The visitors grabbed a contentious fourth try with a minute to go which denied the Saints the consolation of a losing bonus point that their efforts deserved. For the most part, there was very little between the two side but the Saints struggled to make a dent in the visitors’ scrooge like defence while the Okes clinically took the opportunities that came their way. Okehampton showed just why they are play-off contenders and if they can navigate through their back-log of games, promotion to SW1 West is a real prospect.

The game started in bright sunshine with a cagey opening quarter with play largely contained between the two 22s. The game exploded into life on 22 minutes when fly-half Gareth Espin intercepted a St Austell pass on the halfway line to run 50m unaccosted and dive under the posts (0-7). The score out of the blue left the home side looking shell-shocked and matters were made worse when they conceded possession from the restart and then allowed Espin to weave his way through some lacklustre tackling to score his second try in a three-minute blast (0-12). The Saints finally rallied and with the home pack in dominant mood, they laid siege in the opposition 22. The home side mounted a series of attacks in and around the 5m line but despite racking up 18 phases of play they simply could not find a gap in the Okes’ vice-like rear-guard action. In what was to prove to be the decisive moment of the game, the visitors stole possession to mount a brilliant counterattack that went the length of the field with centre Luke Honeychurch on hand to score. It was a killer blow for the home side, from almost scoring to seeing the Okes’ grab their third try meant a 10-point swing to make the half time score 0-17.

A fine start to the second half by the home forwards provided the platform for centre Shane Johns to squeeze over (5-17). Clever footwork by Cavan Boyer created the gap for the full-back to accelerate home for an excellent individual try (10-17). The visitors were now clearly rattled and roared on by a vociferous St Piran’s Day crowd, the Saints went in search of a third try to complete the comeback. It was not long before the visitors’ restored their composure to frustrate their hosts by smartly keeping the game contained as a largely midfield affair. The visitors killed off any lingering hopes of an upset in controversial circumstances and in the process denied the home side a vital losing bonus point. A cross field kick over the defence was touched down in the corner with most people at Tregorrick feeling the scorer had started his run in an offside position in front of the kicker. It is moments like this that always seem to happen to sides that are struggling at the bottom and it was tough on the Saints to gain no reward for all their efforts.

For St Austell it was the story of the season, a hard working performance that saw them match a good side for large parts of the eighty minutes. Momentary lapses in concentration and unforced errors were ruthlessly punished by the Okes’ backline. Nonetheless, St Austell can take great heart from the fact they pushed a promotion chasing side all the way. They now have two weeks to prepare for a crucial relegation battle away at fellow strugglers Crediton on 19 March 2016.

Match Stats:

St Austell:
1 Peter Rowe; 2 Miles Davey (Capt.); 3 Mark Martin; 4 Rob Jeffs; 5 Adam Kellow; 6 Jack Grigg; 7 Ian Venner; 8 Paul Winterbottom; 9 Dan Jane; 10 Andy Ashwin; 11 Ben Chenoweth; 12 Callum Wilson; 13Billy Jones; 14 James Martin; 15 Cavan Boyer

Reps:
Shane Johns; Mark Vian; Kyle Gallacher

St Austell:
Tries – Shane Johns (47); Cavan Boyer (53)
Cons –
Pens –
Drop Goal –

Okehampton:
Tries – Gareth Espin (22, 25); Luke Honeychurch (32); Ryan Lee (79)
Cons – Tom Powell (22)
Pens –
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: None
Okehampton: None

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
Okehampton: None

Referee: Mr Ian Pengelly (Cornwall RRS)