To allow time for another match between Camborne School of Mines and Imperial College London to take place the game kicked off early at 2 o’ clock. A moderate gale swept up the sloping pitch and most of the spectators chose to view from the shelter of some modest looking sheds opposite a well appointed grandstand where only one man and his dog were braving the elements.

Cullompton started with the wind at their backs and the boot of fly half Alex Brooks kept the contest in opposition territory for the first half. Penryn had put out a somewhat bigger and better side than the one that had come to Stafford Park and their defence was sound even although their pack was in retreat in the scrum despite having the advantage of the slope. A penalty for centre Adam Pearce who was also held up over the try line, gave Cully a slender 0-3 lead at the break which did not seem enough to face the elements in the second half.

In the event team manager Steve Luxon’s shrewd introduction of the entire bench early in the second half gave impetus to the Cully side who were able to peg back the defenders using the slope and after ten minutes of pressure a well judged pass by scrum half Tom Frankpitt was taken at pace by loose head prop, Ross Crang,(pictured at Sidmouth) to burst through defenders for his maiden try for the club. Penryn ten, back’s coach Martin Strick, failed to match Brooks’ dominance with the boot and Cully were able to defend their 0-8 lead without serious challenge to the end.

The wind was testing for both sides with more lineouts going against the put in than not with Cully using three different players to throw in for no marked improvement. Passing and catching were also difficult with the slightest error of judgement leading to knock ons and a very high scrum count for the match. This feature was however to Cullompton’s advantage as their front five starting with Ross Crang, Dan Driscoll, Chris Grant, Paul Surridge and Simon Kittow pushed back the burley Penryn pack who conceded one or two turnovers until they learned what to expect and got the ball out and away smartly on most occasions.

Penryn’s difficulty with the wind was illustrated in the first five minutes when full back Marcus Busch pursued a long Brooks kick up field and caught the defender in his own twenty two. Although the referee penalised the visitors for holding on to the player the kick did not clear the twenty two and when Penryn conceded the first scrum of the game by knocking on in the line they were marched back smartly before Cully initiated a number of phases which drew a penalty in front of the posts. Pearce slotted the thirty metre kick with ease.

Within minutes Penryn were under pressure again with Pearce being held up over the line on the quarter hour. The five metre scrum was moving toward the line when it seemed to suddenly become a ruck with the referee apparently being unable to identify any offences during this transformation. As the ball was moved wide off side was declared but Penryn were unable to effect a clearance and soon they faced another scrum not far from their line. The only scrum penalty of the day was called against Cullompton as the home pack were being propelled backwards toward their line.

Good driving play by Strick who has been an eight in his time and the home forwards did manage to break into the Cully twenty two on a couple of occasions but firm defensive tackling and difficult handling conditions saw the attacks come to nothing but Penryn were probably happy with their first half, restricting Cully to three points and having their turn with the wind at their backs, to come.

Cully number eight, Sam Harris, deserved a medal for his performance in the second forty minutes. Possession had to be kept in tight and not a minute passed in that period when the Cully captain could not be seen ploughing forward with the ball under his arm setting the example that was eagerly followed by flankers Sean Mardell and Jeremy Turner, Crang, replacements John Snell and Steve Nockles when they came on with centre Paul Baker pitching in and Frankpitt proving very effective despite not looking quite big enough for that type of thing
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Three minutes in lock Simon Kittow snaffled a Penryn ball in the lineout which was subsequently knocked on for a home scrum between their ten and twenty two. The Cully subs came off the bench and the fresh legs were instrumental in the scrum turnover and a sustained period of driving play that was helped by the slope, ending in Crang’s try which was not only his first for the club but his first since he was thirteen; a well deserved reward for one whose work in the engine room usually goes unnoticed.

A Brooks pass to Busch who put winger Jordan Shakespeare well into the home twenty two provided a moment of excitement for the Cully supporters but apart from that there were no further scoring opportunities for either side and with a two score lead Cully knew it was in the bag with five minutes left on the clock and were more than content to continue with the innumerable scrums that tick the clock down for a leading side.

As the second half wore on the ground began to fill with hundreds of students in festive mood as the following game was a prestigious annual event. As Cully supporters savoured the victory afterwards and jostled with young people in the crowded bar, the student game was in full swing outside to the roar of the partisan followers and the fun did not stop at half time as a couple dozen young men bravely conducted a mass streak on the pitch, looking much reduced by the biting wing. “It was better last year” said the man with the dog “the streakers were all girls!”