Hakes Sink The Pirates
Pirates Amateurs 0 v 30 St Ives
Last Saturday at a wet and blustery Mennaye Field in Penzance the St Ives 1st XV squad travelled to face their local rivals Pirates Amateurs. Head coach Paul Thirlby named a strong side without too many changes from last weekend’s trip to Bude. Ryan Bishop came on to the wing to replace Nathan Allen and Neil Corin was named on the bench in place of Ben Wheeler.
[More photos courtesy of Tobi Carver in match gallery]
The game began in typical local derby fashion with St Ives getting the best of the early feisty exchanges keeping the Amateurs pinned back in their own 22. The opening score from the Hakes came courtesy of that persistent pressure when they were awarded a penalty in the 8th minute which was successfully converted by Grant Thirlby to put St Ives ahead by 3 points to nil.
St Ives continued to have the majority of the possession and territory but the Pirates defended well and prevented the Hakes from extending their lead. As the first half wore on they began to put together some attacks of their own. In the 21st minute they were given a penalty on the Hakes 22 metre line when the St Ives defence strayed offside. The kick was missed to leave the Pirates still chasing their first points of the match. Two minutes later St Ives was forced into a change when Paul Thirlby had to leave the field with an ankle injury and was replaced by Neil Corin.
The next score came on the half hour mark. Good pressure from the St Ives pack wide on the left saw prop Ben Jenkins take an opportunity to break for the line and score the first try of the match. The difficult conversion was missed, but St Ives was now ahead by 8 points to nil.
The final act of the first half was a chance for St Ives to extend their lead by another 3 points from a penalty kick. The chance was missed and the referee blew his whistle to bring the first period to a close.
Domination
The second half began with the St Ives pack continuing to increase the pressure on the Amateurs. The Hakes were now dominant in the scrum and were increasingly beginning to threaten to push the Pirates off their own ball. St Ives extended their lead 3 minutes into the second half from a penalty for offside kicked once again by Grant Thirlby to increase their lead to 11 points to nil.
55 minutes in and it was try time again for the Hakes. This time it was the back line that put their mark on proceedings when Tom Nicholas crossed for the score. Thirlby once again added the extras to put the Hakes in control at 18 points to nil. It was beginning to look difficult for the Pirates to get anything from the game.
Ten minutes later the dominant St Ives scrum was rewarded when they pushed the Pirates backwards underneath their own posts allowing number 8 Martyn Lawrance to dot down at the rear of the scrum to score. Thirlby added the conversion to give the Hakes a lead of 25 points to nil.
Tempers began to fray as the game entered the last quarter; both sides were reduced to 14 men in the 69th minute when the referee brandished a yellow card for each side as he tried to put a lid on the tension that was beginning to boil over. Things went from bad to worse for the Pirates when they were further reduced in numbers in the 73rd minute. This time the referee was forced to show a red card to one of their players when a fight broke out.
Bonus Point
Despite the chaos the St Ives players patiently kept playing their rugby and went in search of the all important 4th try which would secure them a precious bonus point. In the 76th minute the Hakes had an attacking scrum in the Pirates 22 wide on the left. Once again the Hakes pushed the Pirates back towards their own line, but this time scrum half Sam Carter seized the opportunity and skipped over in the corner to score the try. The wide conversion attempt was missed but the Hakes now led the Pirates by 30 points to nil.
The referee brought the game to an end a few minutes later to seal the bonus point victory for St Ives, to see them keep up the pressure on the two sides above them in the league; Withycombe and Bude.
The Hakes are back in action this coming Saturday with league match at home to Bodmin, kick off at Alexandra Road is scheduled for 2:30pm. Any support would be very welcome.
St Ives : Jess Tompsett, Ben Taylor (Captain), Ben Jenkins, Jamie Prisk, Jamie Hoskin, Sam Heath, Cameron Bone, Martyn Lawrance, Sam Carter, Paul Thirlby, Ryan Bishop, Grant Thirlby, Tom Nicholas, Peter Mabbott, Lewis Thomas.
Replacements : Tony Stevens, Neil Corin, Louis Stevens.
