Cornish All Blacks 37pts, Stourbridge 29

IF this was the post Redruth backlash that Jon Hill had been predicting all week it was good enough to do the job but not entirely convincing. No-one can complain about a team that runs in five tries but they should never have let the visitors score four; although Stourbridge well deserved the bonus point it brought them. This was probably the best game seen at Polson so far this season; it was very entertaining, in perfect weather with fast flowing rugby and played in an excellent spirit by both sides, writes Tony Randel. Previous encounters between these two clubs have always been spirited and lively and this was to prove no exception. It started as it continued with a home converted try in the first minute!

Right from the kick off Steve Perry made a break, he off-loaded to Lewis Webb to run a diagonal straight through the Stourbridge defence to put Marc Dibble over in the corner. As Adam Staniforth converted you could feel the excitement rise in the crowd; this was more like Polson should be!

After the initial shock Stour tightened up their defence to keep continuous Launceston assaults on their line from crossing. The pressure soon paid off when Marc Dibble was the object of a beautifully weighted cross kick by Staniforth to give him the chance to race in to score his second try in 12 minutes in the corner. Although the conversion sailed wide no-one, except the sizeable Stourbridge support, was complaining about 12 points in as many minutes.

If any of the Polson faithful had any thoughts of things continuing in this manner they had forgotten the pedigree and undoubted class of the Midlanders' backs. It was only four minutes later that centre Adam Billig carved a way through the home defence to launch flying winger Jon Hall on a streak for the line. Ali Bressington had one of his rare misses but Stourbridge showed that they were firing on all cylinders again.

Cornish All Blacks had to shuffle positions amongst their backs when Ryan Westren went off with a hamstring twinge. Stourbridge took advantage of this disruption to play to the strength of their own backs and came close to scoring on two occasions. When they were awarded a penalty right between the Launceston posts Bressington narrowed the gap to 12-8 just before the half hour. Cornish All Blacks had a further let-off when Jon Fabian intercepted a Stourbridge pass that would almost certainly have led to a try had it gone to hand. As the first period was ebbing away Staniforth extended the lead to 15-8 after a penalty for going over the top.

Just time for another score before half time to give the Cornish All Blacks a good cushion was the thought and the talk in the stand. Stourbridge must have misheard the chat! Right on half time scrum half Tom Richardson gathered from the base of a scrum some 30m from the Launceston line to cut through the defence like a hot knife through butter! He is not a big guy but he skipped out of some tackle attempts and broke others – it was brilliant, from a Stourbridge point of view! A s the Bressington conversion sailed over and the referee blew for half time at 15 all it was going to be real 'game-on' in the second period.

Launceston started this half just as the first with a quick score. After a couple of minutes Mal Roberts found a loose ball 'bobbling about' on the ground, a clever little grubber kick ahead gave him the chance to nip round the defence, gather the ball and hare for the line; 20-15.

You could feel the pressure building as both sides started making handling errors resulting in knock-ons and a series of scrums. From the last of these, on about 50 minutes, Richardson fed Bressington, who was already travelling at speed to receive the pass (it looked awfully like a rehearsed move which just goes to demonstrate that time on the training ground is well spent). Bressington went straight through the defence at speed to score between the posts and convert his own try. This put Stour ahead for the first time.

Their lead was short lived. From the kick off Launceston surged forward to the Stourbridge line and drove over, but the ball was held up. From the 5m scrum Glen Remnant made the break before passing to Lewis Webb to feed Steve Perry to score. As the Staniforth conversion went between the uprights the Cornish All Blacks again had a five point lead and the try bonus point. They further extended the lead to 34-22 three minutes later when hooker Darren Semmens ran all of 20 metres with ball in hand after Mike Myerscough had broken the Stourbridge defence – a backs try scored by forwards!

Cornish All Blacks then appeared to go on the defensive and pinned Stourbridge back in their own 22 with clever defensive kicking by the back three. This aerial battery eventually paid off when Stour were penalised for offside right between the posts in their own 22. The three points taken put the score to 37-22 with ten minutes or so remaining and surely now too big a mountain for the visitors to climb. They never stopped trying and were rewarded with the bonus point try right on full time when Jon Hall got his second try and Bressington converted.

Glen Remnant won the Valcent Products 'man-of-the-match' award but it must have been a close call with, surely, Marc Dibble, Jon Fabian, Mike Myerscough (who was superb in the line-out) and Lewis Webb being in close contention.

Launceston now have to be wary of a Birmingham and Solihull backlash next week after they were well beaten by Wharfedale last Saturday. There is a supporter's bus going – get on it! Win at Sharmans Cross Road is vital; a good Cornish crowd will make all the difference as B&S are not renowned for the size of their home gate!

Cornish All Blacks: Mal Roberts, Marc Dibble, Ryan Westren (Hamish Smales 18), Steve Perry, Jon Fabian, Adam Staniforth (Jamie Semmens 75), Lewis Webb, Glen Remnant, Josh Lord, Sam Hocking (Tony Roques 51), Mike Myerscough, Steve Pape (Bryn Jenkins 28), Danny Porte (Jason Bolt 40), Darren Semmens, Keith Brooking (capt)

Stourbridge: Ali Bressington (George Sparks 78), Jon Hall, Adam Billig, Ben Barkley, Martin Freeman (Tom Jordan 75), Jon Higgins, Tom Richardson, Duncan White, Rupert Cooper, Pete Knight, Ben Griffith (Mark George 68), Ben Hughes, Chris Rowlands (Simon Horner 8), Ben Gerry (capt), Adam Sturdy

Scorers:

Cornish All Blacks: tries, Dibble (2), Roberts, Perry, D Semmens; cons, Staniforth (3), pens. Staniforth (2)

Stourbridge: tries, Hall (2), Richardson, Bressington; cons, Bressington (3); pen, Bressington

Referee: Mr Keith Lewis (RFU).