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.
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