25 YEARS ON: Cornwall 9-14 Durham

DURHAM came, saw and conquered Cornwall in "Hell-Fire Corner" to reach the final of the CIS Insurance County Championship.

Cornish hopes were high as the 15,000 crowd basked under the alternating sunny and grey skies. Conditions were good for running rugby with the wind blowing towards Strawberry Lane.

Cornwall could not quibble about the result on the day. The better team won.

After a quarter of an our, fullback Darren Chapman put Cornwall ahead, but two minutes later John Bland levelled the scores.

Durham then took a deserved lead with hooker Ian Parnaby sending in Darren McKinnon with his inside pass for a try. Bland's conversion kick missed by a narrow margin.

Cornwall must have felt they were in with a chance with the score at 8-3 at half-time, but playing down the slope they failed to use the drop in their favourite "Hell-Fire Corner."

Chapman put Cornwall ahead again with a drop goal and a penalty goal, before a well placed kick to the Strawberry Lane corner set up a chance for Bland to drop a goal with a low skimmer.

Minutes later he had repeated the dose, again, seemingly having all the time in the world.

Chapman's long kick took Cornwall close to the Durham line, but the visitors were composed, organised, and had come to win, sending the rushed, frantic efforts of the Cornish back up the pitch.

Cornwall: D Chapman, D Weeks, P Gadson, T Mead, I Pollard, J Tucker, R Nancekivell, A Ellery, B Andrew, J Pearce, T Adams, T Cook (c), S Berryman, M Addinall, J Atkinson. Reps: S Whitworth, C Whitworth, J May, K Courtney, S Parton, S Pinneger.

Borough hold off Albion fightback

Penryn 29, Plymouth Albion Extras 17

PENRYN, who were skippered by former first team stalwart Victor Tonkin, deputising for Martyn Addinall on duty for Cornwall, won a spirited morning game against Plymouth Albion Extras mainly due to their dominance in the first half.

Penryn took a deserved lead when lock Simon Parrott crashed over near the posts for Symon Winnan to convert.

It was all Penryn and they went further ahead when fly-half Darren Becconsall sold a perfect dummy and scored between the posts for Winnan to convert.

Brian Bawden, who moved from lock to prop, touched down for try number three. This time Winnan was unable to convert.

Albion responded in the second half with flanker Mark Manton going over for fly half Wainwright to convert, before Winnan scored a penalty.

Albion piled on the pressure to score two very good tries by centre John Steerman and prop Gary Smith, neither being converted.

But Penryn had the final word when Morbey set up right wing William Brewster to race over in the corner. Winnan converted with a magnificent kick from the touchline.

Powerful Penryn through to semis

Mullion 0, Penryn Athletic 2

Penryn Athletic gave one of their most significant performances of the season on Saturday with a 2-0 win at Mullion in the quarter-finals of the Jolly's Combination League Cup.

After early exchanges, Penryn began to get to grips with the game against the league leaders with a determined brand of football which the home side could not quite match.

After 25 minutes Athletic took the lead with a five-man move when Andy Parry picked out Paul Cardell in support on the left. He exchanged passes with Jerry Cornish before cutting inside and switching play on the far side of the penalty area where Gary Pascoe turned the ball back into the path of Andy Tasker who scored with a cracking drive to complete a great team goal.

Five minutes into the second half the tie was virtually over when another well-worked move paid off for Penryn. Cornish opened up Mullion on the left to put Tasker inside, but his slightly overhit cross found Wayne Brown who immediately hooked the ball back into the middle where home 'keeper Nick Hampshire failed to gather the ball under pressure from Andy Stivey.

As the loose ball came down Stivey ended up in the net quickly followed by the ball which came off the toe of Gary Pascoe.