SOUTH WEST 1 EAST
WITNEY pulled nine points clear of the relegation zone after edging out Devizes 9-7 at Hailey Road.
Three penalties from fly half Phil Thomas proved enough to seal an attritional clash.
A competitive first half ended scoreless, although Devizes had a man sin-binned after some strong Witney pressure.
Thomas kicked the hosts ahead five minutes into the second period.
Devizes hit back when their impressive fly half Rory Brown sped through a gap to score and convert his own try.
Thomas’s second penalty made it 7-6 and more pressure saw another Devizes player yellow-carded.
A third Thomas penalty sealed it, although Witney were pushing for a try at the end.
Grove had to battle hard to earn a 17-17 draw in a lacklustre match at Cheltenham.
The visitors were missing a number of regulars and had head coach Craig Burrows as an unused replacement.
Fly half Roger Sevier kicked Grove ahead with a penalty from his own half, but Cheltenham replied with a converted interception try.
Sevier slotted a second penalty after a home centre was sin-binned.
In the second half, Grove scrum half Joe Chivers was yellow-carded for coming in at the side.
Cheltenham then scored a pushover try, the conversion making it 14-6.
Grove raised their game, with Sevier kicking a third penalty, but the hosts replied in kind.
A break led by wing Guy Nicholl ended with prop James Eckert going over for a Grove try.
Nicholl had a try disallowed after centre Tom Clipsham was ruled to have put a foot in touch.
Grove passed up two kickable penalties as they sought a winning try, but with no time left, Sevier slotted a third to equalise.
Leaders Oxford Harlequins saw their match at Swindon postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
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