The Saints started brightly putting immediate pressure on the visitors pinning them back in their own 22. However the try line was stoically defended with a missed penalty and a couple of turnovers helping to relieve the pressure. The Saints were playing fast rugby and Clevedon were struggling to contain the home side until number 8 Harvey Russell intercepted a pass to storm out of defence. Desperate tackling pulled him up just short of the Saints line only for his back row colleague Owen Biggins to collect and score completely against the run of play. This was the catalyst for the visitors who by keeping the ball within the forwards caused the Saints to over commit at the breakdown. This pattern did not change for the rest of the half with both sides repeatedly offending and Clevedon’s Mike Taylor cleanly converted a penalty in the 26th minute to extend their lead by three points. The Saints were lacking cohesion with players on the break getting isolated. A strong tackle by Saints centre James Martin saw him yellow carded, and the Saints day was going from bad to worse. Minutes later with the tempers rising the Clevedon loose head prop Neil Tucker decided to apply his own interpretation of the laws however the end result was both him and Saints number 8 Adam Kellow taking a ten minute break. The penalty that followed cleanly struck by Mike Taylor and the final move of the half resulting in a converted try for the visitors through the same combination of Owen Biggins and Mike Taylor. Respite arrived in the form of the half time whistle with the home side 0-18 down.

The Saints came out for the second half ready to take the game to the opposition and within 10 seconds were awarded a penalty just left of the posts. This is when you know it is not going to be your day when the wind drops the moment the kick is in flight saw stray wide triggering a collective groan from the sizeable crowd. This did not dissuade the Saints from attacking but bad luck for the Saints when a speculative clearance kick from Clevedon was not collected cleanly, the ball bouncing off of the chest of Ben Chenoweth and into the arms of chasing Clevedon Wing Tom Thie who romped home to score in the corner, 46 minutes gone and now 0-23 down. The Saints continually tried to rally but frustratingly their efforts went to waste with players not looking for support, or the support simply not following up. There are, simply put, days where things just do not happen however hard you try. The game started to open up with the visitors clearly starting to slow, usually the sign for the Saints to unleash their speedy backline, however the home side just could not fashion the final pass or clean break to make a difference. It was not until the 76th minute before the Saints scored and it was a peach of a try, the backs unlocking the defence for Adam Kellow to masterfully break through and place the ball square between the uprights, Dan Pearce converting just too late to make a difference.

Defeat now means the Saints remain tangled in the weeds at the bottom of the league and they can ill afford any more lack lustre performances like today’s display. Next week they travel to Devon for a crucial encounter with fellow strugglers Cullompton in what is sure to be a tense affair.

Match Stats:

St Austell:
1 Ashley Mason-Maxwell off 65 Peter Rowe on.
2 Miles Davey (Capt)
3 Mark Martin
4 Rob Jeffs
5 Adam Pearce
6 Jack Grigg off 55 Paul Winterbottom on
7 Ian Venner
8 Adam Kellow - Try 76 - YC 36
9 Andy Ashwin
10 Liam Freeman
11 Dan Pearce - Conversion 76
12 James Martin- YC 31
13 Alex Welland
14 Ben Chenoweth
15 Cavan Bover off Dan Johns on

St Austell:
Tries – Adam Kellow (76)
Cons – Dan Pearce (76)
Pens –
Drop Goal –

Clevedon:
Tries – Owen Biggins (10, 40); Tom Thie (46)
Cons – Mike Taylor (40)
Pens – Mike Taylor (26, 36)
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: James Martin (31); Adam Kellow (36)
Clevedon: Neil Tucker (36)

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
Clevedon: None

Referee: Mr N Searle (Cornwall RRS)

Saints’ Man of the Match: Rob Jeffs – Not a great day for the Saints, but for sheer hard work, commitment and a desire to try and get his side back into the game lock forward Rob Jeffs stood out.