Withies Prosper at The Parkway

A statement performance sees the boys return from Plymouth with the win

Withies issued the perfect comeback from last weekend’s cancelled fixture with a courageous performance away in Plymouth against Tamar Saracens. Travelling down the A38 with just sixteen players, there was potential for a tough match; however, Withy were keen to prove otherwise. 

With the game getting underway, the hosts controlled the lion’s share of the opening possession, working through the phases to gain some momentum. Withy defended well and managed to turn the ball over, finding themselves in a decent attacking position of their own. With a few recycled balls, scrum half Alex Peterson spotted a small gap in the defence and sniped through to score. Tom Cooke’s conversion topped up the points and Withy were 0-7 up after 9 minutes. 

The exciting start continued, and with it the hard-hitting tackles. After just 16 minutes, Withy were forced to deploy their solitary substitute after Aidan Clarke picked up a knock. 

Undeterred by the changes, Withy continued to make some good breaks and almost managed another score in the corner, with the try denied by a last-ditch tackle into touch. 

The next points of the game went the way of the hosts as they made the most of a man-advantage following the sinbinning of Adam Clayton to score 10m to the side of the posts under a melee of bodies over the line. 

The visitors were soon down to thirteen players after Josh Saunders was also shown yellow for tackling a quickly taken penalty ahead of the mark. The depleted team battled through the defensive phases, denying any further points for the home side. 

With the clock now in the red for the end of the first half, there was one last opportunity for points offered to Withy with a tough penalty kick. Cooke struck the ball with complete precision to give Withy a 7-10 lead at the break. 

The second half began well for Withy and a Ben Dawson break found Sam Wheeler who utilised the right-hand wing well to gain huge amounts of ground, but with an eleventh-hour tackle preventing the score, the ball was effectively recovered and taken through the phases before Luke Crompton launched over the line to score and extend Withies’ lead. 

The following 15-20 minutes saw both sides do battle in the middle third of the field. Sarries had a chance to close the gap with a kick at goal, but with the ball sailing wide, the hosts had to settle for the scrum after the ball was lost forward when attempting to clear. 

With a little over ten minutes remaining, Withy were once again reduced to thirteen after Liam Cullen’s hand got in the way of a Sarries lost ball. With deliberate knock-on the decision, the Withy captain was sent to the sin bin, taking another player with him due to uncontested scrum rules. 

The defensive game was as on and after two try-saving tackles of our own, the Plymouth-based side were left craving their score. Phase after phase of attack saw Withy put to the test, but the boys battled through the adversity and suddenly found themselves in possession of the ball! From just meters away from the Withy try line, Ben Dawson unleashed his speed and broke free, leaving a trail of stunned Sarries players and supporters. A perfectly timed pass over to Alex Peterson completed the move at half way as the scrum half jinked his way past the final defenders to run in a try in the corner. Cooke’s conversion completed the scoring in the 75^th minute.

The final score, Tamar Saracens 7, Withycombe 22.

A resolute performance from the boys in green and black, who kept their heads high for a full 80 minutes and came away with a much needed (and deserved) win on the road.

We now have a week off to rest and will be back at Raleigh Park on the 2^nd November when we welcome Dartmouth back for our replayed opening fixture. Kick off will be 2:30pm.