torquay backwards.

John Dingle once more brought out the dummy,  popping the ball nicely to Tom Jones, who unselfishly gave Scott Silsbury one of the easiest tries he will score for a long time.

Torquay brought on a trio of replacements with just ten minutes of the second half gone and it wasn't long before the Tics scored with two tries in quick succession.

Dartmouth's forwards gave it everything and Steve Atkins brought on some big hitters, Dave Cudd making way for Miguel Tenreiro and Andy Williams off for Declan Hammond.

  Dartmouth were determined that they would stem the flow from Torquay, and Damon Pye did just that when he picked up a loose ball and sprinted over for his second try of the game.

Torquay scored again but time was running out for the Tics and within two minutes of the Tics try, Dartmouth were at it again.

This time Martin Sharam gave Nick Shillabeer a beautiful reverse switch ball for Shillabeer to touch down to the right of the posts, and he added the extra two points to secure the win for Dartmouth.

The season starts for Dartmouth this weekend with the University of Exeter, also promoted last season, hosting Dartmouth for their first league game.