Strong game against Friends

As the season starts to wind down the young Withies made the short trip to their friends and neighbours at Exmouth for what is always an exciting fixture.

As both sides took to the field it was apparent that Exmouth had a determination about them whilst Withycombe had a quiet air of confidence. From the very start the tackling was strong and hard with Corey Mills and Ben Jeffery to the fore whilst Bobby Pond was bossing the breakdown area and the rucks. This lead to plenty of ball for Lewis Tose to distribute at will, the main beneficiaries being Jamie Thompson, whose influence on the game grew and grew, Jack McBryan and Jack Macdonald-Brown. This resulted in a try out wide for the latter.

As the game went on the changes were made, and with the likes of Max Rowley and Ned Mills the intensity didn't drop. Exmouth were giving as good back, with the game spending most of the time in the middle third of the pitch. A couple of breakaway tries, one from Pond who took three over the line with him, opened up a gap in the score that would not be closed.

Still the game was being played at a fast and furious pace, the Exmouth tackling was relentless, however on a large pitch and with Withycombe sticking to try and get the ball wide, gaps were starting to appear. These were being exploited by the pace of Mia Farrow, McBryan and Tose who was having a magnificent morning.

Whilst the score was rising so to was the injury count with Kieran Long, Ned Mills and Macdonald-Brown all having to bow out early.

As the final whistle blew players from both sides congratulated each other in exhaustion and all match rivalries put away and normal friendships resumed. Final score Exmouth 5 Withycombe 8.