Withycombe v OPM (Nov 2012)

Withycombe 23
OPM 22

Withycombe returned to winning ways with a hard-fought victory against a tenacious OPM side.Following a string of disastrous starts, Withycombe's preparation was focused on increased physicality in the opening exchanges, and it showed. Playing down the slope, Jack Pugsley slotted an early penalty only to turn villain shortly afterwards, throwing an intercepted pass that was returned for a try. 

The OPM scrum looked as though it might cause Withycombe some problems; they had bulk in quantities that Withycombe can only dream of. Despite this, the home side proved stronger in the scrummage and in the lineouts, good movement and Dave Richards' pinpoint throwing ensured that the set piece remained a Withycombe stronghold. Withy were next to score with a well-controlled lineout drive from short range, Mike Richards being the beneficiary. Jack Pugsley added the extras, which were to later prove vital.

OPM then had the better of the play, kicking a penalty and missing another, until John Parkin took a quick tap at a penalty and jinked over from his own half. With both scrum halves producing tries from nothing, the selection committee will have the best kind of headache this week. Pugsley converted to make it 17-8 at the half.

OPM had grand ideas about keeping Withycombe in the "Brook End" for the second half, little did they know that Clubhouse Corner is a Withy second half specialty. Despite Withy's lack of finesse in the kicking game, they had the better of the play in the early stages of the second half. Pugsley kicked another penalty and just as Withycombe seemed primed to deliver the knockout blow, a turnover in the OPM 22 allowed the visitors to break, their electric backs finishing the job as Danny Sansom was left with a fraction too much ground to cover.

The OPM tails were up now, and perhaps jitters got the better of the home side, some uncharacteristic errors granting OPM good field position before Withycombe's frailties around the fringes of the ruck were exposed again as a series of pick-and-go drives from the massive OPM pack finally yielded a try. The conversion slotted, Withy came from under their posts knowing that a penalty kick was all that was needed, but they had only two minutes in which to obtain it/ 

After a knock on at the restart, an inspired call at scrum time gave Withycombe a free kick and after driving for field position, the offside OPM backline gave Withycombe a penalty opportunity just wide of the posts on the 22. Pugsley stepped up and bisected the posts to the tune of the final whistle. They may not win every week, but Withycombe seem to have learned how to edge out the close ones. In a game featuring its fair share of errors, Withycombe produced their most mature two minutes of the season to date when it really mattered. Next week the 1st XV travel to Wessex whilst the 2nd XV have a home match.

DIC: Exeter Saracens v Withycombe (Nov 2012)

Exeter Saracens 31

Withycombe 19

Devon Intermediate Cup

Withycombe had a break from their league duties to test themselves at one-league-higher Exeter Saracens on Saturday, and the outcome was something of a mixed bag. Slow out of the blocks as usual, Withycombe conceded two early tries to give Sarries a soft 14-0 lead. Withy got their act together shortly after that and showed they were perfectly capable of handling all that Saracens could throw at them, despite the controversial sin binning of No. 8 Mike Richards. Shortly after his re-introduction, Richards made his presence felt by snaffling an opportunistic try from a pick and go five metres out. Though the scoreboard remained static, the game was a neutral's delight: Withycombe taking the opportunity of a cup game to run the majority of their penalty and free kick decisions, as well as the venomous edge endemic to local derbies. On his return from exile in the centre, John Parkin in particular proved to be a persistent thorn in Sarries' side from quick taps and in broken play. If nothing else, the display showed that in addition to the pace of Mike Symons, Parkin's ingenuity gives Withy an embarrassment of riches at scrum-half. Another quick tap was to give Withy their next score, this time Mike Richards going quickly form the scrum base and being unlucky not to be awarded a try after grounding on the line; Jamie Rose made sure by dotting down from the ensuing ruck.

14-12 the score at half-time and all the talk from the Withycombe team talk was of building on their gathering momentum. For all their demonstrations of competence though, they failed to follow through with execution, starting the second half as slowly as they started the first. Saracens scored from the first play as Withycombe backed off the two or three big runners that defined Sarries' attacking game. They capitalised on some woeful defending shortly after to make it 31-12, with hopes of a Withycombe comeback looking lost. Credit to Withycombe though, they never gave up. Positives included the strong Withycombe scrummage which was unfairly penalised time and again, and the debut of Jamie Roach who acquitted himself well under considerable duress. Withycombe enjoyed a fruitful ten-minute spell in the second half, starting with a turnover from the industrious Jack Pugsley, with Mike Richards putting in a highly improbable grubber kick from the halfway line which gave the lightning quick Will House the simplest of finishes to finally break his 1st XV duck with a try. Pugsley's conversion meant that with 15 minutes remaining, two more tries would win it for Withy, and a fantastic break from the ensuing kickoff gave them hope, only for a pass to go astray five metres out with the tryline begging. At the next scrum, Withycombe were again controversially penalised and the pressure was relieved; it was to be the last meaningful action in a highly entertaining game.

In all likelihood Sarries were as good as anything in Withycombe's league; the game was there for the taking but ultimately inconsistency robbed them of an eye-catching scalp. Back to the drawing board for next week's home game against mid-table OPMs.

Tiverton v Withycombe (Nov 2012)

Tiverton 26

Withycombe 15

Withycombe completed their series of trips to league's top teams with a lacklustre performance against a slightly less lacklustre Tiverton side. Conditions underfoot were sloppy, and spectators might have accused both sides of not playing to the conditions in the early stages as handling errors dominated the opening exchanges. After threatening for a while, Tiverton finally broke the deadlock after 16 minutes with a well-worked try in the corner. Four minutes later they were over again from a scrum five, and there was a hint that Withycombe's recent away day blues were returning. The green and blacks pressed hard from the ensuing kickoff, earning a series of penalties before settling on Jack Pugsley's boot from under the posts to make it 12-3.

Five minutes later though, Tiverton opened up the visitors far too easily, bringing the blindside winger in from a lineout and making the most of breaking the Withycombe line by scoring under the posts. The score remained 19-3 until halftime, and with neither side really playing to their potential, the game was still very much for the taking.

The second half started much the same as the first, error-strewn and fairly balanced, although Tiverton made much better use of the wind than Withycombe had in the first. Withycombe gave themselves hope when they were first to score, John Parkin finally taking advantage of one of the many holes in Tiverton's outside defence to dance over on 52 minutes, Pugsley adding the extras. However even with the penalty count ending 9-2 in Withycombe's favour, they couldn't make the most of their endeavours, and Tiverton effectively ended Withy's hopes of winning the game by scoring their bonus point try on 65 minutes to make it 26-10. A quick tap from a scrum infringement allowed Mike Richards to offload to Neil Williams late on for a try, but even the sin binning of Tiverton's star openside flanker inside the last ten minutes yielded little return for Withycombe's effort.

Next week Withy travel to Exeter Saracens for a cup tie, followed by a string of matches which will hopefully allow them to rebuild some momentum in time for the new year.

Withycombe v Newquay (Nov 2012)

Withycombe 42
Newquay Hornets 12

Withy returned to winning ways with a bonus point victory over a high-scoring Newquay outfit on Saturday. Withycombe started strongly, a Jack Pugsley penalty opening the scoring after some consistent pressure in the Newquay half. Hornets threw a spanner in the Withycombe works after ten minutes after some good offloads allowed them to catch Withycombe napping and score in the corner. That would signal the end of Newquay's scoring for a while as Withycombe scored 32 unanswered points. Making good use of the wind in the first half, Withycombe peppered the Newquay corners and their reward was two tries from lineouts: first a well-worked backs move giving Ben Mardle space to dive over in the corner, then a well-controlled drive which allowed Mike Richards to score untouched. Pugsley added the extras on the stroke of halftime to make it 15-5.

After a first half seemingly balanced on a knife-edge, Withycombe braced themselves for a fight in the second half which never really materialised. Newquay made poor use of the wind and Withycombe consistently ran the ball back with interest. First came a simple penalty conversion from Pugsley, before Ben Tuckett used his go go gadget arms to stretch for a unlikely score after a switch move from the second rows split the defence. Mike Symons ended any hope of a Newquay fightback with yet another run in from the halfway line, this one coming from a quick tap following a scrum infringement. Kevin Rodwell has been scoring consistently for Withycombe recently, but turned provider next as he came in to the line and fed Danny Sansom, who scored with Pugsley converting. Newquay grabbed a onsolation try after wearing Withycombe down with the pick-and-go, but the home side saved the best for last as hooker Dave Richards burst through the defence and ran a picture-perfect switch with prop Sam Manning who dived over to wrap up the scoring. Withycombe play the last of the "big four" away next Saturday, when they will be looking to build more momentum at Tiverton.

Teignmouth v Withycombe (Oct 2012)

Teignmouth 39
Withycombe 10

Withycombe's hopes of besting last season's fourth-placed finish in the league suffered another blow on Saturday as they slumped to a third defeat in five games. "The scoreline didn't accurately reflect the game" is becoming less of a catchphrase and more of a cruel joke; even the most ardent Teignmouth supporters would not place their side as 29 points better than a Withycombe side beset by injuries and unavailabilities.

It started grimly: exposing Withies' naivete at the breakdown, Teigns sniped from a first-phase ruck to score under the posts; then a Withy overlap was scuppered by an interception that was returned 60 metres for a try at the opposite end. It was 14-0 after seven minutes and Withycombe were on the ropes. The visitors rallied to put the home side under spells of considerable pressure; the much-vaunted Teigns scrum was constantly retreating and strong running from Withycombe's ball carriers made some huge inroads. Unfortunately for Withy, the finishing touch couldn't be applied and all too often the move would end with a drop-on or a Teigns penalty. On 40 minutes Withycombe finally got some reward for their industry, Jack Pugsley opening their account with a well-struck penalty from 40 yards, only for Teignmouth to reply with a try on the stroke of half-time to make it 19-3.

The second half continued in much the same vein as the first, Teignmouth striking with an early try and penalty to stretch their lead to 27-3, and a lot of hard work going to waste as Withycombe let themselves down with tactical kicking and discipline at the fringes of rucks. With 20 minutes to go Neil Williams stormed over from No.8 to give WIthycombe hope. Jack Pugsley slotted the conversion but it would be the last points Withycombe scored as time and again their creativity and hard work yielded nothing. Yellow cards for Mike Richards and Jack Pugsley in the closing stages of the game essentially ended Withycombe's dwindling hopes of salvaging anything from the game, and Teignmouth capitalised to run in two late tries to further inflate the apparent disparity between the teams. Despite the unfairness of the scoreline, Withycombe were distinctly second best on the day, and will have to learn to win in challenging circumstances. They host Newquay at Raleigh Park this Saturday with a further tough test the following week at Tiverton.

Withycombe v Liskeard-Looe (Oct 2012)

Withycombe 31
Liskeard-Looe 10

Withycombe entered this game fully in the knowledge that nothing was at stake; Liskeard had turned up with only 15 players and could not field a front row. Therefore Withycombe had 5 points in the bag and Liskeard were playing with uncontested scrums merely to avoid a penalty. Though this provided what appeared to be the perfect rehearsal for next week's crunch meeting at Teignmouth, the afternoon proved bittersweet for Withy.

It all started to plan: some pressure applied by the forwards allowed the back to show some deft hands to put Kevin Rodwell in the corner after only a couple of minutes. Liskeard seemed determined to keep the score down by whatever means necessary after this, with niggles, punches and persistent offending at the breakdown. Unfortunately for Withycombe the referee appeared to have entered into the lackadaisical spirit and the ruck area became a mess. A good three-quarter move broke the stalemate with Brad Perkins putting Rodwell away to claim his second with Jack Pugsley converting. Liskeard managed to snatch a try through some enterprising pick-and-go moves that caught Withy napping at the fringes just before the break to make it 12-5 at the half.

The second half continued in much the same vein as the first. Rodwell first completed his hat-trick, Mike Symons scored what is fast becoming a trademark try from the halfway line and Neil Williams wrapped up the scoring finishing off a backs move, with Pugsley adding two conversions; whilst Liskeard snatched an opportunistic try of their own. Withycombe also suffered a blow before Saturday's Teignmouth showdown with an injury to openside flanker Brad Perkins. It's not all bad news though: despite being deprived of the scrum, one of their biggest weapons, and though it was far from a vintage performance, Withycombe came away with a comfortable win on the day under difficult circumstances. Not long ago this could have been a very different match report. Added to the hat-trick of relative new boy Kevin Rodwell; just last year he might have been helping Exmouth's third team avoid defeat to a burgeoning Withycombe second string at the Imperial Ground on Saturday. Things are looking up for Withycombe, and they have every reason to look to Saturday's big game at Teignmouth with confidence.

St Ives v Withycombe (Oct 2012)

St Ives 32
Withycombe 5

Withycombe travelled to deepest darkest Cornwall for a daunting encounter against the league's form side St Ives in what would be a crucial litmus test of their league ambitions. Withycombe, playing up the slope and into the wind, started the better of the two sides, but struggled to turn early possession into points. In fact St Ives took the lead after the swirling wind took hold of a high ball and a cruel bounce led to a catastrophic error in the Withycombe backfield. Despite a knock-on in the build up, the try was awarded and with Withycombe still reeling, the hosts scored again soon after to make it 12-0 after 12 minutes. If things felt ominous for the travelling Withy supporters, the next 20 minutes gave them cause for hope in the second half as the simplistic St Ives gameplan of hoof 'n' chase yielded no results. In fact Withycombe were the ones to curse missed opportunities, with a penalty kick for touch going dead, passes not quite going to hand and the unthinkable happening; Mike Symons chased down with nothing but green grass between him and the tryline! Unfortunately Withycombe could not quite hold on until halftime; a poor clearance kick from inside the 22 was gathered by the acting St Ives fullback, who bamboozled the Withy defence with some dazzling footwork to score in the right hand corner. A penalty on the stroke of halftime made it 22-0 to the hosts.

Withycombe's second half will be remembered by most as another glut of missed opportunities: with the penalty count finishing at 13-6 in Withycombe's favour, it afforded ample opportunity for the trusty Withies' rolling maul. Except Ives were wise to this, and by fair means or foul, disrupted the Withycombe mauls time and again to thwart Withy's attempts at their line. Two St Ives yellow cards for persistent infringement were still not enough for Withycombe to break down the well-organised Ives defence. Terry Mears came closest only to drop the ball agonisingly close to the line, until late in the day when some sterling defensive pressure and a big hit from Andrei Toma allowed John Parkin to dive on the loose ball and claim Withies' scant reward for all their good work. As if to rub salt in the wounds, Ives then scored a late try, with a forward pass in the build up, to claim the four-try bonus point.

Coach Trevor Harris had said before the game that "sometimes the bounce of the ball will change a game" and it had felt like Withycombe's luck had deserted them. That said, even hardened Withy supporters could not argue the fact that the result was the right one, however the scoreline flattered St Ives, and following Withies' creditable display against a team who will surely be title challengers, Ives will surely not relish the return fixture at Raleigh Park later in the season.

Withycombe v Falmouth (Sep 2012)

Mike

Withycombe 62
Falmouth 17

Withycombe finally found top gear in a second-half performance that coach Trevor Harris described as "the best I've seen at Raleigh Park in a long while". Falmouth arrived having won their opening two games and having posed serious questions to Withy last year. However within five minutes the tone of the game had been set: Danny Sansom scoring from a blindside break, swiftly followed by a red card being shown to a Falmouth second row for a sickening punch on Withy winger Adam Morris which required hospital attention.

Withycombe did well to stay above the niggles and cheap shots and concentrated on playing rugby. Mike Richards was the next to benefit from Falmouth's distraction with a well-taken try from a short lineout, Tom Steer adding the extras. Withycombe's continued lapses in concentration led to a penalty attempt for Falmouth which was fortunately scuffed and fell well short of going over. Brad Perkins showed the way, paving the way for Neil Williams to score his first try.

Falmouth then caught the Withy boys napping when their No.8 crashed over from a cleverly-worked lineout from short distance to keep them in it at 17-5. Withycombe once again replied, seemingly as necessary, with James "SD" Perkins busting the line and offloading to skipper Dave Richards, the hooker bamboozling the Falmouth full back to dive over untouched leaving a simple conversion for Tom Steer. Once more before half time the Withycombe concentration would lapse. Perhaps scenting blood, the home side pushed hard for a turnover on the last play of the half, only for Falmouth to take advantage of an inside shoulder not being covered, the resulting try and conversion leaving the game apparently finely balanced at 24-12 at the half.

In the second half the Withycombe fitness really shone through in the heat, though. The youthful back line ran riot, Tom Steer making a huge break and Danny Sansom being the beneficiary, Steer adding the extras. Next a Mike Richards (the old man of the starting lineup at a venerable 27) lineout steal gave Neil Williams a far from simple finish that the barnstorming centre, now moonlighting at No.8, took with glee in the top corner.

Falmouth's frustration was beginning to show, and this manifested itself in a second red card, this time for a petulant second yellow. From a Falmouth scrum shortly afterward, Brad Perkins poached a loose ball to dive fully two metres to score, Steer again converting. Withycombe were then reduced to 14 men temporarily when Mike Richards was sin binned for a dangerous tackle, and despite a Falmouth try shortly afterward, this would not stop the Withy momentum. Kevin Rodwell scored from a flowing scrum move in clubhouse corner, a Neil Williams offload then allowed John Parkin to break and feed Dave Richards for Rodwell to grab his 4th try in 3 league games in Withycombe colours, Steer once again adding the extras. As if to mark that their dominance was across all areas, the final Withycombe score came from a lineout drive, Brad Perkins again dotting down for his 2nd of the day. Steer's boot left the scoreboard at 62-17, a score which will surely have raised eyebrows across the league. Blindside flanker Terry Mears earned the man of the match award on his 1st XV debut, and Withycombe's strength in depth continues to grow. This Saturday they travel to Saltash, newly-promoted high-fliers in what will once again prove to be a considerable test of their season's ambitions.

Plymouth Barbarians v Withycombe (Sep 2012)

Plymouth Barbarians 10
Withycombe 41

Withycombe travelled to Plymouth buoyed by the previous week's win over Crediton and looking to make their mark in the league this year. However things got off to an unconvincing start. Withycombe heads appeared to be still on the bus until Mike Symons poached a loose ball from the back of a Babarians scrum before showing his electric pace in finishing from 50 metres out, leaving a simple conversion for Jack Pugsley. Sloppy play from the kickoff allowed Babas the immediate chance to reply though, a penalty being awarded for obstruction which was duly converted by Finley Gilding to make it 7-3.

Withy were full of invention but at times lacked the finishing touch. However when things did come together, the results were stunning. Jamie Rose fed the returning John Parkin who shimmied, dummied and feigned his way to the line with twenty minutes gone. The score remained 12-3 for 15 minutes, with Barbarians not really threatening to score and Withycombe making poor use of good possession. On 33 minutes a botched Barbarians clearance kick was collected by Mike Richards, with the ball going through Neil Williams and Jamie Rose to allow Adam Morris to waltz over in the corner. The offloads were coming thick and fast now and another flowing move five minutes later gave Ben Tuckett a similar run-in to Morris', Pugsley this time slotting the touchline conversion attempt to make it 24-3 at the half with the bonus point already secured.

The second half brought more of the same, Withycombe again looking untroubled by the Barbarians attack, creating plenty of chances but too often lacking the finishing touch. After 60 minutes, period of sustained pressure in the opposition 22 led Jack Pugsley to slot a drop goal in order to get the scoreboard ticking over again. It seemed to pay dividende as shortly afterward, good inroads by the forwards gave Neil Williams the chance to make a trademark line break and dart over the tryline, Pugsley again converting.

Withycombe's scoring was rounded off with a nice bit of forward interplay, flanker Brad Perkins offloading to prop Sam Manning who popped inside for No. 8 Mike Richards to flop over the line having been disallowed a "stonewaller" some five minutes earlier. Pugsley converted to make it 41-3. Barbarians did score a late consolation try as Withycombe struggled to clean up some quick-won ruck ball in their own half; their willingness to offload went from being their biggest strength to the rope by which they hung themselves as Steve Hammon pounced on a loose pass and darted under the posts, converting his own try to leave it 41-10 at the final whistle. Plenty to work on, but 2 from 2 and still not convincingly out of third gear leaves Withycombe well placed; results suggest that Falmouth may prove a sterner test this weekend at Raleigh Park.

Veor v Withycombe (Mar 2012)

Veor 16

Withycombe 18

Withycombe’s trip to Veor was never expected to be straightforward, and so it proved in a match featuring two dismissals but where both teams ended with 15 players on the field.

The old adage that “you don’t get much change out of a Cornish referee in Cornwall” rang truer than on most away days, though Withies’ persistent backchat lost them ten yards at penalty decisions on many occasions. Paddy Shaw put the away side ahead with an early penalty, before Veor took hold of the match. First they were to butcher a three-on-one before running in a try under the posts, adding two penalties in a flurry that had Withycombe scratching their heads.

Withies kept pushing, kicking into the wind into the bottom corner of an undulating slope, and their endeavour finally paid off just before half-time when captain Neil Williams darted over from the back of a maul. There was just time for a baffling penalty to be given against Dave Richards straight from the kickoff, enraging Withies coach Trevor Harris and allowing Veor to stretch their lead to eight points at the break.

If the first half was a tense, gripping affair it had nothing on the second. Withycombe upped their game in defence and their smart use of the boot ensured that Veor never really looked like scoring. It was no help at the business end though, with Withycombe bashing at the Veor midfield but struggling to convert chances against a very abrasive defence. Swinging arms and punches were thrown and several times it came close to kicking right off, but Withycombe stayed focused on the job at hand.

The same could not be said for the travelling support, unfortunately, with John Perkins earning the first of the game’s sendings-off. Perkins was ordered from the ground for an off-colour remark despite his protestations of free citizenship, and continued his unique support from outside the fence.

A Paddy Shaw penalty brought Withycombe within touching distance, setting up a fascinating final ten minutes. The pattern stayed much the same, Veor scuppering the Withycombe attacks at the breakdown in the final third, until a scrum penalty was taken quickly by Mike Richards, with ball thrown wide from the midfield ruck and Ben Mardle crashed over in the corner with minutes remaining. In spite of the referee’s assurance that the game “will finish 16-all”, Paddy Shaw stuck two fingers up at the Cornish in the best way possible by landing the touchline conversion to nudge Withycombe ahead, delighting the small but determined band of Withycombe supporters.

Withycombe then ran the clock out to record their eighth straight victory, before Veor’s class clown decided that the game hadn’t been eventful enough, and earned himself a nonsensical extra-curricular red card for a love tap that left prop Sam Manning with a little bit of a boo-boo in his mouthy.

John Perkins perhaps said it best when he shouted from the top of the fence that “justice had been done”; the threadbare team that Withycombe took down showed a remarkable amount of heart to win in such trying circumstances, and special thanks goes to Marc Briggs for hauling himself out of retirement to do his bit in the trenches.

Withycombe have the nucleus of a very promising team here: with a bit of luck they may finish fourth after an inauspicious start to the season. With  a bit of recruitment and a full-time second team, who knows where they might be in the table come this time next year.

Withycombe: Manning, D Richards, Gibbons, Brambles, J Perkins, Parry, Tuckett, M Richards, Williams, Shaw, Mardle, Morris, Tanton, Steer, Briggs. Tries: Williams, Mardle. Cons: Shaw. Pens: Shaw 2

Totnes v Withycombe (Mar 2012)

Totnes RFC 15

Withycombe 32

Withycombe travelled to bottom side Totnes on Saturday for a match billed as a "potential banana skin" in Withies' run-in plans.

With five wins from their previous six starts, Withycombe have been enjoying a real purple patch of late and have their sights set on a top four finish. They started just as they finished the previous week's trouncing of Liskeard-Looe, Dave Smashmore using one of his trademark thumping runs to set the scene for Adam Morris to scamper over in the corner with less than five minutes on the clock.

The euphoria was not to last long, though. Withycombe appeared intent on letting Totnes back into the game, and after two woeful attempts at penalty goals, Totnes winger George Palk decided it might be better to simply score a try in the corner.

The levelling of the scores seemed to provide Withies with something of a kick up the backside, though they still seemed reluctant to take the lead. The comfortable green and black dominance in the set-piece meant there was little cause for panic; though this made the wasted chances all the more frustrating. First Mike Richards carelessly fumbled with the tryline begging, then Tom Steer missed a penalty when the referee finally decided to punish Totnes for lying on the ball. 

It was to take another trademark charge from Dave Passmore to break the deadlock with five minutes before the half time break, this time charging over himself and taking three hapless Totnes defenders with him. There was just enough time before the break for Withycombe to gift Totnes a penalty for offside at the ruck, full-back Callum Prowse converting to make it 10-8 to Withycombe at the break.

Playing down the hill, Withycombe played with more industry in the second half, though it was "more of the same" for the first twenty minutes. An injection of go-forward from ben Mardle set the platform for the Withycombe forwards to pick-and-go until the Totnes defence gave way, with the returning Ben Wright making the decisive yards. Totnes skipper Tim Martin took advantage of some sloppy Withycombe defending to score an unlikely try under the posts just four minutes later, with Prowse converting to level the scores at 15.

Around the sixty-minute mark, Withycombe seemed to finally click and break the Totnes resolve. The arrival of Phil Sluman and Matt Brambles from the bench appeared to have the somewhat counter-intuitive effect of stoking Withycombe right up, though it took another ten minutes for it to show on the scoreboard. After yet another penalty in the Totnes 22, Richard Hall decided he'd had enough and crashed over from a quick tap to secure the lead and the four-try bonus point, leaving his best mate Dean Chisling with the simplest of conversions.

Chisling then put the tie beyond the likely reach of Totnes with a well-struck penalty with five minutes to go. It was 75 minutes into the match, and Withies appeared to be just getting started! A fantastic kick-and-chase a couple of minutes later gave Withies a final chance to impress with a five-metre scrum. Quick hands from the base gave Adam Morris the simplest of finishes for the second of his brace, apt reward for his recent run of form.

In truth, this was a match that Withycombe were never likely to lose, and although the final score may have flattered the victors slightly,  it still represents an upward swing in Withycombe's fortunes of late. Six wins from seven now; 2013 will be interesting.

Withycombe: Steer, Morris, Hall, Passmore, Mardle, Chisling, Parry, Manning, D Richards (capt), Gibbons, J Perkins, Wright, Ferreday, Tuckett, Richards. Reps: Brambles, Sluman, Tanton

Tries: Morris 2, Passmore, Wright, Hall. Cons: Chisling 2. Pens: Chisling.

BUCS: AECC RFC v Bristol Uni 3s (Mar 2011)

AECC RFC 33

Forrest 2T, Ryan 1T, Davis 1T, Crombie 1T, PIS 4C

University of Bristol 3rd XV 21

The AECC yet again showed their class with a relatively comfortable victory over a talented Bristol side. Bristol had travelled down on a Monday night to play under lights at Chapel Gate, which was an exciting event for all concerned. So exciting, in fact, that it drew a sell-out crowd made up mostly of AECC students (a big thankyou to everyone that turned up).

The Chiros started brightly. The lineout dominance from Callum Forrest in particular and the cool, calm and collected play of talented fresher Dan Pollard-Inshorts (double-barrelled; posh) laid the foundations for a solid first half in which all the AECC points were scored. Forrest scored two tries himself, which now leaves him on the quite frankly ludicrous scoring stretch of 6 tries in his last 3 AECC games.

The returning and persistently impressive Alan Ryan also nabbed himself a try, proving that you don’t have to be big to play rugby, but it certainly helps if you get an assist from someone who is; Forrest providing the scoring pass. Iain Crombie also continued his habit of just generally weaselling his way into stuff by creeping onto the scoresheet, lurking over the line from close range as is typical of the AECC’s “mane man”.

The pick of the scores though, came from recently-single Ricky Davis. Pollard-Inshorts, moving with the grace and ease of a unicorn in full flight, released Forrest who used his velvet hands to put Davis in just enough space for his blistering speed to carry him home. Pollard –Inshorts (also known by the acronym PIS) also kicked 4 of 5 conversions before leaving the field at half-time with a leg problem (perhaps through exposure to the cold; he was wearing shorts you see). After that, the AECC failed to score. Read into that what you will, but it does suggest that the success of a rugby team is inextricably linked with the presence of Dan Pollard-Inshorts.

Bristol managed to take advantage of a couple of collective brain farts to score 21 points, but because it’s late and I don’t really care much for talking about other teams scoring, I won’t bore you any further with the details. Aside from that, the second half was only really remarkable for it kicking off a bit, mostly following a no-arms hit from Mike Richards which probably should have warranted some sort of disciplinary action.

Long story short, AECC are back to winning ways, and now need only to field a team and do better than losing by 114 points to secure promotion for the second year running. Woop woop, as the kids say.

Quote of the day: Deano “Frosty, Frosty, I’m deep inside you”

Squad: Stroon, Arden, Edwards, Forrest, Witzoe, Matthews, Crombie, Richards, Gimby, Frost, Hurkett, Bateman, Ryan, Davis, Pollard. Subs: Tintin, Endler, Conlay, Pooley, Waldin, Stephenson.

AECC RFC

Not bad for Bournemouth Uni 2nd XV

BUCS: AECC RFC v Bath Uni 4s (March 2011)

AECC RFC 24

Forrest 3T, Davis 1T, Pollard 2C

University of Bath 4th XV 27

AECC Squad: Stroon, Bignell, Buzza, Forrest, Horne, Conlay, Cheggers, Le Roux, Bateman, Frost, Tintin, Stephenson, Ryan, Davis, Pollard. Subs: Crombie, Matthews, Jaskulski, Endler. Management: Richards, McMahon.

23rd February 2011. The AECC face their biggest ever challenge: a top-of-the-table clash which would surely prove to be a title decider. This one was so big that even last year's fan favourite Luke "Cheggers" Pegna travelled down from london, all special like, just to play for the Chiros (just one of the many reasons we like the chap). Some early pressure gave Dan Pollard an early penalty chance. That was to be the last high point for a while, sadly. With Joe Frost being caught up in a customary altercation after five minutes with the Bath 7 (who would prove to be a continued source of chiropractic headaches that afternoon) the Bath backs took advantage of the Chiros’ temporary distraction to score a breakout try from their own 22.

Some curious refereeing seemed to be the order of the day, sadly not for the first time this season. This first reared its ugly head when Alan Ryan sliced open the Bath defence only for the opposition to infringe deep in their own 22, and the advantage seeming to disappear into thin air, which was a bit crap.

On 21 minutes, Dan Pollard’s deceptive turn of pace opened up an overlap down the right wing, the ball coming to Callum Forrest, only for the big man to put his bloody boot on it! But wait! With a cry of “oh yes!”, Forrest set off in hot pursuit of the ball, seemingly causing the Bath full back to temporarily lose control of his faculties in the face of his looming destruction at the hands of the AECC’s very own not-so-gentle giant (Callum’s favourite word? “Vicious”). Forrest then picked up the bobbling ball and dotted down for the greatest try he’d ever scored, at least until later on. Pollard converted to make it 7-7.

However, if you thought the tide was turning, think again. Despite having the better of the game, an incisive backs move from Bath carved the AECC defence apart. As if 14-7 wasn’t bad enough,a few minutes later a chip and chase from the oldest-looking man I’ve ever seen in a University rugby match (except for the venerable Angelo Battiston) chipped and chased, and got the spawniest ounce imaginable, completely wrong-footing the hapless Ricky Davis to leave a short stroll under the posts. 21-7, and the Chiros were reeling.

Bath continued to ride their luck when Dean Matthews was harshly punished for a fantastic hit with the last action of the half. Bath slotted the resultant penalty kick to take a 24-7 halftime lead.

Some fantastic input from the sideline management of Mike Richards and Liam McMahon was to inspire a comeback some have called “Lazarus-esque” in the second half.

It all started, as many things do, with a fight. Alan Ryan, presumably taking his inspiration from Richards’ rather improbable earlier pitch invasion (to politely talk to that Bath 7 chap), became embroiled in a brutal pushing and shoving exchange with resulted in two yellow cards.

Ryan’s departure triggered all sorts of scoring for the AECC. First of all, Callum Forrest appears to have gotten big ideas with his kicking. From a shody bath lineout, Forrest “soccered it on” to regather the ball just in time to fall over the tryline in the corner. Pollard struggled from the sideline, missing as he did to leave the score at 24-12.

Just three minutes later, Matt Bateman’s scavenging instincts from the back of the lineout, opened a gaping hole for him to break, before releasing the ball through the hands for Ricky Davis to dive over in the corner. Pollard again missed from his least favourite corner; 24-17.

A stolen scrum on 56 minutes had Dean Matthews break and come agonisingly slose to scoring, but the Chiros would not have to wait long. Continued pressure gave the AECC a lineout just five metres out, the resultant drive enabling Callum Forrest to complete his hat-tick in frankly disappointing style given the nature of his previous scores. Pollard was on hand to tie the game at 24-24 with his trusty boot.

With 20 minutes left to go and the AECC seemingly in unstoppable form, Bath reintroduced my new least favourite person: the dreaded No.7. Cue 20 minutes of tense stuff as neither team gave an inch. Since nothing sums up the feeling of losing their first ever league game better than the notes on this reporter’s phone, I shall leave them in the match report in their original format. Needless to say, the winning kick was the last action of the game.

79 mins pen on aecc 10. Slotted. Gutted. 24-27.

AECC Rugby v Netball Round 2 (Feb 2011)

NETBALL MATCH REPORT

AECC Netball Girls 13

AECC Rugby Boys 26

On the afternoon of Saturday 5th February, the annual Charity Ball sporting challenge was held when the AECC Netball girls took on the all-conquering AECC rugby boys... AT NETBALL!!!

The girls prepared with years of experience and a full season of very successful netball, while the boys prepared with a short whiteboard session in the Toggler’s Arms approximately an hour prior to tip-off (or whatever it’s called).

Fanatical spectator Stroon Broon has handed me a notebook with 12 pages of lovingly prepared hieroglyphic notes on every move of the game for “processing”, but I think I’m gonna stick to the nice summary at the end. Basically the boys won (again), and the girls still won’t play them at rugby (boo!).

Goals for the boys

Matt Bateman 12

Nathan Chilton 10

Ricky C Davis 3

Jonny Coller  1

Fouls for the boys

Jonny Coller 13

Sindre 9

Scott Gimby 7

Matt Bateman 7

Alex Horne 7

Nathan Chilton 5

Dominik Jaskulski 4

Tom White 2

Ricky C Davis 1

Iain Crombie 1

Line-up: GK – Sindre, GD – Horne, WD - Dom Jaskulski, WD – Coller/Gimby, C – Cromsy/Gimby, GA – Ricky/Chiltern, GS – Bateman/Ricky.

Sadly no stats exist for the girls because Stroon does not like looking at girls.

Reaction

Captain Matt Bateman said this:

“We obviously had no idea what we were doing, running around, fouling, and we still just dominated them. It was embarrassing.”

Whilst Stroon was more philosophical when asked what he thought about Netball

“It’s like the college bar: no, bantering, no hitting and if you do something mildly objectionable, you’re temporarily out of the game and have to say sorry. And if you do something really bad everything gets locked up and nobody has any fun.”

All in all, a most enjoyable experience that, should anyone read this, will probably never happen again.

BUCS: Bath Spa 1s v AECC RFC (Feb 2011)

Bath Spa University 0

AECC RFC 48

On Wednesday 9th February, the intrepid explorers of the AECC RFC set sail aboard the SS Minibus for Bath Spa, currently bottom of the table with no wins from their opening four games. The journey passed smoothly, save for the notable exception of coach Frosty laying eggs out of his face.

"LOL"

Upon arrival, the referee looked a bit gimpish, but turned out to do an alright job, so I’ll say no more about that.

It didn’t take long for the AECC to get into the swing of things. Scott Gimby sniped from a ruck to score under the posts after just two minutes, Matt Bateman converting to make it 7-0.

From the ensuing kickoff, the AECC’s ball retention was impeccable, until Ben Rutter’s fateful kick which was to have repercussions later, but more on that later.

When Bath Spa were penalised for holding on just outside their 22, Matt Bateman stepped up and slotted the penalty to make it 10-0 to AECC.

Physicality was proving to be a major factor in the momentum of the game. Seemingly continous big tackles from Matt Bateman, Clive Hurkett bumping the “speed man playing opposite him, and a particularly withering hit from BU friend Josh Conlay, possibly the find of the season, characterised the gap in the sides’ abilities.

This could not disguise the fact that Bath Spa were dogged, and with poor discipline at the ruck costing the AECC, it was the lineout presence of Alex Horne and Callum Forrest, as well as Scott Gimby’s fantastic box kicks which were getting the AECC out of jail time and again.

Bath Spa seemed to think that this was an indication that their doggedness would eventually win out, particularly evident from the sideline, where talk of “bringing on the big boys” and “damage limitation until half time” were rife. This reporter and the bench-warming Dan Pollard found these claims ridiculous, and were soon to be proved right.

An up and under from player-coach Joe Frost gave the returning Alan Ryan the chance to tackle someone without the ball, allowing Kristian “Tintin” Gjermundrød to carefully pick the ball up, and after a few beautiful phases and some great hands, Tintin scored in the left corner to make it 15-0. Matt Bateman added the conversion with the spawniest of ricochets off the top of the right hand post.

Shortly afterward, coach Frosty was at the inception of another try-scoring sequence with a modified charge-down, that is to say, simply catching a kick at very close range. Nothing but green green grass lay between Frost and a glorious try, but sadly the ageing hamstrings were simply not conducive to a scorching finish. After several handoffs, the offload went awry, but Alan Ryan carried the poor Bath Spa winger back under his own posts (“the best thing I’ve ever done” – actual quote, are you reading this Fran?) for an AECC scrum. A penalty for collapsing the scrum resulted in another scrum, Alex Horne claiming the pushover try for himself. A simple conversion from Bateman made it 24-0.

Another break from the frankly fantastic Scott Gimby led to some sustained pressure in the Bath Spa half directly from the restart. By now the AECC were playing excellent rugby. At the resulting scrum, a simple 8-9-14 move down the blindside allowed Clive hurkett to put horne in for his second try in the right corner. Half-time 29-0 to AECC, and Bath Spa’s earlier claims were looking increasingly ridiculous.

The first score of the second half was crucially important, as if it was scored by the AECC, surely a victory was safe, whereas a try for Bath Spa... would still probably end in a win for AECC. Kristian Gjermundrød chased down a kick from at least 15 metres offside but like a true AECC great, played the whistle. Although he was stepped, Joe Frost, Bateman and Alan Ryan followed with a rather unappetising trio of shoulders. Under pressure, the desperate Spa kicked clear, straight into the arms of the fresh legs of Dan Pollard (?). While Pollard provided the rapier, slicing the Spa defence in twain, the 6’8” Callum Forrest provided the bludgeopon to go the final 2 metres for the try (don’t tell anyone, but it was dropped). Another Bateman conversion made it 36-0.

The next score was to come courtesy of a stolen lineout. Alex Horne pilfering yet another Spa lineout which was then driven from the 22. After much loitering and “encouragement” (swearing) from the sideline, Ben Rutter finally joined the maul, and unfortunately for all involved, actually scored the bugger. 41-0.

After 30 mins further Spa ineptitude caused a head injury, meaning that scrums had to go uncontested. This freed up Struan Brown (whom many have claimed plays his best rugby in the last ten minutes anyway) to do a bit more work around the field, culminating in the first ever “Stroon Boom”, the hit heard all the way back in Glasgow.

The final flourish of the AECC came with the last play of the game, myriad offloads on the break after Spa pressure leading to Kev Moo scoring the final try of the day. Dan Pollard’s conversion made the final score an emphatic 48-0, and a perfect warm-up for the visit of Bath university 3rd team for the top-of-the table clash on the 23rd.

Reaction

Captain Matt Bateman had this to say about the performance:

"Like the pitch, the game was a bit lopsided, played classy efficient rugby 1st half. Dan pollard's arrival and some overambitious rugby led to it tailing off second half. Overall, solid performance."

Coach Joe Frost was more nonsensical:

"Seagulls fished for the sardines in a manner that a welshman would chase joe worsley across a lush cornfield of pomegranates vis-a-vis ref etc"

The boys are enjoying the fishing experiences, with snowboarding becoming a large part of the triangular quadrant of hate aimed squarely at the enemy with the attempt of roundly beating them. Polly might be gone though. Hope there's no hexes. DODECAHEDRON!"

Let’s hope those eggs aren’t hatching in his brain!

Man of the Match- Honourable mention to Joe Frost (partly for playing a full 80, partly because he always whinges about never getting it). The result was a 3 way tie: Scott Gimby (for what will inevitably become an 80m, 17-dummy sniping try), Alex Horne (number 8 is SO easy, apparently), and the excellent Josh Conlay.

Dick of the Day was more straightforward- Tintin was nominated, but the runaway winner was Ben Rutter with 11 votes. Reasons include not showering, continually wanting to be subbed, kicking the ball, voting himself Man of the Match, backing his pace, try sniffing, and continual shit bants.

Scorers: Gimby 1T, Horne 2T, Rutter 1T, Forrest 1T, Gjermundrød 1T, Marillier 1T, Bateman 1P 4C, Pollard 1C.

Team: Buzza, Rutter, Stroon, Forrest, Swaffield, Conlay, Toby Lenthal, Horne, Gimby, Frost, Gjermundrød, Bateman, Ryan, Hurkett, Marillier. Subs: Pollard

AECC RFC

Generally not bad