AS
Harlequins march on at the top of National League One, the Cornish Pirates threw
open the race for second spot by defeating fellow high-flyers Bedford Blues in
a pulsating encounter at Kenwyn.
Having suffered back-to-back
defeats to Rotherham and Exeter Chiefs, the Pirates had offered the visiting Blues
the advantage in the pursuit of the Mighty Quins.
However, in the
fortnight which had passed since their first-ever home defeat to the Chiefs, the
soul searching carried out by both the Pirates playing and coaching staff certainly
paid off, as they responded with an impressive display against Mike Rayer’s visitors.
Not that the opening minutes made for good viewing, as the Blues
stunned their hosts inside three minutes when skipper Mike Allen was given the
easy task of crossing following a cheeky dummy in midfield from fly-half Ali Hepher,
who stepped up to add the conversion.
Fears that the Pirates had
yet to fully recover from their Exeter hangover, however, were quickly banished
when the Duchy’s finest responded with Richard Welding, Gavin Cattle and Rhodri
McAtee all making healthy inroads into the Blues rearguard, before Lee Jarvis
took a note out of Hepher’s book by selling an audacious dummy to two Bedford
tacklers, before offloading to fellow Welshman Kevin James, who pumped his way
under the posts to score, Jarvis converting to restore parity.
Further
joy followed for the home side on 27 minutes when a scrum on the right was worked
left through Cattle and Jarvis to Duncan Roke, who despite being felled just short
of the line, was able to lay-off to Cattle again, who in turn fed Namibian lock
Heino Senekal to crash over.
Although Jarvis failed with the conversion
attempt, the fly-half was able to administer a thunderous blow on 33 minutes,
striking a penalty from just inside his own half to give the home side an eight-point
buffer as half-time approached.
Bedford, though, were far from finished
and in a strong conclusion to the opening period, it was their Tongan powerhouse
prop Soane Tonga’uiha, who peeled off a maul to barge his way over from close
range, Hepher converting to make it 15-14 at the turn.
With little
to choose between either side, it was the Pirates who were first to show in the
second half, a brilliant turn over from the home pack allowed Cattle and Jarvis
to combine once more, the latter then inching a grubber kick into the path of
McAtee, who fly-hacked the ball on before beating opposite number Mike Staten
in the race to the line.
Two more Jarvis penalties – the second of
which saw Bedford hooker Chris Johnson sin-binned – allowed the home side something
of a slender buffer entering into the final quarter. However, home nerves were
tested late on as first Allen claimed his second converted try of the afternoon,
then Pirates lock Will James came within a whisker of a card when he was involved
in a spot of fisticuffs with Bedford’s Allen and Jon Phillips.
Thankfully
referee Tim Beddow used a bit of common sense to diffuse the situation, a penalty
was awarded against James, and the Pirates comfortably held out for the closing
seconds to claim a much-needed victory tonic.
Cornish Pirates 26
Tries – K James, Senekal, McAtee; Conversion – Jarvis;
Penalties
– Jarvis 3
Bedford Blues 21
Tries – Allen 2, Tonga’uiha;
Conversions – Hepher 2, Luke
Pirates: D Roke; R Welding, S James
(W Davies 71), K James, R McAtee; L Jarvis, G Cattle (capt, N Chivers 80); A Paver,
N Makin, N Adams (D Parkes 71); H Senekal, J Beardshaw (W James 51); J Bearman
(S Hockings 19-30), I Motusaga, M Evans. Replacements (not used): T Barlow, V
Ma’asi.
Blues: J Hinkins; C Moir (E Lewis 54), L Roberts, M Allen
(capt), M Staten; A Hepher (T Luke 73), D Malone (C Dickson 54); S Tonga’uiha,
C Johnson (C Whitehead 75), J Brooks (J Graham 73); J Phillips, A Brenton (M Comb
54); N Strauss, A Kettle (C Rainbow 63), S Brady (Whitehead 71-75).
Yellow
Card: Johnson
Referee: T Beddow (RFU)
Attendance: 2,657
