With the rain starting half-an-hour before kick off coupled with an increasing Southerly wind it was never going to be a pleasant afternoon on the terraces at St Clements Hill.

Truro kicked off with the elements slightly in the visitors’ favour, after a short period of possession the clearance kick from the Saints’ 22 failed to make touch, however the following attack from Truro was halted by a forward pass, resulting in a scrum to the Saints. Shortly after a penalty awarded to the Saints just outside their own 22 was marched a further 10m up the pitch for descent from the home side, the referee making his mark early in the game. A good kick to touch from Andy Ashwin saw the Saints now on the attack in the Truro half, a series of drives and phases by the visitors saw no reward; however, it was a clear statement that they were here for a game. After 10 minutes a break by James Martin saw a 30m dash up the field creating panic in the home side, from the off load the referee adjudged the ball had been deliberately knocked on by a Truro player and the penalty gave the visitors their first chance for points, the attempt by Cavan Boyer was just wide. The Saints were now comfortable in the Truro half of the field and maintaining their fair share of possession. A scrum just outside the 22 saw the Saints pack walk the home side backwards, winning a penalty in the process. This time Boyer made no mistake and the first points of the game were on the board.
With the game 20 minutes old, Truro kicked a penalty to touch on the Saints’ 22. The home forwards had their tails up and after a series of drives, second row Dan Marsh crossed the white wash in the right corner for Truro to take the lead, conversion missed. From the gathered restart, an opportunist kick over the top was gathered by full back Luke Tidball who exploited the flat footed Saints’ defence to race in from 25m to score in the same corner, conversion missed. It was a five minute purple patch that put the home side 10-3 up to leave the visitors and travelling support stunned. The final ten minutes of the half saw the visitors claw their way back into the game with spirited play and pressure in the Truro half. Two excellent penalty kicks from Boyer made the half time score 10-9.

The second half belonged mostly to the home side, playing with the slight advantage from the wind. There seemed to be a confidence in their ranks that they were not going to lose the game as they ran a kickable penalty in the Saints 22. The attack thwarted, but the visitors were deemed not to be back the requisite 10m meaning the penalty was re-awarded. This time common sense prevailed and debut fly half Ashley Hosking elected to take the points pushing the lead to 13-9. The Saints rang the changes with flanker Peter Wheeler was replaced by Tony Knight and Konnor Ewudzi switching with scrum half Dan Jane to reshuffle the backline. Another Truro penalty in front of the posts saw the Truro lead stretch to 7 points with about 17 minutes to go. Truro’s play in the loose was much better in this second half and pressure in the Saints 22 led to a penalty which was quickly taken. Spirited defence from the Saints was not enough and prop Darren Jacques went over wide out, this time an excellent strike from Hosking added the extras. The Saints lost Andy Ashwin to a yellow card to see out the last 10 minutes with 14 and Truro took full advantage. Near to full time a kick through and chase by the Truro wing saw the ball carried over resulting in a 5m scrum. Possession from the scrum to Truro led to a second and a bonus point try for Jacques under the posts, converted by Hosking for the final whistle to make the final score 30-9. A deserved victory for the home side but the game was more of a contest than the score line reflected. Next week the Saints are at home to Saltash (KO 2:30pm), a crucial Cornish derby that is looks like a must win game for both sides.

Match Stats:
St Austell:
1 Peter Rowe; 2 Miles Davey (Capt.); 3 Mark Martin; 4 Will Gilder; 5 Josh Phillips; 6 Peter Wheeler; 7 Jack Grigg; 8 Andrew Inch; 9 Dan Jane; 10 Andy Ashwin; 11 Ben Chenoweth; 12 Callum Wilson; 13 Curtis Newberry; 14 James Martin; 15 Cavan Boyer

Reps:
Tony Knight; Konnor Ewudzi; George Knowles

St Austell:
Tries –
Cons –
Pens – Cavan Boyer (3)
Drop Goal –

Truro:
Tries – Dan Marsh; Luke Tidball; Darren Jacques (2)
Cons – Ashley Hosking (2)
Pens – Ashley Hosking (2)
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: Andy Ashwin (70)
Truro: None

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
Truro: None

Referee: Mr Neil Woodhead (Devon RRS)