THE curtain came down on the 2017/18 National 2 South season last Saturday, Taunton snatching a last-minute victory against relegated Broadstreet, writes Dick Macey.

Having led for three-quarters of the game, the Titans let their advantage slip, and a shock looked on the cards until the last play of the game saw Ollie Rice wriggle over.

The team sheet showed some unfamiliar names, as coach Tony Yapp used the opportunity to blood some Warriors and other new faces, always useful when thinking ahead to next season.

That campaign’s fixture list will be awaited with interest as one new team surfaces, namely Guernsey, and some old foes return in the shape of Ding’s Crusaders, Old Albanians and Barnes.

Regrettably comparatively local sides Barnstaple, through relegation, and Cinderford, through promotion to Division 1, have gone.

But the impact upon travelling is not too severe, aside from the opportunity for a weekend with your partner in the Channel Islands!

For the Titans, a season which began so positively with nine wins out of nine turned sour by mid-November, with defeats against the stronger sides – Cinderford and Chinnor – but also inexplicably against sides they should have beaten.

Still, I know how much the team have enjoyed the support of the Taunton faithful, and it has been a joy to see some players developing to their full potential and some moving on to those Elysian Fields further up the game.

Don’t forget the Somerset County side have two games in the Billy Beaumont Cup on May 12 and May 19, both at the Commsplus Stadium.

Then, as a pipe-opener for next year, the Taunton Cider Sevens will be held at Hyde Park on August 4.