IVYBRIDGE RFC’s South West One survival prospects took a battering when they were thrashed 66-14 at home by relegation rivals Chew Valley.

There was only a point between the bottom two in the table going into the game, which was the Bridge’s chance to start moving up the standings.

By halftime, any thoughts of climbing the table had gone out of the window as Chew had forged into a 33-0 lead, converted second-half tries from Adam Northcott and Henry Trudgill being too little too late.

Defeat leaves Ivybridge rock bottom with nine points needed to get ahead of Marlborough and out of the drop spots.

Neil Thomson, the rugby manager at Ivybridge, said what started out as a hard task became tougher in the first few minutes.

“We had players missing in key areas before we started – and then suffered a series of injuries almost from the start,” said Thomson.

“Toby Evans, who has just signed for us suffered a serious head injury in the first few minutes.

“I think we had three more head injuries and a nasty shoulder injury as well.

“The injury situation was so bad we ran out of replacements. And with a couple of yellow cards late in the game, we finished with 11 men on the pitch.

“We knew it was going to be tough. Chew beat Exmouth recently and they are right up there near the top.

“From the start we were not in the game. Chew have rebuilt since we won up there in the first half of the season. If they keep playing the way they did against us they won’t have a problem staying up.”

Ivybridge are away to Okehampton this Saturday in the semi-finals of the Devon Senior Shield. The reward for the winners is a home final against Crediton.