Cornish Buck the Trend at Beaconsfield!

Sporting their newly arrived black & gold kit, London Cornish finally snapped a long losing sequence away from home in the league stretching back to the London 1 South visit to Thurrock in Essex in February 2020, when they won at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire in Regional 2 Thames on Saturday in a far more comfortable fashion than the final 31-27 result would suggest. The win saw the exiles land the try bonus point for the 4th consecutive match for the first time since October 2017 and back-to-back league wins for the first time since January 2020.
A second 90 minute plus journey to Bucks (both the exiles away trips this season have taken more time to reach than any trip the previous season) saw Cornish arrive at the smallest car park in Regional 2 Thames with a markedly different squad from that successful the previous week due to the wedding of former club stalwart Harry Somers back home in Penzance. This meant changes to no’s 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 12 from the Windsor win, and the recall of a few very experienced squad members to plug the gaps. On a decent sized pitch on a dry, bright, breezy day the exiles kicked off playing away from the clubhouse in the opening half, proud Cornishman Alex Davey given the nod to Skipper the side on the day.
It did not take long for Cornish to take a lead they never gave up in the match, Dan Phoenix and Mike Edworthy combining to send a cut out pass right to left to the waiting Robbie Mackay to finish wide left, the conversion attempt flying wide. With Joe Lynch, Tony Pellow and Mark O’Leary on top in the tight from the off, the visitors could rely on a steady supply of clean ball while their hosts would remain under pressure. However, one area in which the visitors still need to improve is in being clinical when on top and on at least 2 occasions in the next 20 minutes Cornish fashioned overlaps but did not finish, though mention should be made of a wonderful, weaving, counter-attacking run by the exiles full back Fin Robjohn, which launched one such attack. Having barely been in the game, the home side landed a penalty on the half hour mark to reduce the deficit to 2. Two minues later the visiting front row took matters into their own hands, O’Leary and Lynch combining with powerful, bullocking runs deep into the Beaconsfield 22 before Phoenix dashed between 2 defenders and sent Mackay away to crash over for his 5th try of the season, this one also not improved. Beaconsfield now pieced together a decent series of phases but these ended when wing Terry Gillam won a pen after a fine piece of jackaling. Perhaps inspired by his wings efforts, scrum half George Jackson was the catalyst for the next attack when he ripped the ball away from an onrushing home lock on halfway. When the ball was cleared long on 39 minutes, Edworthy launched the ball long down the middle of the pitch where the Beaconsfield back 3 made a complete horlicks of fielding it. Phoenix was on them in a flash, he and Pellow pinching the ball on the floor before quick hands across the backs sent Gillam away to round the last man and coast round nearer the posts, Phoenix adding the conversion to give his side a richly deserved 17-3 half-time lead.
Now playing with a slight breeze at their backs, Cornish began the 2nd half as they had finished the first, Lynch and O’Leary again penetrating the home d to take play 10 out from the posts in front of the clubhouse. Will Carew-Gibbs has been in the game too long to pass up a golden opportunity for a try, and here he spotted no one home through the middle of a ruck, scooping the ball up and scurrying over under the posts for the bonus point try, this one also converted by Phoenix. Beaconsfield landed a penalty 5 minutes later before a scrappy 10 minutes was played out with neither side threatening. On 53 minutes Carew-Gibbs won a penalty on the floor (yes Keith, Conor etc!). Skip Davey took a quick tap and Edworthy launched a kick for Robjohn to attack but the ball fell loose in the vast dead ball area for a goal line drop out. Back came the exiles, repeated phases seeing Ed Fink, Pete Brogden and Pellow bring play to 10 out before Mike McEwen took a pop pass off Jackson to bash through the d and cross the whitewash for his first try in Cornish colours, Phoenix lifting the lead out to 31-6. This latest score seemed to rouse Beaconsfield from their slumber and only a last ditch Phoenix tackle prevented a score on the hour mark. The danger was eventually averted when O’Leary won a penalty on the floor. Cornish withdrew O’Leary and Edworthy now, Oli Low on at prop and Ed Blundell on in the backs with Phoenix shifting to 10. On 64 minutes Low snaffled a home lineout after a huge Robjohn penalty had taken play into the home 22. Play was worked into midfield where Davey crashed across the line to ‘score’ but, much to the amusement of the home supporters in front of whom the try was scored, the referee was unsighted and awarded a goal line drop out. In the remaining minutes of the 58 minute 2nd half the exiles lost a frustrated man to the bin, saw the penalty count against them move from single figures to more than double that number and the home side cross for 3 converted tries, two of which were apparently after ‘final play’ had been called. No matter, the 5 points were in the bag and Cornish will learn plenty about what they need to do to better close out matches on the road.
Beaconsfield picked up their first point of the season with this result and will take encouragement from the fact that they have recovered well from the previous weeks mauling. Your correspondent did not hang around long once he found no cask ale or bottled bitter in the bar, but theirs is a decent facility and we look forward to welcoming them back to the REMPF before the Christmas break.
Cornish weathered what might have been an awkward weekend given the scale of the wedding absentees and will be delighted to have already secured more try bonus points than they did the whole of last season. The focus now moves on to solving for the improvements identified in the matches to date to be ready for the tougher challenges that lie ahead!