CREDITON RFC 1ST XV 34-12 PENZANCE AND NEWLYN

WE came into this game carrying a little more confidence after last week’s well-earned win, and the focus throughout the week had been clear: attack them head on with positivity, and put as many points on the board as possible.

We knew, however, that this would be far from straightforward. Penzance have been a stubborn outfit all season, picking up narrow losses against strong opposition and winning the games that mattered. We were fully aware of the size of the challenge in front of us.

We started the game brightly and had much the better of the opening exchanges.

Play was concentrated in the visitors’ half but a couple of early chances went begging. As in previous games this season, we were guilty of giving away penalties which gave the Pirates opportunities to relieve the pressure.

The game was scoreless for the opening quarter, but the deadlock was broken when Ollie Avery-Wright slotted a penalty from in front of the sticks, which was the start of a great afternoon for him from the tee.

Penzance responded and managed to secure some territory and possession but our defence was solid and we were soon back on the attack. A quick tap penalty from Josh Woodland caught the visitors off guard and saw him go over in the corner. Avery-Wright added the extras from out wide for a 10-0 lead.

The Pirates missed an easy penalty attempt before our defence was finally broken and they scored a converted try to make it 10-7, and that is how it stayed until the break.

At the start of the second half, Woodland returned a Penzance kick. Chasing his own effort, he was able to charge down an attempted clearance.

The ricochet fell into the arms of Josh Goldman who set up a ruck. The ball was spun wide and recent signing Rhys Davies-Horne went over to score. Avery-Wright was successful with the conversion and we were 17-7 up.

The visitors then had arguably their best spell of the game, but our defence remained solid and forced them into errors. We forced our way to their line and from an attacking line-out the forwards set up a maul.

The ball came back to the blind side where Woodland again dived over in the corner. Avery-Wright struck another beauty from the touchline for a 24-7 lead.

Another spell of pressure from the Pirates was fruitless and, on our next visit to their ’22, Matt Arnold crashed over for a try with Avery-Wright making it 31-7.

With time running out Penzance managed a second try but we had the final say when the majestic Avery-Wright closed things off as they had begun, with a penalty from in front of the posts. Full time 34-7.

From start to finish, the lads were fantastic. They kept their composure throughout the match and never looked under pressure.

Our attacking ambition shone through from the opening whistle, and ultimately we proved too much for our visitors to handle.

Defensively, we stood firm and executed exactly what we’d worked on during the week. We stayed patient, trusted our systems, and allowed our structures to force errors - something that happened on numerous occasions.

In the end, it was a fully deserved five-point win and one that lifts us another place up the table.

We now head into the Cullompton fixture with even more confidence, aiming to put more points on the board and start pushing towards the top six.

The lads are in a really positive headspace, and we look forward to carrying this momentum into the run-up to Christmas.