ON a grey day, with colourless rugby and a depressing result this was a game that the Cornish All Blacks will want to consign to the history books as soon as possible. Both sides seemed to find the distinctly antipodean interpretation of the Experimental Laws by the referee difficult to understand so neither were really able to get into their stride. This was the win the Bay have been after all season, and full credit to them for seizing it; it was the banana skin that Launceston should have seen and avoided, but they really slipped up on it, writes Tony Randel.

Launceston never looked like winning this game. Right from the kick off the Bay were fighting hard in the home 22; if it not been for a tremendous tackle by Glen Remnant on his opposite number 8, Nick Burnett, in the first few minutes The Bay would have had the first points on the board then.

When Staniforth had missed missed a relatively easy penalty on ten minutes it was indicative of the way things were about to go. It was not going to be a good day for the Cornish All Blacks. It took Bay 16 minutes to put their first points on the board from a Dan Hawkes penalty, for not rolling away.

At that stage the Bay were not looking like a bottom of the table team and the Cornish All Blacks were certainly not playing the sort of rugby that will get them back into Division One. Staniforth evened the scores just into the second quarter and that might have started a revival, but it did not. Launceston continued to give away penalties which allowed the Bay to pin them down in their own half and never be able to take the initiative. Even when Bay were down to seven forwards for the last ten minutes of the half they more than held their own in the set pieces.

The first half ended 3-3. Bay had made all the play, had the lion's share of both possession and territory and were looking much more hungry that the Cornish All Blacks who appeared to think this game was going to be a stroll in the park.

Surely strong words would be said in the home changing room and the Cornish All Blacks come out really fired up and eager to show the large crowd of supporters what they are capable of doing. Whatever was said, and despite three tactical substitutions it had no effect. They were still pedestrian without showing any shape or purpose to their game. Their few attacking moves were predictable and discipline was lax. The third of a string of penalties, after an altercation by a number of forwards, was sent to the corner. Bay set up a classic catch and drive to send big lock Ben Hilton over the line for the solitary try of the game.

Surely that would be the wake-up call the Cornish All Blacks needed! If it was, they did not hear it. The only time they looked like scoring was when Jon Fabian and Steve Perry combined well down the centre but good Bay cover defence stopped the rally on their own 22. With only ten minutes to go a Staniforth penalty, when Nick Burnett was sin-binned for killing the ball, brought the home team to within two points of the visitors. Launceston tried desperately to find some form or even force Bay into conceding a further penalty, But Bay held firm as they wound down the clock with a number of untied bootlaces and 'injuries'.

Bay deserved their win but what should have been an exciting display of Cornish rugby was a disappointment for all the spectators and not the sort of thing that will keep people returning to Polson – the erstwhile fortress whose defences were truly breached on Saturday.

The only saving grace of the day was Waterloo getting their first win of the season against Cambridge. That makes second slot in the league still a close battle but Redruth go marching on remorselessly at the top. With 8 out of 26 games played there is still a long season ahead but positions at October end are often indicative of the final positions. If we are to see the likes of Exeter, Coventry, Plymouth and the Pirates at Polson next season there is a lot of work to be done very quickly!

Cornish All Blacks: Jon Fabian, Jamie Semmens (Marc Dibble 54), Mal Roberts, Steve Perry, Hamish Smales, Adam Staniforth, Lewis Webb, Jason Bolt, Darren Semmens (Glenn Cooper 56), Keith Brooking (capt) (Danny Porte 41), Steve Pape, Bryn Jenkins. Sam Hocking (Josh Lord 41), Tony Roques and Glen Remnant; rep not used, Jake Murphy.

Mount's Bay: Richard Bright, Darren Ritchie, Sam Parsons, Steve Johns, Likaela Mua, Dan Hawkes, Michael Molloy, Tim Mathias (Adam Flide 51), Bruce Pow (Danny Clackworthy 53), Jamie Salter, Ben Hilton, John Griffiths, Fraser Cliverd, Steve Dyer, Nick Burnett (capt). Reps not used; Oli Faulkner, Robert Ley, Adrian Bick.

Scorers; Cornish All Blacks; Staniforth, pens (2): Mount's Bay; try, Hilton, pen, Hawkes

Referee: Mr Michael Tully (RFU).