CORNWALL 26 – 26 ROYAL NAVY
By Bill Hooper, Tregorrick Park, St. Austell
Cornwall began their preparations for this season’s Bill Beaumont Cup campaign in an exciting match against a very lively Royal Navy side which ended all square on the night.
Prior to kick-off there was a minute’s applause for former referee and St. Austell club stalwart Fred Woods.
After a cagy opening it was the Navy who landed the first salvo when their wing Kane Teear-Bourge plucked a Cornish pass as the Black & Golds looked to play out of their twenty-two, to fly in under the posts, full back Ben Chambers added the simple conversion.
Roared on by the one thousand plus Tregorrick Park crowd, flanker Adam Hughes steamed up to the Navy twenty-two, the ball was re-cycled quickly by the forwards who went through a couple of phases before the ball got to wing Harry Larkins, via a Josh Matavesi pass, the wing darting into the corner to score, full back Matt Shepherd judging the conversion to perfection.
Cornwall kept the momentum going when hooker Luis Powell finished off a great phase of play for the Black & Gold’s second try, which went unconverted.
The nip and tuck of the game continued as Navy skipper Kye Beasley made good ground into the Cornwall twenty-two, from an ensuing maul the Navy got over the line with hooker Jack Wright credited with the score.
Teear-Bourge time and again showed his pace out wide keeping the Cornwall defence on it’s toes.
Just before half-time Wright got his second try, again from a powerful Navy maul, with Chambers adding the extras, Navy turned around at the break 19-12 up.
Shepherd, fly-half Will Hennessy and flanker Cam Taylor had caught the eye for Cornwall in the opening period.
Kickable penalties were ignored by both sides as they looked to their set-piece. From a kick to the corner Cornwall got the drive on for Powell to score his second try of the game, Shepherd adding the extras to tie the scores.
With the game well into the final quarter and both sides emptying their benches, Cornwall’s No.8 Brandon Rowley cut a fine line to dot down a fourth try for the Black & Golds, Shepherd judging his third conversion to perfection.
Navy had a final broadside up their sleeves; a chip over the Cornwall defence was seized upon by Teear-Bourge who steamed in unopposed under the sticks for Danny Ronald to tie the game with his conversion.
Both sides had chances to win it, but a draw was a fair result at the final whistle.
The Tribute man-of-the-match award went to St. Austell’s No.7 Cam Taylor, sponsored by Atlantic Reach.
After the final whistle, Cornwall head coach was satisfied with the result. He said. “Credit to the boys, they played for the shirt tonight, we can look back and perhaps if one or two lineouts had gone our way we could have made more of it. Our scrum went well, thought the reserve front row went well when they came on, overall we missed some chances in that second half.
“Hopefully the lads will go away and train hard, improve their fitness and look to fight their way into the squad come May.”
CRFU Chairman, Dave Saunter thanked St. Austell RFC for hosting the game and thanked the match sponsors for their valuable support.
Cornwall (Launceston unless stated): Matt Shepherd (St. Austell), Lewis Thomas (Redruth), Josh Semmens (Pirates Ams), Josh Matavesi (Capt,), Harry Larkins (both Camborne, Will Hennessy (Truro), CJ Boyce (St. Austell); Ethan Pearce-Cowley, Luis Powell (Truro), Declan Prowse (Camborne), Albert Horne, Dan Goldsmith, Adam Hughes (Camborne), Cam Taylor (St. Austell), Brandon Rowley.
Replacements: Peter Harris (St. Austell), Adam Strick (Penryn), James Lambourn (Pirates Ams), Mark Vian (St. Austell), Chris Fuca (Camborne), Adam Powell (Liskeard/Looe), Will Tanswell (Camborne), Freddie Davies (Devonport Services), Cameron Fogden, Ben Bryant.
Tries; Larkins 15, Powell 23, 54, Rowley 67, Cons, Shepherd 16, 55, 68
Royal Navy: Ben Chambers, Kane Teear-Bourge, AJ King, Jesse Lowe, Kristen Dobson, Dan Rutter, Jay Toogoog; Kye Beasley (Capt), Jack Wright, Dom Cleverley, Dan MacAdams, Will Scott, George Wagstaff, Ben Mallet, Chris Mills.
Replacements: Connor Turgood, Harry Wright, Tam Lindsay, Lewis Sutton, Evan Williams, Robbie Hume, Ronald, Ryder, Briggs, Hall, Duncan.
Tries: Teear-Bourge 9, 88, Wright 28, 39, Cons, Chambers 10, 40, Ronald 89
Referee: James Milliner-Woodcock
Crowd: 1,025
