After last weekends emphatic victory against Bude, it was the turn of St Ives to try and topple the Green and Blacks in their own back yard. It was another absolute classic top of the table affair, and not without some controversy as The Hakes swaggered in and eventually swaggered out of Raleigh Park, albeit with some battered and bruised bodies. If Withycombe thought there was going to be any let up after last weekends slobberknocker then they were severely wrong as both teams fought tooth and nail right to end, the old adage of "playing for the full 80 minutes" never rang more true.

St Ives, who had previously lost to Bude only a few weeks ago, have also had 5 points deducted from last season for not turning up to a fixture, which means they need all the points they can get! However, it could've all been completely different if not for a diabolical last 5 minutes for Withycombe, where everything that could've gone wrong did go wrong. The win for St Ives pushed them within a point of second placed Bude, and has now put the cat amongst the pigeons in what will surely now be a three horse race for the title.

St Ives kicked off at a rather damp Raleigh Park and got the turnover almost immediately. The opening five minutes certainly set the tone for the rest of the game as the Hakes came steaming at Withycombe, their massive pack of forwards laying down a marker early doors. The Hakes number 8 was a menace all day, and as the waves of attack came at a rather stunned defence, the cracks appeared as after only 5 minutes flanker Cam Bone went through almost untouched, Grant Thirlby adding the conversion.

Withycombe by this point hadn't even had their hands on the ball. After some pressure in St Ives territory, it was off a scrum where the Green and Blacks would show what they could do with the ball. The ever pervasive Joe Parkin made a sumptuous break through the middle of the Hakes defence, and with some dancing feet to boot! With quick ball at the ensuing ruck it was Mike Richards who rumbled even closer to the line, his offload to Tom Steer just about allowed the fly half to dive over in the corner and get Withies first points. The kicked was missed to make it 7-5.

It was all Withycombe for the next 20 minutes. St Ives had the wind against them and were struggling to live with the Withies "in your face" defence. Back went the ball into the St Ives 22 and that's where it remained, Withycombe starting to turn the screw in a number of scrums on the 5 metre line. There was penalty after penalty against the visitors, and with Withycombes bread and butter scrum squeezing the Hakes into submission, they were on a team warning. The next penalty came and it was yellow card time for the St Ives blindside flanker, having broken his bind early on the scrum. Another scrum was taken from that penalty, and much like the Yazz hit single "The Only Way Is Up" it was "The Only Way Is Backwards" as the Withies drove the St Ives pack over their own line, Mike Richards finding the bum groove in his proverbial armchair at the back of the scrum to flop over. The kicked was missed to make it 10-7.

St Ives must've been scratching their heads, but undeterred they came right back at the Green and Blacks. Their forward power in the loose was causing some difficulties for Withycombes defence, and they eventually made some space on the outside. With a couple of offloads in the tackle their winger broke through, but found prop Chris "Fridge" Gibbons waiting for him in a collision that would've made Thor's eyes water. St Ives got the lineout however, and after more pressure Withycombe conceded a penalty that Thirlby duly converted in the last kick of the half, leaving it 10 all at the turnaround.

The game had already lived up to it's pre game hype, and with 40 minutes to play it would only get more intense. The next score would be huge, and with Withycombe falling into a bit of a lull, it was St Ives who started to impose themselves. A mistake by the Green and Blacks would give the Hakes a decent platform to play from. Winning their own scrum, they crashed through the middle. Ball retention was key for both sides, and with their young lumpy pack it seemed only a matter of time before they would score, which they did in the corner at Brook End with an easy 2 on 1, Sam Carter having the easiest of finishes. The extras were missed, but 4 minutes later St Ives would turn more pressure into points as Thirlby kicked an easy penalty, making it 18-10.

Momentum was key, and the Withies could ill afford not to score next. On 58 minutes it was back to basics. The forwards started to throw some phases together, and with Tom Pugsley and Kev Rodwell making gains on the outside Withycombe got back into St Ives 22. Dave Richards picked and went from a ruck, the quick ball allowing Steer to pass inside to Man of the Match Chris Gibbons, who with a head of steam sprinted through like a charging rhino at dinner time and dived over the line from 10 metres out! Steer added the extras, and 5 minutes later would add another penalty to his haul of points to leave it 20-17 to Withycombe.

St Ives weren't done though, and took another shot at goal from 40 metres out, only for it to fall short. Now into the last 5 minutes, it was "twitchy bum time" for all involved, including the supporters. Withycombe had possession, and looking to pin the Hakes back in their own half they kicked the ball. However, it was charged down, and the loose ball went straight into St Ives hands. They ran the ball back with interest, their winger kicking the ball forward. There was controversy though as they touched the ball down and took the corner flag with them from the scrambling Withies defence. No one knew if it was a try or whether St Ives were in touch, and after a discussion with the touch judge the referee awarded the try. That nudged the visitors in front with 3 minutes to play.

Withycombe kicked off and immediately got possession back. It was all or nothing now, and everyone knew it. So the phases began, every run being met with some ferocious defence. Withycombe drew a penalty though, and with the advantage John Parkin chipped through. The Hakes full back made a hash of the pick up, and Parkin scooped up the ball and dived over the line for a try, only for play to be pulled back as the referee had already blown up early for the penalty advantage, and much to the dismay of everyone at Raleigh Park! Withycombe had to run the ball as time was out, but to no avail as St Ives knew all they had to do was hold out for the win. The game finished 23-20 to St Ives, and one that will be looked upon as "the one that got away" from the Green and Blacks. From a neutral stand point it was an absolute stonker, but one that could come back to haunt Withycombe at the business end of the season. The losing bonus point however could well be a blessing in disguise.

Special mentions go out to everyone involved. Withycombes front five worked tirelessly, particularly in the scrums. Up against a St Ives pack that was reminiscent of the Monstars from Space Jam, Dave Simms and Tim Wills in the engine room and the trio of Chris Gibbons, Liam Cullen and Phil "Sluey" Sluman in the front row "did a number" all day. The back row trio of Mike Richards, Terry Mears and Dave Richards had their hands full all game, in particular with some clobbering defence. The backs showed no mercy either, Tom Steer demolishing everything that came at him, as did John and Joe Parkin, Adam Morris, Kev Rodwell and the Pugsley brothers. Mark Wilkinson and Tom Counsell both delivered off the bench, and unfortunately Mike Symons didn't get on. The way the whole team played is testament to how far they have come since the start of the season, and no doubt it will get stronger as the season progresses.

Next week Withycombe travel to Bodmin in what could be a potential banana skin for the last game of 2015 before the Christmas break.