Saturday saw an exciting toe-to-toe battle with Bideford at a sunny Raleigh Park.
The game got off to a mixed start, with some strong early defence winning a scrum inside Bideford’s 22’. However, with the ball unable to be successfully secured, the ball was lost and kicked downfield. With the ball now being contested inside Withy’s 22’, Bideford pushed hard and scored the opening try of the match.

Withies responded well, and after several dominant phases of rugby found themselves rewarded with a try of their own through Liam Daniels. Debutant Tom Parker slotted the conversion to level the scores at 7-7 after fourteen minutes.

Following the try, the boys kept up the tempo and continued to control the game. After a previous surge for the line was held up, the short goal line dropout allowed Withy to maintain pressure inside the opposing 22’. Before long, the whitewash was crossed once again, with Joe Blyth dotting down in the corner.

A third Withycombe try came just before the half-hour mark as Dean Seals’ interception and break cleared the way for Liam Daniels to score his second try of the match.
With the difference in scores widening, Bideford struck back and made the most of a few uncharacteristic Withy errors to gather back five points with their second score.
The final points of the half came courtesy of Tom Parker as his penalty kick put Withycombe 20-12 ahead at the break.

The second half saw a resurgence from the visitors as they took a more commanding role in the game. Two quick tries put Bideford ahead.
A much-needed positive response followed as Withy pushed on down the field to assert more control from within the 22’. A rushed clearing kick was charged down by Dean Seals and with the centre sprinting after the now loose ball, the foot race was won, and the try scored; Matt Edworthy’s conversion brought the score to 27-22. Withycombe had regained the lead and had also secured the 4-try bonus point. This lead wasn’t to last long as after just three minutes, Bideford had equalised.

The 27-27 deadlock remained for a while as both sides traded possession and territory in the middle third of the field.

With seven minutes remaining, Withy were starting to show some fatigue, allowing Bideford to capitalise and score. Withy fought back with one final push. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side and the full time whistle was blown before any further points could be scored. The score, Withycombe 27, Bideford 32.

Despite the late loss, the boys still gained two well-deserved points from the game and have also gained a place in the league standings ahead of their next match where they head to Honiton in what will be a league and cup double. The date and kick off time are yet to be confirmed, so watch this space.