CORNISH PIRATES 55pts

PERTEMPS BEES 14pts

POST Twickenham celebrations for the Cornish Pirates were put aside on Sunday when it was back to National One league action against Pertemps Bees at the Recreation Ground, Camborne.

The opening exchanges were fairly even, the Bees were buzzing with a series of attacks on the right. Twenty minutes into the match the Pirates pressed strongly at the scoreboard corner, a blind side snipe from skipper Gavin Cattle supported by full-back Adryan Winnan allowed him to hit the line at pace to score the first try of the match. Fly-half Di Bernardo added the extras.

Play was occasionally feisty, the Pirates going a man short when centre Duncan Bell was yellow carded. Chris Cracknell on the flank and wing Jonny Hylton were busy performers and after the latter was high tackled the Pirates laid siege on the Bees line. After the Midlanders collapsed the scrummage once too often, the Pirates were deservedly awarded a penalty try which Di Bernardo converted to make it 14-0.

The Bees were down to 13 men when Dan Tuohy and skipper Mark Gabey were yellow carded. At the start of the second period the Pirates had every opportunity to finish their home season in style. Moore scored before Bees conceded a second converted penalty try.

With play opening up, Bees wing Reece Spee sped in for a try and Higgins converted. But a second try from man-of-the-match Winnan, converted by Di Bernardo, and a chip chase for a try by Bell put the Pirates 43-7 up. The Bees hit back with their top try scorer, Fijian flanker Akapusi Qera and Rod Petty converted.

A hat-trick try from Moore put the Pirates within two points of the half century, a converted try from lock Joe Beardshaw then suitably passing the figure. Di Bernardo converted the last points in the game and his last for the Cornish Pirates.

Cornish Pirates - A Winnan, J Moore, D Bell (S Parsons 76), S Winn, J Hylton (L. Vinnicombe 56), A Di Bernardo, G Cattle (capt - H Barratt 70), T Cowley (M Evans 62), I Motusaga, C Cracknell, J Beardshaw, J Inglis (S Betty 62), D Seal (G Anderson 67), V Ma'asi (D Dawidiuk 67), A Paver.