Trips to Bencoolen Meadow are never easy ones, Bude's fortress always makes for a difficult game, and this one was no different!

With the slight slope in their favour, the home side started the game strong, passing the ball well to work their way down the field. There was brief respite for Withy as the ball was lost forward.

The pressure was soon back however when the boys were pinged for going off their feet. Their kick to touch at the 5m line was won and the ball crossed the line for an unconverted score on just 3 minutes.

This early score kicked the Withy boys into action and they began to push more and build up the pressure in the Bude half. Pressure turned into points at fourteen minutes when a Bude scrum was stolen, passed out to Sam Warren and scored to bring the teams level.

Green and black pressure continued, forcing a number of handling errors from the hosts as the Withies began to show dominance in the pack, traditionally more the skill of the home side.

The screw continued to turn up until 30min when a lapse in discipline handed control back to Bude with a couple of penalties.

With the possession and territory briefly in their favour, Bude came together well to ship the ball wide to the hands of winger Zerran Hammond who scored in the corner to put his team back into the lead at 10-5. For the final ten or so minutes of the half, the play settled down with ball time shared.

The second half started with a bang as the Withies were awarded a penalty from the restart as Mike Richards was taken out in the air attempting to catch the ball. The following penalty kick to touch was won and a good break by debutant Luke Pattison cleared the way for a simple pass to Joe Blyth to run clear and score under the posts. Will Cooper's kick sailed through the posts to put the Withies in the lead.

The lead wasn't to last long, however, as the speedy second half continued and a penalty kick from the hosts put them back ahead 13-12 after 45min.

The following fifteen minutes was an equal one, the pace remained high, but both sides were enjoying a good amount of possession in the middle third of the field. A few good breaks from our boys looked promising, however the fast back line of Bude made sure of the tackle each time.

The boys found a way through in the end as the hour mark approached. A Bude scrum in their own 22' was won cleanly, however the clearing pass wasn't so good, with the loose ball finding the feet of Sam Warren once again. The grubber kick bounced back into his hands to run unopposed across the line, with the extra two points added by Will Cooper, the boys re-took the lead 13-19.

With another ten minutes of Withy pressure, the game was looking good, but there was still time for a final try by Bude – their characteristic strength was shown when it mattered as a driving maul was walked over for another converted try to take a one point lead into the final 10min of the game.

The Withies tried with all their might to regain the lead, but with a penalty attempt at goal drifting wide and a controversial try saving tackle the Withies were denied any further points in the game.

Overall a great game, one typical of a first game of the season with some brilliant phases of play mixed with a little rustiness that a little more game time will help resolve. Some may feel today's game was 'the one that got away' however if the boys can take this energy into every game, they will be able to do well and enjoy their time back in the Cornwall/Devon league.

Next week sees the Withies' first league game back at Raleigh Park as we host Plymstock Albion Oaks. Kick off 3pm. We'd love to see as many of you there to pack the park and show your support for the boys.