MOUNT'S BAY 61pts PENRYN 3pts

PENRYN took a depleted side to Mount's Bay for this first round Skinner's Brewery Cornwall Cup game, but at their strongest would probably not have been able to compete against a very efficient display by the South West 1 leaders.

It was obvious from the kick off that the home pack would dominate and this they did throughout.

From the start The Bay were dominant up front, and this was soon to be seen when they took an early lead following a powerful drive by the forwards for Shane Poynton to score a try.

This was quickly followed by another try when Bay hooker Jamie Salter scored at the end of a 40-yard run.

The home side went further ahead with three quick tries after good pressure and support play, but Penryn did come back with pressure of their own for Ian Morgan to score from a penalty awarded from an infringement.

In the atrocious conditions only one of these first half tries was converted to give Mount's Bay a 27-3 half time lead.

The Bay increased their lead in the second half following a good run by Evered Reid, who put Salter in.

They crossed for five other tries, two of which were converted to make the final score 61-3.

In very wet and windy conditions, the Borough were completely outplayed, but they contested the full 80 minutes and the side are to be congratulated on their tenacity and dedication. Every player, including the replacements who came on, tackled, defended and played his heart out. But it was just not good enough for the visitors, and it highlighted the huge gap that is appearing between the professional and amateur games, not only in Cornwall, but also across the country.

It is no secret that Penryn have struggled for props over the past few weeks, and it is for his great loyalty to Penryn that Jason Stapleton came out of retirement to help out.

Credit must also go to Syd Savvas, who by most people's reckoning is not the youngest player at the Borough. Well done to both of them. But they were not alone, James Murray, Matt Tarby, Gareth Wills, Will Paine and Paul Bannister came in to the squad at short notice to cover for injuries.

On Saturday Penryn return to league action when they entertain Bristol-based side St Mary's Hospital at the Memorial Ground. Team news can be found on the back page.