IT MAY have been April in Cornwall, but the weather and pitch was more like the South of France, warm, dry and hard; as Bude and Launceston contested the Plate Final of the Cornwall County Colts Cup. Both were losing semi-finalists at Perranporth some two weeks before, and Bude played their final competitive match of the season at St Austell on a balmy spring evening.

Bude are normally slow starters, but on this sunny evening they started fiercely.

After only two minutes Freddie Gifford superbly collected a Launceston kick. The maul was set up, and stand-in flanker Dan Buckland broke blind, and set up a ruck. Quick ball was recycled through the Bude backs, and Ollie Dell fed his centre partner Lewis Seaton just outside their own 22. The gap was there, and Lewis cut through the defence, went round the cover and out-sprinted the full back to the right corner to touch down for a momentous start. The conversion failed.

For the full report, and a round-up of the regional sport, please see this week's edition of the 'Post'.