IVYBRIDGE will be looking to cement their place in a play-off spot when they visit top-five rivals Crediton on Saturday in a re-arranged Regional Two South West clash.

The Bridgers leapfrogged over Crediton and into fifth spot last weekend after they beat Penzance-Newlyn at home and Crediton were beaten by Okehampton, which ended a seven-game winning run for the mid-Devon side.

Ivybridge will go into this weekend’s game one place and four points above sixth-placed Crediton and if they were to get a five-point win they could move level on points with Wadebridge and Okehampton, who sit third and fourth respectively.

Ivybridge head coach Steve Atkinson is expecting a tough game at Blagdon and he knows the fixture could go a long way to deciding the final play-off spots in the division.

“I think they were on a seven-game winning run, so it’s nice that has been broken last week as they were flying, but it is not always great to play a team that is wounded,” said Atkinson

“We’ll just have to see what they turn up with.

“But we’re really looking forward to it.

“We have had some good scraps against Crediton in the last couple of years in the cups.

“Even in my playing time, I remember playing Crediton and it was always a tough place to go.”

The game should have been played at the end of January but was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, with Crediton one of the areas hit badly by flooding.

Crediton’s first team have not played at home since January 10, but Ivybridge expect the game to go-ahead this weekend.

“We’ve not heard anything from them, so we’ll assume it is,” said Atkinson. “We are looking forward to it.”

The Bridgers are likely to name a similar squad to the one that beat Penzance-Newlyn 44-26 last weekend.

However, George Vertessy will be missing as he injured his knee in that match and is facing six to 10 weeks on the sidelines.

But Eden Quantock is back available and could make his first start.

Lewis Cook, who made his first team debut last weekend after 13 years at the club, is set to keep his place in the squad, while Fin Hamilton and Angus Harris are also in contention.

Although Ivybridge’s first and second team are not in action at Cross-in-Hand, there will be a senior men’s match played there as OPMs have booked the artificial surface to play Perranporth in the Counties Two RFU South Plate.

The community cup match had been due to be played at King George V Playing Fields, but had been postponed twice before so OPMs are making sure it is played this weekend, albeit with a 5.30pm kick-off.

OPMs are likely to be favourites, but they are not likely to take Perranporth lightly, as the Cornish club have only lost four league games this season.

They sit sixth in Counties Two Cornwall, just a place behind Liskeard-Looe, who OPMs have already beaten twice this season.

The last time the sides met in an RFU cup competition was in 2007 in the Junior Vase, a game OPMs won 26-3.

In league rugby, Saltash will be looking to cause a big upset in Counties One Western West when they travel to leaders Wiveliscombe, who are unbeaten at home this season.

This is one of the games bottom side Saltash have on third-from-bottom Oaks and so they need to try and pick up anything they can in Somerset.

They will have been encouraged by their performance against Wiveliscombe earlier in the season at Moorlands Lane. That was one of the many games that the Ashes lost by just one score.

Saltash were narrowly beaten 36-35 after missing a late penalty kick that would have won them the game.

In Counties Three Devon South & West, Plympton Victoria should have been trying to host neighbours Plymstock Oaks II again at St Mary’s Field, but for the second week running the pitch is deemed unplayable. Elsewhere, Saltash II are due to host Lankelly Fowey at Moorlands Lane.

Ivybridge’s top-of-the-table women’s side should have been at home on Saturday to Cheltenham Tigers II, but the visitors have handed them a walkover.