Late Try Leads to Defeat in Exeter

The Ladies travelled to Exeter Saracens in what turned out to be an exciting and hard-fought contest. 

The atmosphere was fantastic, with both teams determined to claim victory. 

Withycombe scored four outstanding tries, courtesy of Charlotte Leckie, Georgia Skelly, Ebony Mardle, and a powerful pack effort. The first Withycombe try came from Leckie, who executed a swan dive over a pile of defenders to put Withy on the scoreboard. The second try saw Skelly finishing off a set-piece from the scrum, using Jen’s support on the blindside to cross the line. After a tense first half, the teams switched ends. 

Try saving tackles were made by Holly Thompson. Powerful breaks from Jane Mclellan and quick thinking from Flicc Dunn which made it a fast and exciting second half. Mardle then produced one of the highlights of the match, picking the ball from the back of a scrum, dummying Exeter’s number 13, and sidestepping their full-back to score under the posts. All three tries were impressively converted by Skelly, keeping Withycombe striking distance away from the win throughout. 

The lineouts were a key aspect of Withycombe’s play, with Mardle being lifted high and securing crucial possession. Meanwhile, Ewelina Kaleta was a defensive powerhouse, going in hard for every tackle and proving how much her training has paid off. The competitive streak in Terrianne Densham, Devona Thompson and Sarah English ramped up making sure their pod carried the ball into tackles hard. Quick hands from scrum half Flo Greensitt saw the ball shipped out through the back line to Emily Sutcliffe’s safe hands. Exeter fielded a strong side, maintaining 15 players on the pitch throughout the match, and battled fiercely against Withy’s advances. 

In the final moments, Exeter led by 27 points, but Withycombe’s forwards mounted a final push, closing the gap to just one point. With the score at 27-26, it all came down to a final conversion. Skelly lined up the kick from a challenging angle and distance, but unfortunately, it just fell short. 

As the final whistle blew, Withycombe came agonisingly close to snatching the win. Despite the narrow loss, the borrowed players made a huge impact, and the Withycombe Ladies left the field proud of their effort in a thrilling game. 

We look forward to welcoming Exeter Sarries down to Raleigh Park in January for what will be another fantastic game.