A tough encounter on the road finishes off the league campaign
Withy travelled south to take on Dartmouth at a sunny Norton Playing Fields in the closing game of the season.
Keen to reverse a small decline in form, the boys got off to a good start, defending well from the kick off and forcing an error from the hosts, earning an early scrum. However, after being turned over shortly after, Withy soon found themselves defending again, this time from a more dangerous position inside their own half. Pressure built from the hosts and with a quick break, they were over the line for the first score of the game. A penalty kick shortly after saw Dartmouth take a 10-0 lead.
Withy responded well to this flurry of attack and earned a penalty of their own. Tom Cooke stepped up and duly slotted the kick to reduce the deficit and make his mark on the scoreboard.
As the half progressed, Withy appeared to lose their way, with a string of errors in pieces of set play. This naturally gave Dartmouth a boost and with it, the hosts scored twice more before the end of the first half as they took a 24-3 lead into the break.
With the gusty breeze now in their favour, Withy started the second half well, with lengthier periods of attack and improved play. This was rewarded as Tom Cooke won a footrace against two Dartmouth defenders to score a brilliant try. With the successful conversion, Withy had whittled down the points gap a little more.
Another footrace in the opposite direction ten minutes later resulted in a penalty try and a yellow card for Withy’s Liam Daniels as his try-saving tackle was deemed illegal.
There was still time to make a difference, and Withy upped the tempo again, showing flashes of the trademark Withy pressure play. With a little over 10 minutes remaining, a catch-and-drive from 6m out saw Captain Liam Cullen crash over the line.
Now in search of some consolatory points out of the game, Withy were soon taking the ball forward and back into the Dartmouth danger zone. A well-timed break from Sam Wheeler saw him make headway for the line, which was unfortunately stopped short in a controversial tackle.
With the ball back in possession of the hosts, all that was required was to play out the final minute to seal the game.
The final score: Dartmouth 31, Withycombe 15.
Not the end to the league campaign that the boys would’ve wanted, but they still finish in the top half of the league. A finishing position that they’ll be pleased with after battling hard to work their way up from 11th in the league back in October.
Eyes can now turn towards the approaching Devon Junior Cup final in three weeks time. The boys will be welcoming Old Technicians to Raleigh Park on the 26th April for an exciting encounter that, hopefully, will bring home some silverware in this centenary season!
