The Saints were determined to bounce back from last week’s defeat at Clevedon and did so with a thrilling display of running rugby. Roared on by another big Tregorrick crowd that included the Cornwall Ladies U15 squad, the foundations of victory were laid in the forwards and finished in style by the backs. The Gloucester Club’s game plan was based on containment and it delivered in the first quarter but by the end of the half it was clear the Saints held the upper hand. After the break that superiority turned into forward dominance and the plethora of good quality first phase ball allowed the home side to run in 9 second half tries.

Coney Hill started well, aggressive and diligent at the break down they contested the open spaces extremely well. Twice in the opening exchanges the visitors took the lead with two penalties from scrum half Craig Holder with the Saints reply coming from Matt Shepherd. After a period of Saints pressure number 8 Adam Kellow dotted down a pushover try to put the home side 8-6 in front with 15 minutes gone. Midway through the half second row Steve Howorth created his own tidal surge to burst through under the posts. Replacement winger Sam Tank, on for the injured Ben Chenoweth, had already announced his arrival with a scorching 40m run before chasing down an astute 30m box kick by scrum half Andy Ashwin to finish in style in the corner to give the Saints a 20-6 lead at the break.

The Saints upped the tempo straight from the restart and Coney Hill were becoming increasingly desperate in defence. Adam Kellow scored his second try with a powerful drive off the back of a scrum, converted by Shepherd (27-6). Saints were now dominating possession and territory and scored three converted tries in a remarkable 5 minute sequence of play where the only visitor to touch the ball was Holder kicking the restarts. A break by full back Dan Pearce set winger Ashley Taylor on his way (34-6), Kellow caught and moved the ball from the restart allowing Shepherd to put Taylor away for his second (41-6). Kellow repeated the process and this time it was centre Darren Pellow who cruised in (48-6). Not long after a shell shocked Coney Hill could only watch as Pellow grabbed his second try (53-6). The visitors gathered themselves and deserve great credit for sticking to the task and it was fitting that their standout player number 8 Andrew McCrae grabbed a consolation try, converted by Holder (53-13). The home side came back searching for more and it was fly half Matt Shepherd who dominated proceedings. Along with No 8 Kellow the skipper had been at the centre of events all afternoon and he grabbed his first try after good phase play by the forwards (58-13). With 10 minutes remaining Shepherd jinked his way through a tiring defence (65-13) before setting up the try of the afternoon for centre Alex Welland. A line out steel by flanker Rob Jeffs was moved quickly by Ashwin and with decoy runners flying in all directions Shepherd picked out Welland who accelerated through a gap (72-13). There was still time for Shepherd to seal his hat trick and confirm the home side as empathic 79-13 winners.

After 13 games the league has now reached the half way stage and the Saints sit in second place just one point behind league leaders Cleve. The Cornishmen can be justly proud of the way they have adapted to life in SW1 West and the diligent hard work by the coaches and players is paying off. There are many challenges ahead including some difficult away trips to teams in the chasing pack but these are sporting tests to be relished not feared. Next week the Saints play their last game of 2014 and fittingly it is against old friends and rivals Bideford. The North Devon side are bringing a healthy contingent of supporters which will make for a fantastic atmosphere at Tregorrick and another cracking contest (KO 2:30pm).

Match Stats:

St Austell: Martin; Grigg; Noott; Pearce (A); Howorth; Jeffs; Venner; Kellow; Ashwin; Shepherd (Captain); Chenoweth; Welland; Pellow; Taylor; Pearce (D)
Replacements: Inch; Tank; Rowe

St Austell:
Tries – Kellow (15, 47); Howorth (20); Tank (27); Taylor (51,53); Pellow (55, 60); Shepherd (68, 72, 79); Welland (77)
Cons – Shepherd (20, 47, 51, 53, 55, 72, 77, 79)
Pens – Shepherd (7)
Drop Goal –

Coney Hill:
Tries – McCrae (62)
Cons – Holder (62)
Pens – Holder (4, 11)
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: None
Coney Hill: None

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
Coney Hill: None

Referee: Simon Lord (Cornwall RRS)

Saints Man of the Match: Matt Shepherd