Bude v Withycombe (3-1-15)

Bude 14

Withycombe 7

 

Withycombe's promotion hopes took a knock in atrocious conditions at Bude on Saturday.

There was little to write home about as two enormous packs traded punches for twenty minutes until the scoring was inevitably opened by a rolling maul under the Withycombe posts. With scores hard to come by, Bude's lead took on added significance and Withycombe were almost having too chase the game. The ball in hand was a liability and Withycombe's territory game left something to be desired, although they spent the final ten minutes of the half knocking at the door in the Bude 22.

With the emphasis in the half time team talk laid squarely on scoring first and getting back into the game, Glenn Channing's early missed penalty proved costly as Bude promptly marched up the pitch and scored their second try, the impressive touchline conversion putting victory three scores from the visitors. After twenty minutes of effort and a Bude yellow card for persistent offending, Joe Parkin scampered through the defence to get Withycombe back into the game with ten minutes to go, but the Green & Black couldn't repeat the trick and the game slipped away. Struggling OPM visit Withycombe this Saturday.

Withycombe: Jack Pugsley, Will Hockin, Joe Parkin (1T), Andrei Toma, Terry Mears, Glenn Channing (1C), John Parkin, Chris Gibbons, Dave Richards, Phil Sluman, Dave Sims, Jon Axon, Connor Gilby, Simon Tozer, Mike Richards. Reps: Sam Manning, Tim WIlls, Kevin Rodwell.