Cooke Kicks for Victory for Withycombe Rugby Club

Withies got their season officially underway this weekend with a hard-fought win on the road against Plymouth Argaum at Bickleigh Down. 

A 79th minute penalty secures the points on the road

Withies got their season officially underway this weekend with a hard-fought win on the road against Plymouth Argaum at Bickleigh Down. 

With the boys heading up the steep hill in the first half, they battled hard to maintain some good early possession; however, it wasn’t long before the hosts capitalised on a couple of quick penalties to find themselves with a shot at goal 20m out in front of the posts. When the shot sailed wide, Withy were back on the attack and in a strong position. With the uprights beckoning, Tom Cooke took the ball and send it through the posts with pinpoint accuracy. 

With the game settling, possession frequently changed hands through exchanging penalties in what became a game with little flow of play. 

The first try of the match went to Argaum after a penalty just outside the 5m line was taken quickly and shipped out and under the posts. Withy were unlucky not to have taken the lead towards the end of the half as a driving maul was deemed a to have been held up. The half finished with the hosts 7-3 to the good.

Withies now had the considerable slope in their favour and soon made the most of it – with Argaum still playing out a ‘final team warning’ issued at the end of the first half, an early penalty saw their fly half sent to the sin bin. The man advantage created a handy gap for Neil Scopes to power through shortly after to earn his first Withy try. 

With more fire in their bellies, Withy were almost gifted a second quick try when the ball was intercepted from inside the Withy 22’. Unfortunately, the play was brought back for an injury. Additional insult was added to this with Tom Cooke being shown a yellow card for his part in questioning the decision. 

Now with possession handed back, Argaum battled the Withycombe line, eventually coming away with a penalty try to regain the lead. 

Frustrated by the events of the last few minutes, Withy channeled their energy into regaining some control and advancing down the field, soon finding themselves knocking on the door of the Argaum line. Unfortunately, with two attempts of scoring being disallowed Withy were left craving that score – and with the sinbinning of their prop providing another numerical advantage, Jayden Gore earned Withy the score they’d been hunting down. 

With the two sides divided by just one point and a little over 10 minutes to go, every passage of play counted and both sides were keen on earning that win. 

But with 79 minutes on the clock, Withy were awarded a penalty in an opportunistic, albeit tight-angled position. However, angle and wind proved no concern for Cooke who stepped up and struck the ball beautifully to take back the lead at the death. 

The boys had longer than expected though as longer phases of play, linked with conceded penalties and a lot of defensive pressure meant they had an extra eight minutes of play before a penalty kick to touch swerved infield allowing for Withy to collect and clear to win the game. 

The final score Plymouth Argaum 14, Withycombe 16. 

Next week, Withy host Topsham II at Raleigh Park in the first of two local derbies this season. Kick off will be at 2:30pm. 

Adam Curtis

Web, Press & Social Media Officer - Withycombe RFC