With the game heading towards a draw the Saints side strayed offside on the 45m line, back chat from the home side saw the mark moved 10m putting the ball in kicking range. It was still a pressure kick but Truro fly half Daryl Riches held his nerve to take the three points and with it local bragging rights.

The home side will rue yet another sluggish start that allowed Truro to score two tries to put the visitors 12-0 up after just eight minutes. The Saints at last came to life to exert some pressure on the visitors who gave away a stream of penalties resulting in two Liam Freeman three pointers and a yellow card for Truro prop Ethan Pattison. Truro hit back immediately and panic in the Saints’ defence provided a simple kick for Riches in front of the post (6-15). The home side dominated the second quarter to put the visitors under sustained pressure. A well drilled catch and drive was finished off by teenager Hector Bright bringing the home crowd to life (11-15). Great work by prop Hugh Noott and number 8 George Knowles created the space for James Martin to come in off his wing to power home under the posts. Liam Freeman’s conversion put the home side 18-15 in front, and both sides saw long range penalty attempts fall short before half time.

The second half was a tense affair with Truro dominating territorially but unable to find a way through a well organised and determined Saints defence. The anxiety levels were upped dramatically when Riches slotted a 35m penalty to tie the scores at 18-18 with the final quarter approaching. Try scoring opportunities were non-existent as both teams continued to cancel each other out in a compelling physical encounter. The game looked like ending with honours even, until the Saints’ indiscretion allowed Riches to win the game for Truro.

It was a disappointing end to the game but the Saints will take solace that their young side held their own in the physical and intimidating cauldron of a Truro derby in front of a large and vociferous crowd. On the back pitch, the Sinners beat Launceston IIs in a highly competitive and entertaining Duchy Cup semi-final. Tries from Peter Rowe, Rob Jeffs, Sam Kendall and Stephen “Speedi” Hornby saw the Sinners win 22-3 to secure a place in the Final against Wadebridge Camels IIs (date and venue to be confirmed). With the Colts winning 44-5 at Redruth Colts to maintain their charge for the League title, St Austell supporters can look to the future with real optimism.

Next week it is a double header with both Saints and Sinners making the short journey to Molesworth to take on neighbours Wadebridge Camels on Saturday 14 January 2017. The second strings kick off at 12:30, followed by the Western Counties West clash at 2:30pm.

Man of the Match – Miles Davey Another inspirational display from Captain Marvel, who worked tirelessly around the pitch and led his team with distinction.

1 Charlie Nicholson; 2 Miles Davey (Capt.); 3 Hugh Noott; 4 Andy Inch; 5 Adam Pearce; 6 Hector Bright; 7 Jack Nelson; 8 George Knowles; 9 Andy Ashwin; 10 Chris Ashwin; 11 James Martin; 12 Liam Freeman 13 Shane Johns; 14 Ben Chenoweth 15 CJ Boyce

Reps:
Mark Martin; Dan Jane; Josh Phillips

St Austell:
Tries – Hector Bright (27); James Martin (32)
Cons – Liam Freeman (32)
Pens – Liam Freeman (12, 18)
Drop Goal –

Truro:
Tries – Luke Tidball (3); Jack Tidball (8)
Cons – Daryl Riches (3)
Pens – Daryl Riches (21, 55, 78)
Drop Goal –

Yellow Cards:
St Austell: None
Truro: Ethan Pattison (18); Luke Trescothick (51)

Red Cards:
St Austell: None
Truro: None

Referee: Mr Michael Oliver (Devon RRS)