Saturday, December 8

Tribute Duchy League

Falmouth seconds 5

Launceston seconds 29

TWO tries apiece from Simon Burden and Mark Knight gave Launceston’s second string a 29-5 victory over their Falmouth counterparts at the Recreation Ground.

The visitors, who were wearing their new kit for the first time, travelled to the Cornish coast with only 12 players due to first-team call ups and unavailability, but were given three players by the home side, who are turning into a strong outfit and had good numbers with two of them playing on the wing and one at full-back.

Playing on the second team pitch, conditions were dry but windy which affected lineouts, passing and kicking.

Launceston played into the wind in the first-half and had to defend solidly for 15 minutes with Falmouth pressing hard.

However they looked dangerous on the counter and worked their way into the game with a dominant scrum and a lineout which was working well.

They finished the opening 40 10-5 up thanks to two tries from Burden who was playing in the second-row alongside coach Mike Haines. With the wind at their backs in the second-half, it helped Launceston clear their lines more than once although Falmouth were always dangerous.

Launceston dug deep and with some hard defence and phases of play. But with ball in-hand were full of running with some big carrying, lovely play and offloads and ended up running out 29-5 winners with the second-half tries coming from Knight (2) and Joe Vanstone.

Richard Jasper kicked two conversions.

Launceston —

Falmouth player, Falmouth player, Vanstone, Jacob, Falmouth player, Jasper, Knight; Hocking, A Tharme, Dingle, Haines, Burden, Tummon, Bebbington, Baker

Tries: Burden 2, Knight 2, Vanstone

Convs: Jasper 2

Pens: N/A

Launceston’s joint man-of-the-match: Charlie Tummon and Cian Baker