Match Report: Tate Richardson

The Sinners once again had ample opportunity to secure the victory and played some excellent rugby during an entertaining encounter. However, over-playing and not building pressure through territory with the advantage of the slope cost them. That's not to say that Falmouth, featuring former Saint, Sinner and Spartan, Sammy Tank, were not deserving of the win their resolve and effective use of the powerful rolling maul at key moments afforded them.

With scrum dominance switching one way and the other, neither team had a consistent platform upon which to launch attacks however Falmouth took the lead when sustained pressure eventually led to a series of pick and goes for a 7-0 lead. The Sinners roared back with powerful carries from Noott, Wheeler, Tregilgas, Pearce and Jake Arms regularly drawing in 3 and 4 Falmouth defenders. Twice clear scoring opportunities were squandered when the ball wasn't released to make the most of an apparent 3 on 1 and again, on the same right flank, when a 10m pass found grass instead of the hands of powerful winger Rowan Bird.

Despite losing powerful lock/prop Mike Streicher to an aggravation of a recent knee injury, the Sinners put the scrambling Fal defence into a spin and drew consecutive penalties. A botched Sinners lineout provided a fortunate try after being knocked on by the visitors. The Sinners were driven backwards in the resultant scrum, but the ball squirmed out and an electrifying pick up by Tom Tyrrell saw the winger dot down 15m to the left of the sticks. An excellent conversion from Alfie Middlewood tied the scores at 7 each. Shortly after Middlewood clinically bisected the posts to send the Sinners in leading 10-7 at the break with the slight slope in their favour to come.

With another injury substitution at the beginning of the second half the Sinners started strongly but were unable to breakthrough the robust Falmouth defence. The pendulum swung towards the visitors who exerted a sustained period of pressure. The home team held firm with Kayden Michael and Henry Blackshire at the fore, to ensure the visitors were limited to just 3 points for their efforts (10-10). Having soaked up a great deal of pressure recent Sinners Head coach appointment Dean Bellman ran the tee on for Alfie Middlewood who confidently made the most of the Sinners’ first points opportunity with a sweetly struck pen 35m to put them into a 13-10 lead.
At this point a spent Jake Arms, after merely a 90 second rest, was called back into action as powerful prop Scotty Pearce, who had been a thorn in the side of Falmouth all afternoon, succumbed to a shoulder injury. Further changes were required when full back Toby French was forced from the field with a similar ailment.

At this point the Sinners once again lost control of the game for a 15 minute period, kicking the ball out on the full on 3 times in the space of 10 minutes and failing to play the territory game the coaches had urged at half time. The swing in morale when the fine margin between the outcome of sending a bobbling ball deep into enemy territory or giving the opposition a line out 25m from your line is palpable and on fine margins games are won and lost.

Despite veteran No8 Hugh Noott, like a protective Daddy bear proudly holding a new-born cub, twice deftly caressing spiralling bombs into his gnarled paws to launch rampaging runs. The first left powerful Falmouth stalwart Simon Bailey on his rump and shortly after to everyone's delight, including his own teammates, lithe scrum half Cam Bullock was left writhing on the muddy surface gasping for oxygen. The Sinners failed to make the most of the opportunities, on one occasion losing a line out and shortly after being driven off their own scrum inside the Falmouth 22. This galvanized the visitors who were coping manfully with suffering similar injury woes to the Sinners and were now building up the phases to dominate possession. With just four minutes remaining the pressure told with a try to give them a 18-13 lead.

Sinners’ heads dropped at thought of a fourth consecutive losing bonus point, but they had one last opportunity with a line out 40m out as the ref called "last play". Scrappy off the top ball pinged through four pairs of hands like a hot potato to fashion an unlikely overlap. Hope turned to despair as the replacement Falmouth winger gleefully intercepted and just, despite being run down by industrious back rower Henry Blackshire, hammered the final nail into the Sinners' coffin as the ref blew for full time.

Disconsolate at the end, and on the back of four straight defeats which could have gone either way. Bellman conveyed a summary of "no regrets", pride and pragmatism at the Sinners’ performance which was broadly positive and featured many elements of tangible improvement compared to the previous defeats. Credit was also given to Falmouth who ultimately deserved the win and overcame their own adversities on the day. Special mentions should go to Jake Arms, lacking match fitness after only a few hours of rugby over the last two seasons and a late replacement for flu stricken skipper Tom Hinks. He had a superb game and was a constant menace on both sides of the ball. The rugby gods (and everyone else) laughed when, exhausted, Pearce's injury meant he was called back into action merely a minute after he had just about managed to walk his hulking chassis from off the pitch. James Stockley deserves credit for a full 80-minute front row shift where he pirouetted from tight head to loose head and back again to accommodate the required raft of injury replacements.

Things don't get any easier when the Sinners', with injury and availability concerns, star in their own Friday Night Lights Tregorrick extravaganza against second place Helston who routed previously unbeaten Camborne 2s. Two must win games loom in the New Year against a rejuvenated St Just and struggling friends and neighbours Bodmin in January.