RYAN Richards scored twice as the Cornwall FA Senior Representative side earned a 4-1 victory over the Royal Navy FA in their friendly at Helston Athletic’s Kellaway Park.

Mousehole forward Amara Bakayoko opened the scoring after three minutes before Saltash United striker Richards doubled the lead two minutes later, with Helston Athletic’s Neil Slateford adding a third after 15 minutes.

Danny Kerr pulled one back for the Royal Navy in the 69th minute but Richards wrapped up the scoring within a minute of the restart.

Cornwall flew out of the traps and took the lead in the third minute, with Mousehole forward Hayden Turner sending in a low cross for clubmate Bakayoko to drive the ball in at the back post.

The hosts doubled their lead less than two minutes later thanks to another club link-up, with Richards beating the offside trap to meet Saltash United team-mate Dave Barker’s long ball and fire it past goalkeeper Laurence McCormick.

Cornwall were looking in the mood and saw a couple of half-chances go by before the third arrived in the 15th minute, with Helston Athletic man Slateford providing a fine finish from outside the box.

Richards passed up two opportunities to net a fourth goal inside the first 20 minutes, sending his first effort narrowly wide before his second was saved by McCormick.

Al Sneddon had the Navy's first shot on goal in the 24th minute but it was easy for Falmouth Town goalkeeper Ryan Barnes, who had hardly touched the ball by that point, before Tavistock’s Jordan Annear missed a golden chance to score at the other end, meeting Bakayoko's pass but drilling it into the side netting.

Sneddon was looking the liveliest up front for the Navy and fired over Barnes’ bar twice in quick succession towards the end of the half, before Annear almost managed to nod in from a corner with the final action of the first 45 minutes.

As expected, Cornwall made a raft of substitutions at the start of the second half, with Joe Cooper, Mark Goldsworthy, Max Gilbert, Tom Annear, Jason Robertson and Jordan Dingle all coming on.

Unlike the breathless start to the first half, Cornwall were having to defend early in the second period, with Dave Parker’s shot being blocked before Sneddon went on a dangerous run and forced a save out of Robertson.

Bodmin Town’s Gilbert had Cornwall’s first effort of the second half ten minutes in when his grass-cutter from 20 yards rolled narrowly wide of the bottom corner, before Helston ‘keeper Robertson pulled off the save of the match to superbly tip Parker’s free kick away from the top corner.

The Navy were looking brighter and should have got a goal back when Sam Cherry took aim from six yards but could not find a way through a crowd of yellow shirts.

Cornwall almost made them pay for it moments later when South West Peninsula League Premier West’s 35-goal top-scorer Goldsworthy teed up 32-goal second-highest scorer Richards, but the Saltash man thundered his shot against the crossbar.

The visitors did make Cornwall pay for that miss, as they promptly went up the other end and got on the scoresheet. A shot was blocked but only as far as Kerr, who rifled into the far corner from the back of the six-yard box.

But Cornwall restored their three-goal lead instantly as Richards raced through to meet Goldsworthy’s through ball and coolly slotted past the advancing McCormick.

Tavistock defender Tom Annear almost added a fifth in fortuitous fashion with eight minutes left to play, racing down the left flank and sending in a cross that almost crept inside the far post.

The game was quietly petering out, but Turner almost finished the game with a flourish, cutting in from the left and jinking past former Wendron United man Sam Humphries before curling the ball against the far post.

Cornwall: R Barnes, D Barker, D Mulready, C Hambly, C O'Brien, J Ward, A Bakayoko, N Slateford, R Richards, J Annear, H Turner. Subs: M Goldsworthy, M Gilbert, J Cooper, T Annear, J Dingle, J Robertson.

Royal Navy: L McCormick, D Tarrant, Vickers, P Bradley, L Cooper, S Cherry, D Kerr, A Sneddon, S Saunders, D Parker, S Cross. Subs: J Burns, S Humphries, E Courtman, D Quirke.