Both sides came into this game unbeaten and the match ebbed and flowed throughout with the lead changing hands 5 times. Saints almost won at the death with a penalty from Man of the Match Tom Miles, but the kick from wide left held up in the swirling wind to drop just short of the posts. The final whistle was met with jubilation by the Okes players and supporters but the result was hard on the Saints who outscored their hosts by four tries to two and felt they had the rough edge of some overly fussy refereeing decisions.

The game started in difficult conditions, a heavy deluge just before kick-off made the surface slippery and handling difficult. So it was no surprise the opening exchanges were error strewn as the players adapted to the wet and windy conditions. Two early penalties for offside allowed Fly Half Kevin Dennis to nudge Okes into a 6-0 lead after 7 minutes. The game settled into a midfield stalemate with both sets of forwards cancelling each other out. With 20 minutes gone Saints were penalised at a scrum for not binding and after a lengthy lecture from the referee to a bemused front row, Dennis stepped up to hit a superb long range penalty to stretch the host’s lead. A sense of injustice seemed to fire the Saints forward and after a period of sustained pressure Flanker Paul Winterbottom broke through to touchdown. Full Back Miles added the conversion to bring the Saints back into the game. St Austell fielded the restart well and a long kick and chase by winger Ben Chenoweth put the Okes defence into panic. From the ensuing turnover Winterbottom was held up close to the line but smart work from winger Alex Welland allowed the ball to be moved quickly with hooker Jack Grigg providing the impetus for the ball to flow across the back line for Chenoweth to score in the corner. Miles added the extras and Saints were now firmly in charge but it took to just before half time for them to increase their lead. A powerful run by Welland sucked in the home defence before popping the ball to the ever present Grigg whose deft pass to Winterbottom paved the way for flanker Rob Jeffs to crash over the line. Miles narrowly missed the conversion. The halftime whistle went with Saints leading 19-9 however a reshuffle of the back line was required with Miles moving to fly half and Tom Crapp going on as full back to replace the injured Treve Murley.

Okes started the second half strongly putting Saints under intense pressure. Controversy struck in the 46 minutes, a 5m scrum saw the Okes pack push Saints backward but as they moved towards the try line they lost control of the ball. As both sets of forwards stood up expecting the scrum to be reset there was a sense of incredulity as the referee ran to the post to award a penalty try. Dennis completed formality of the conversion to bring Okes right back into the game. The farce continued at the restart when Saints captain Andy Ashwin asked for an explanation but was a shown a yellow card for his troubles. It is doubtful if the large crowd will ever see a more mild mannered and polite sin binning! Dennis just failed to rub salt into Saints wounds when his kick from the half way line from the resulting penalty did not reach the target. Saints reorganised with Centre James Earp moving to scrum half and Winterbottom dropping out of the pack to centre but now were under intense pressure. Resolute defending prevented Okes from taking full advantage until a penalty for offside allowed Carl Pointon, on for Dennis, to tie the scores at 19 all. Quick line out ball and a missed tackle in midfield allowed Pointon to scythe through to push the home side into the lead. Saints responded superbly going through several phases of play in the Okes 22m before eventually Jeffs managed to squeeze over under a pile of bodies. Miles’ conversion put Saints back in front at 26-24 with 8 minutes left to play. Okes struck back almost immediately but it needed another moment of controversy, in Saints’ eyes at least, with prop Hugh Noott penalised for holding on as he carried the restart kick out of defence. Many observers felt the whistle was too quick but nonetheless up stepped Pointon to slot the three points and put Okes back in front. Saints now laid siege on the home line but could not find a way through an organised and determined defence. The clock ticking down Saints were awarded a penalty but alas it was not to be and Miles’ effort just fell short.

Saints can take great heart from this performance, Okes finished 4th last season and are expected to do well this time out. Close games always bring key decisions or mistakes into focus in the post-mortem. The penalty count remains too high allowing the kicking boots of Dennis and Pointon to do the real damage for Okes. Another day with a referee with a different interpretation could have led to an entirely different outcome. However Saints are learning fast and are adapting quickly showing great tenacity to come back from any setback and yet again were superior in the try count.

Match Stats:

St Austell: Noott, Grigg (Hughes 73), Phillips (Durant 57), Haley, Pearce (Pill 55), Jeffs, Winterbottom, Black, Ashwin (Captain), Murley (Crapp 40), Chenoweth, Earp, Venner, Welland, Miles

Okehampton: Tries – Penalty Try (46), Pointon (64)
Cons – Dennis
Pens – Dennis (3), Pointon (2)

St Austell: Tries - Winterbottom (24); Chenoweth (29); Jeffs (38, 72)
Cons - Miles (3)

Yellow Cards Okehampton: None St Austell: Ashwin (48)

Red Cards None

Referee N Woodhead (Devon)

Saints Man of the Match: Tom Miles