It was another tough day on the road for Withycombe, as they slipped to a 61-8 defeat at third-placed Torquay, writes Adam Curtis.

With last minute changes in the side, Withy made the trip with just sixteen players but the game did get off to great start with Ben Dawson making a break in the first minute. With just one defender to beat 5m out, Dawson was brought down from a very high tackle to deny the score.

There was a sense of frustration that just the penalty was awarded, but Lewis Tose took the opportunity of some points, slotting the kick to earn a 0-3 lead after just one minute. Very soon after, play was paused due to injury, forcing Withy to deploy their solitary substitute into action. 

With a last-minute shuffle round, Withy were needing to play players out of position and for the whole 80 minutes – the last thing anyone would want on the wet, sticky pitch they were on. 

Torquay took full advantage of the situation to score several tries in the match, with a number coming from the extremities of the pitch. Withy did, however, score a great try with Lewis Tose’s cross field kick finding space behind the line, allowing for Joe Graham to complete a well-timed run to beat his defender and score. 

Despite everything thrown at them, and with the odds stacked against them, the Withy boys continued to battle through though, perhaps more than the score would suggest. 

There’s a week off now for the side as they hope to be able to regroup, gain some players back from injury and prepare for the next match as we welcome Exeter Saracens to Raleigh Park on March 16. 

At least the Withies can take positives from the fact they actually got to a play a match. The neighbours from down the road, Exmouth RFC, had a far more frustrating experience, as the Cockles travelled all the way to Weston-super-Mare, only for the game to be called off on arrival.

Exmouth Quins did get to play some rugby and battled bravely before going down to a 17-12 defeat at Devonport Services 2nds.