Victories at Bonfire Field against any Topsham side are hard to come by; but the Withycombe men made the short journey up the A376 to play third-placed Topsham IIs with the aim of following on from their successes last season. Targeting this game as a fresh start following a rocky end to 2025, Withy lit up the pitch on a cold Saturday afternoon to come away with a much-needed win, handing Tops only their second home defeat of the season – the first being to league leaders Devonport Services II.

Once again, it was a speedy start with the boys winning an early penalty and a 5m line out. The ball was secured and the catch-and-drive was on. With just two minutes on the clock, Max Cooke had grounded the ball and with Matt Edworthy’s conversion, Withy had the perfect start with a 0-7 lead.

The early pressure was maintained and, thanks to a beautifully kicked 50:22, the visitors were back inside the Topsham danger zone and looking for more points. That hunt was successful when Cooper Love broke through to score under the posts. Two more points from the conversion made it 0-14 in just seven minutes.

After a busy opening dozen minutes, Matt Edworthy was forced to sit the next ten minutes out after receiving a yellow for a knock-on which was deemed to have been deliberate.
Topham soon capitalised, scoring what was to be their only try of the match just three minutes later.

An immediate response from Withy saw them make tracks back into the Topsham 22’ and with Ben Wilkinson’s break, freed up Ben Dawson on the wing who burned down the line for his side’s third try of the match – and sill within the opening quarter!

A busy opening twenty minutes was followed by a period of more calm, mixed play with both sides trading possession, largely within the middle third of the field. This deadlock was broken just after the half-hour mark when Dan May’s mid-air catch 3 metres from the tryline led to Withy’s bonus point try.

With the scoreline building, the home side were becoming frustrated and making mistakes that Withycombe could profit from, and when they themselves dropped down to 14-men after a tackle in the air, had given Withy a little more space to move and gain ground. A shot at goal from a tough position saw a further boost in the scoreline, only to be followed up with a fifth try before the break. With final play called for the half, Withy had set up a string of phases of attack within the Topsham red zone. With each recycled ball, the players were drawn in, creating the tiniest of gaps for birthday boy Joe Oates to sneak in and score.

The score at half time saw Withy leading 07-34.

The second half got underway, and with it a renewed sense of hunger and passion from Topsham who very much took the upper hand in the opening ten or so minutes. Withy defended well, however, and kept them from making too many trips into their 22’, and more importantly, prevented any scores from the hosts.

Eventually, momentum switched back in the direction of those in green and black and before long, they were back to pile on more pressure on the Topsham defenders. A brilliant break from just inside the half by Scrum Half Fergus O’Connell looked like a near-certain score, but the last-ditch tackle stopped him in his tracks as he travelled through the 22’. The ball was passed out, eventually finding Joe Blyth who spun though the tackles to score.
The final twenty minutes saw a more levelled game once again with neither side able to fully capitalise on any opportunities that they created.

The final score: Topsham II 7, Withycombe 39.

A huge game on the road, picking up five valuable points and gain a spot in the league standings. The boys will be looking to bring this energy into next week’s game when they welcome Tavistock to Raleigh Park.