St Austell delivered a resolute workmanlike performance to secure victory against a very committed Exeter Saracens side. Fears of a Cup Final hangover were increased when injuries delayed final selection to the day of the match. Things went from bad to worse when heavy traffic on the A30 meant the squad did not arrive at Exhibition Fields until 30 minutes before the kick-off. The Saints were able to dig deep to overcome a difficult first half to dominate the second period, gaining the all important bonus point victory that keeps them in the hunt for the play-off position.

Sarries started the match strongly putting the visitors under a lot of early pressure inside their 22. The Saints had a new look front row but props Roy Williams, back in after benching against Wadebridge Camels last week, and Peter Rowe, making his first league start, delivered an emphatic statement of intent with a strike against the head on a 5m scrum. Saints worked their way up the field and looked menacing in attack, more scrum pressure resulted in a penalty which fly-half Matt Shepherd had no difficulty in dispatching. Hesitation at the restart allowed Sarries to regain possession and launch a series of dangerous backline moves. Twice Saints were indebted to crucial turnovers by flanker Paul Winterbottom when it looked like the home side may score. The pressure finally told in the 17th minute when quick hands allowed centre Matt Hilton to crash over just wide of the posts. Scrum half Tom Crook slotted over the conversion to give the Sarries a deserved lead. Ironically the score seemed to settle the Saints as they started to play with purpose and structure to patiently move the ball up field. The forwards started to drive deeper into home territory with lock Adam Pearce, number 8 Ryan Evans, flanker Rob Jeffs and Winterbottom constantly offering themselves to carry the ball. Scrum half Marcus McCoan timed his release to the backline to perfection and centre James Earp cleverly switched back inside to touchdown under the posts. Shepherd converted to put the Saints 10-7 ahead. All the good work was undone in a flash, caught offside at the restart Sarries kicked for a line out deep in the Saints’ 22. The attempted catch and drive was defended well, but poor tackling outside allowed centre Sam Gooch to skip over for a try. The conversion by Crook ensured the home side reached half time 14-10 ahead.

Saints finally got the trials and tribulations of their pre-match preparations out of the system to step up several gears in the second half. A catch and drive on a lineout 10m from the Sarries’ try line allowed Winterbottom to crash over for an unconverted try to restore a slender lead for the Saints. Minutes later hooker Jack Grigg, who battled gamely against leg cramps throughout the afternoon, charged over the halfway before popping the ball to lock Sean Haley. The gazelle like forward showed the Sarries defence a clean pair of heels to burst 30m before passing to winger Craig Taylor who scored in the corner. Shepherd made the difficult kick look easy to put the Saints 22-14 ahead. On the hour, an accidental collision resulted in a nasty looking neck injury for Ryan Evans. Play moved to the second team pitch to allow the ambulance crew time and space to deal with the situation. Thankfully, the player had no serious damage and was released from hospital later that evening.

Not surprisingly the delays disrupted the flow and pattern of the game which had become littered with handling errors. It took the intervention of the Colossus Pearce to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and get Saints driving forward again. Three decisive carries by the Saints’ lock in as many minutes created the space for centre Ian Venner to charge in under the posts to give Shepherd a straightforward conversion. Winterbottom then crowned another excellent combative display with a superb individual try running in from almost 40m. Shepherd again converted. To Sarries’ credit they battled to the end and the Saints’ coaches will have been delighted with the determined defence in the closing stages to prevent any further score for the home side.

The win keeps the Saints firmly on the heels of Torquay Athletic and Bideford for the play-off position going into the last game of the season. The Saints will be determined to achieve a bonus point victory at home against Ivybridge next Saturday (KO 3pm, Tregorrick Park) to take full advantage of any slip-ups by their promotion chasing Devon rivals.

Match Stats:

St Austell: Rowe; Grigg; Williams; Pearce; Haley; Jeffs; Winterbottom (McNally 72); Evans (Hughes (Jack) 60); McCoan; Shepherd; Chenoweth; Earp (Captain); Venner (Murley 68); Taylor; Evison.

St Austell:
Tries – Earp (26); Winterbottom (49; 72); Taylor (53); Venner (68)
Cons – Shepherd (4)
Pens – Shepherd
Drop Goal –

Exeter Saracens:
Tries – Gooch (17); Hilton (28)
Cons – Crook (2)
Pens –

Yellow Cards: St Austell: Rowe (75) Exeter Saracens: None

Red Cards St Austell: None Exeter Saracens: None

Referee: Mr J Grant (Devon RRS)

Saints Man of the Match: Adam Pearce