Withycombe continued their strong start to 2026 as they welcomed Tavistock to a busy Raleigh Park on a memorable afternoon for the club.
Pre-match celebrations marked the 25th anniversary of Tony Rowe’s presidency, creating a lively atmosphere around the ground, and the Green and Black wasted little time in giving the home crowd more reason to celebrate.

Early tries are becoming a hallmark of Withycombe’s game, and this contest followed the same pattern. Just three minutes had been played when number eight Joe Blyth picked up from the back of a ruck outside the Tavistock 22’ and raced down the wing, outpacing the defence to open the scoring.

The sides then traded possession through the middle period of the half before Withycombe began to apply sustained pressure inside the visitors’ territory. A free kick at the scrum was taken quickly, and Joe Oates crashed over to extend the lead to 10–0.

Tavistock got themselves onto the scoreboard shortly after the half-hour mark as they made good use of the available space created to gain decent ground. Despite some good early tackling by Withy, they were eventually undone and the visitors had halved the deficit.

The hosts finished the half strongly, however, with a well-worked move inside the Tavistock 22’. Fergus O’Connell made the initial break before the ball was moved on to Jack Fear, who powered over under the posts. Dan May added the conversion to give Withycombe a 17–5 lead at the interval.

Another fast start after the break saw Withy strike again, George Toomey finishing well out wide on the right to increase the advantage.

The recent rain had left the usually pristine Raleigh Park surface heavy underfoot, and as fatigue set in, Tavistock enjoyed a spell of momentum during the third quarter. Withy’s defence was tested repeatedly before the visitors were rewarded with their second try on 57 minutes.

Conceding the try gave Withy a second wind and with it, a fresh period of pressure back inside Tavistock territory. With strong defences denying access on the right side of the field, a recycled ball was shipped left to the awaiting Ben Dawson who sprinted around the red and black wall to score in Clubhouse Corner.

The final ten minutes of the match was spent largely in the possession of the opposition who issued wave after wave of attack in search of more points. Each wave was successfully extinguished and, with a hurried pass sending the ball into touch, the game was done. The final score: Withycombe 29, Tavistock 10.

Next week, Withy travel to Mid Devon to play Crediton 2s at Blagdon