Saturday, January 11

Bond Timber Cornwall Junior Cup (fifth-round)

FOUR Post area clubs are through to the last eight of this season’s Cornwall Junior Cup after four superb ties.

Duchy Premier Altarnun required extra-time to win 3-2 at league rivals Tregrehan Mills.

The visitors started brightly but found themselves a goal down inside five minutes as a corner wasn’t cleared and was struck towards goal. Despite the referee not awarding it, the Altarnun linesman signalled the ball had crossed the line.

Both sides enjoyed spells of pressure with Josh Smith forcing the home keeper to tip a shot over the crossbar. However ‘the Nuns’ were level before the break as some passing in the box saw the ball fall to Adam Porter who collected the ball and swivelled and fired into the bottom left of the goal.

The second-half saw the North Cornwall side dominate but without any end product, meaning the tie went to extra-time.

Sam Smith came close after a ball over the top, but was unable to convert. Altarnun’s pressure finely paid off when Charlie Wivell latched onto a loose ball and into the bottom right corner.

This time ‘the Nuns’ didn’t take their foot off the gas and went looking to put the game to bed. In the second-half of extra-time, Altarnun got a corner and with Tregrehan heading the ball into the air and not clearing it, the ball came down to Rob Baker who put the ball back over the top of everyone and into the net.

With the wind rising it was becoming difficult for the players, and with less than five minutes to go of extra-time, Tregrehan pulled one back. But some smart play down the wings helped the visitors see the game out as they remain on course for their maiden Cornwall Junior Cup crown.

Altarnun’s opponents on Saturday, table-topping Gunnislake are also through after a 3-1 victory over Duchy Premier side St Breward at Butts Meadow. Jarryd Kelly, Carlton Farnham and Liam Bryant were on targets for the Lakers.

A young Kilkhampton side put in a superb performance as they won 2-1 at West Cornwall FC near Redruth.

After a dominant first-half, which saw them spurn several chances, they finally took the lead on the hour through Ewan Reeves, who added a second soon after.

The hosts, who are unbeaten in ten games in the Trelawny Championship set up a grandstand finish following a mistake at the back, but the Rooks held on.

They will be joined in the last eight by Duchy Two high-flyers Bude Town who beat St Just 2-1 at Broadclose Park.

The visitors made the two-hour journey in good form having lost just once in 12 games in Division One of the Trelawny League.

St Just arrived with a coach full of travelling fans and plenty of optimism after a strong start to the season, and made life uncomfortable for Bude in their early exchanges.

That was until the tenth minute when a neat pass from skipper Ryan Leverton was superbly hooked across the box by Adam Smith into the path of Brad Palmer who made no mistake from six yards.  

The game was a scrappy affair and St Just were awarded a penalty on the half hour mark but Bude keeper Kieran Stanbridge was well up to the task with a superb save diving to his left to keep the score 1-0 at half-time.

Bude controlled the second 45 and deservedly doubled their lead on the hour when Steve Box converted a penalty won by Brad Palmer.  

That seemed to break the spirits of St Just who never looked like getting back in the game, until the 90th minute. A free-kick awarded on the edge of the box for the visitors was curled in to create a nervy last few minutes, but ultimately Bude were too strong and march on to the quarter-finals next month.