IN late summer sunshine at St. Ives, and in front of a good-sized crowd, it was the ’Hakes’ who ultimately emerged victorious in this Counties 1 Tribute Western West League encounter against their local rivals, writes Phil Westren.
Having gained promotion at the end of last season, and with ambition both on and off the field, the St. Ives team had every right to feel pleased, whilst the Pirates will have been disappointed not to have taken full advantage during spells of dominance.
The young visiting team was missing a few influential performers, but there was credit nonetheless to those who featured and at the same time gained valuable experience.
Indeed, the result might have been different if chances were taken but, following a 0-0 halftime scoreline, the home team’s defensive qualities were rewarded and after then proceeding to gain territory and penalty kick opportunities it was the experienced Grant Thirlby who slotted four penalties.
To their credit, at the very end, the Pirates registered just the one try in the game, scored by Ben Wragg, which at least earned them a losing bonus point.
Speaking after the match, Pirates Amateurs head coach Murray Westren said: "It was great to return to league action, and especially on such a fine afternoon. However, our performance was a little disappointing in that we were dominant for large periods of the game but ineffective in the opposition ‘22’.
"Once we went behind in the second half we lost our discipline and gifted them the advantage, leaving us with important lessons to learn going forward."
St. Ives 12 - 5 Pirates Amateurs
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