Pirates Amateurs 7
Withycombe emerged with the spoils in a tense affair againsta well-matched Pirates side on Saturday. The old saying goes that "defence wins championships", and although Withy are likely out of the running now, "D" was king in this encounter.
Withycombe spent the best part of the first 30 minutes camped in the Pirates 22, although no amount of banging on the door would yield them the opening score. Jack Pugsley's increasingly reliable boot failed him twice before finally breaking the deadlock on 32 minutes with his third penalty attempt. Pirates had a chance to level the game but hit the bar and the score remained 3-0 at the break.
The second half started with a jolt; the Pirates' Number 8 taking advantage of the game's only major defensive error by sniping at the fringe of a ruck to dash under the posts. Both sides had opportunities but failed to capitalise; Withycombe ignored several overlaps and man of the match Kevin Rodwell worked frantically off the ball to no avail until the Withycombe backline finally unleashed him in space. Rodwell darted over in the corner to make it 8-7. Pugsley would have another opportunity to add three points but missed, and Withycombe once again edged a close one after holding out in a nailbiting finish. Lowly Plymouth Barbarians visit Raleigh Park next week in Withycombe's last scheduled game before the festivities of the Boxing Day fixture.
Barnstaple 3rd XV 10
Withycombe 2nd XV 6
Withycombe's blossoming second team fell to their first defeat of the season after travelling to take on a similarly unbeaten Barnstaple 3rd XV. Despite missing many of their "wise old heads", Withycombe were not lacking in effort, and led 6-3 at the break courtesy of two Lee Tanton penalties. Barnstaple were probably the more streetwise of the outfits, and the arrival of a couple of lumpy big boys in the second half allowed them to score a try after rumbling the phases down the hill in atrocious conditions. Withycombe have plenty to take from the game: more new players were blooded and the boys can most likely look forward to a good run in the Merit Table next year as recruitment gathers momentum.
No comments:
Post a Comment