Cornish Pirates 24 London Welsh

Having been briefly ousted from top spot 24 hours earlier by near neighbours Plymouth Albion, the Pirates served up yet another Sunday special by claiming all five points against visiting London Welsh.

Welsh whizzkid McAtee led the way with his second half hat-trick, while hooker Villi Ma'asi, flanker Chris Cracknell and a penalty try helped put the seal on the Pirates' sixth successive home win of the season.

For 40 minutes, however, the visiting Exiles were more than a match for their high-flying hosts.

Indeed, they had the cheek to lead at the break, scrum-half Robbie Shaw's converted try on the stroke of half-time ensured the capital city visitors of a 13-12 lead.

It was a scoreline which clearly unsettled the natives - and a scenario which had left both them and the Pirates in new uncharted waters. In six games at Camborne this term, no visiting side has led at the break.

Full-back Sam Ulph fired them back into contention with a penalty on 26 minutes, then he repeated the dose with a similar effort just before the break to make it 12-6.

But with the half all but up, the Exiles stunned their Cornish counterparts when good turnover ball on the left flank allowed the lively Shaw to snipe down the touchline, before he evaded the onrushing challenge of home wing Lewis Vinnicombe to score in the corner. Ulph landed the tough touchline conversion to bring a close to proceedings.

As McKay later explained, tough words were needed in the home camp during the half-time break.

"We had a few words at half-time because the first half wasn't acceptable," said McKay. "Before the game we had set out a number of objectives we wanted to achieve, but we didn't get anywhere near them in the first half.

A Di Bernardo penalty five minutes into the second period restored the home side's lead to 15-13 - and from that point the Pirates kicked into overdrive as Welsh struggled to cope with their power and pace.

Again gaining the authority up front, the Pirates piled on the pressure and with it came a flurry of points.

Strong work from the home eight saw one of their driving mauls deliberately hauled to the floor, an indiscretion which led to Welsh skipper Howard Quigley spending ten minutes in the bin, and from the ensuing passage of play, it was flanker Cracknell, who dived over at a scrum close in.

Although Di Bernardo's conversion attempt fell short, the play-making fly-half was able to administer the extras to McAtee's first two tries on 68 and 73 minutes.