CAMBORNE’S play-off hopes took a further blow with another rare home defeat.
This time the loss was by a narrow margin against second placed Ivybridge side who took their limited chances decisively.
At a windswept Recreation Ground, Town’s hopes of narrowing the gap on the visitors in the South West One table suffered an early blow as prop Malcolm Hearn limped off to be replaced by young Jordan Sheers.
The Cherry and Whites totally dominated the first half hour, but finished with only a solitary David Mankee penalty to show for their superiority despite hammering the visiting line repeatedly with lock Ashley Lawton having made a number of trademark big charges.
In their first meaningful attack, Ivybridge’s forwards showed their hosts how to rumble over effectively from the catch-and-drive for the opening 32nd minute unconverted try.
As the interval neared, the visiting scrum-half darted clear and exchanged passes with Lewis Paterson before diving over to make it a flattering 3-10 score line at half time.
On the hour, the home side narrowed the deficit when number eight David Roberts was driven over and soon after fly-half Mankee’s, pictured below, long range penalty had them in 11-10 in front.
Well inside the last quarter, Ivybridge gained good field position from where the forwards surged for the line and Cornwall centre Paterson peeled off to barge over.
Not long after a fine run downfield took play deep into home territory and from a line-out the visiting forwards again drove purposefully for the line, squeezing over on the blindside to bag the bonus point touchdown that again went unconverted.
Down 20-11, Camborne hit back late on when Roberts did well to pick up at the base of the scrum before feeding livewire scrum half Taron Peacock who sliced through the tiring cover on a 30 metre run to cross near the posts.
Mankee knocked over the regulation conversion, but time ran out on his team and Ivybridge could celebrate an important victory.
CAMBORNE: 15 Ducker, 14 Floyd, 13 Kevern, 12 Kenward, 11 G Mankee, 10 D Mankee, 9 Peacock; 1 Endean, 2 Bartle, 3 Hearn, 4 Kemp, 5 Lawton, 6 Whittle, 7 Bone, 8 Roberts.
REPS: Thirlby, Sheers, Woolcock.
TRIES: Roberts, Peacock.
CONS: D Mankee 1/2.
PENS: D Mankee (2).
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