St Ives 20 Penryn 29

Penryn recorded an impressive bonus point win against Western Counties West strugglers St Ives at the weekend, with a five try display.

The Hakes went into the clash still threatened by relegation, but despite taking nothing from the game results elsewhere confirmed their safety later in the day.

As ever there was a strong wind on the hill at Alexandra Road, but the firm pitch and dry weather made for a good spectacle for the healthy crowd who attended.

It was an end-to-end encounter, packed with physicality and tries aplenty, and the visiting Borough, who would play their first of four games in seven days, drew first blood.

The home side, aided by the wind in the first period, started loosely with the threat of relegation looming large, and were duly punished by the visitors when Mitchell Vague raced in from 80 metres after reading the interception.  Rob Banks converted and Penryn had a justified early lead.

In what would be a see-saw affair, St Ives had a period of their own pressure soon after.
They opened their account with a penalty, before taking the lead with a converted try following a strong break through the middle of the pitch.

Penryn quickly hit back with a Daniel Booth try from short range after the dominant away pack had rumbled towards the line with a menacing series of phases. Banks failed to convert this time.

The pendulum then swung back the way of the home side as they regained the lead with a strong break from the back of the scrum, the extras were wide.

There was still time for the lead to change again before half time. This time it was the turn of Penryn captain George Jones, who surprised the home defence to show them a clean pair of heels and saunter in for an excellent individual effort. Banks’s conversion may have missed but Penryn had the lead their first half display had deserved.

The first 20 minutes of the second period was hugely physical. Penryn looked the more threatening with Banks’s probing right boot pinning the home team back in their own territory time and time again.

The breakthrough moment came with 15 minutes remaining, as the Penryn forwards again took charge on the St Ives line.

A series of attacks stretched the Hakes and they could not cope with the power of Booth, who added his second and Penryn’s fourth for a bonus point try. Banks converted to take the score to 24-15 and the game away from the home side.

St Ives always provided a threat, and were kept out by some excellent last line Penryn defence before the visitors made absolutely sure of the result.

A hopeful kick upfield nearly saw the most fortuitous of tries scored, but there was no mistake when Ethan Pattison burrowed over from close range. Banks missed the conversion, but it hardly mattered as only seconds remained.

St Ives were resilient as ever and had the final say with a try out wide in the final play, but the conversion that would have given them a bonus point drifted wide.

It mattered not, though, as results were such that they confirmed their safety, while Penryn picked up a valuable bonus point to stay in the top six. A satisfactory afternoon all round.
Penryn travel to Camborne on Wednesday, before hosting the Old Dunstonians on Friday and travelling to Teignmouth next Saturday in a busy week for The Borough.

Penryn: 15 Chambers 14 Peacock 13 vague 12 Seviour 11 paine 10 banks 9 hellier 1 Oldfield 2 booth 3 Williams 4 Pascoe 5 Trevaskis 6 jones 7 Hinchley 8 jones reps: Pattison, Birkett, Hughes

Tries: Booth (2) Jones, Pattison, Vague
Cons: Banks (2)