BOURNEMOUTH lock Harry Leadbeater said his Christmas turkey will taste all the more sweeter after their 16-7 win at Barnstaple.
The in-form Lions secured their seventh away win out of a possible eight this season after surviving the North Devon deluge at Pottington Road.
The former Dorset Docker has risen through the Chapel Gate ranks - and has grown in stature on the field by becoming a serious threat at the lineout.
After helping his side topple their nearest title challengers on their own turf, Leadbeater is now looking forward to some well-deserved time off.
He said: “Our defence was strong, they were very consistent in their attack but we were stronger and then eventually I think we wore them down and managed to get the win.

“I think getting the win to go into the Christmas break with will mean a great deal to all of the players because we can now go away for three weeks and repair a few broken bodies and have a bit of a break.
“We can work on ourselves and then come back even hungrier and even stronger for the January period.”
To win at places like Camborne earlier in the season and now Barnstaple means a lot to the players because they are big, big clubs with a lot of history so I think it just shows how strong and confident we are getting at the minute so it is all good at the minute.”
The lanky lock came in for praise from the Bournemouth opponents too.
On the Barnstaple RFC website, it praised Leadbeater saying:
“A giant of a number five for Bournemouth had the sort of day any second rower would enjoy intercepting countless Chiefs’ lineout with precise timing.
“He really did have an outstanding game and the Chiefs never really adapted their lineouts to combat his presence.”

Photo by Bob Collins