Kingsbridge RFC impress in the Cornish sunshine

CONDITIONS at Redruth on Halloween were a complete contrast to the previous week's encounter with Cullompton at High House.

Gone was the wind and rain, replaced by a perfect afternoon for rugby, and Kingsbridge certainly made the most of it with a blistering start that saw them run in three unanswered tries in the opening 20 minutes.

Kings began at a tremendous pace, moving the ball wide at every opportunity, with the forwards securing quick possession and fly-half Sam Jones pulling the strings superbly.

The opening try came after Kings elected to take a scrum. Quick ball from the set piece allowed the returning Ethan Dalton to burst through on a perfectly timed line and touch down. Jones added the conversion.

There was no let-up as Kings continued to play with pace and ambition. A fine break by scrum-half Archie MacLachlan was carried on by Simons, who was to have an influential afternoon, before Stu Harris finished off the move for Kings' second try. Jones was again successful with the conversion.

A near interception by Redruth saw the ball fall kindly into the hands of Tom Winzer, who needed no second invitation and strolled over for the score. Jones maintained his perfect record with the boot, and Kings had raced into a commanding 21–0 lead.

However, having played some outstanding rugby in the opening exchanges, Kings began to lose a little of their discipline. A succession of penalties allowed Redruth to gain both territory and confidence, and matters were made worse when Kings were reduced to 14 men following a yellow card.

Redruth eventually took advantage, crossing for a converted try to reduce the deficit and leave Kingsbridge leading 21–7 at half-time.

Kings were slow to rediscover their rhythm after the interval, and for the opening 15 minutes it was the home side who enjoyed the better of the exchanges. Kings appeared to have incurred the referee's displeasure, with a seemingly endless succession of penalties disrupting their play and allowing Redruth to cross for their second try.

It needed something special to get Kings going again, and captain Henry Rich duly obliged with a superb individual effort. Bursting through the Redruth defence, he powered his way to the line for a wonderful try, with Jones adding the extras.

Kings extended their advantage further when Dalton, despite juggling the ball as he attempted to gather it, managed to regain control and touch down for his second try of the afternoon.

Kings were once again reduced to 14 men when MacLachlan was perhaps unfortunate to be adjudged to have taken an opponent out in the air. Redruth took advantage and crossed for their third try.

The referee's yellow card was soon in use again, this time reducing Redruth to 14 men. Despite being a man short, the home side managed to score their fourth try, reducing Kings' lead to 33–26.

Kings responded immediately from the restart, Henry Lock charging down an attempted clearance and Lewis Dustan gathering the loose ball to score. With Jones having left the field, Oli Rowdon added the conversion to put Kings 40–26 ahead.

Kings were now firmly back in control. From a scrum close to the Redruth line, the pack drove forward, with Harris claiming his second try of the afternoon. Tom Winzer added the conversion.

There was still time for one final try, with Harris picking up from the base of another scrum and feeding MacLachlan, who crossed to score.

Despite some lapses in concentration and a rather untidy middle period, this was a wonderful all-round performance from a Kingsbridge squad that is really beginning to gel under the guidance of coach Dan Gyles.

The forwards were outstanding at scrum time, with the front row of Stu Winzer, Toby Redwood and Joe Thomson providing the cornerstone of Kings' dominance throughout the afternoon. Kings can take enormous encouragement from a performance that demonstrated both their attacking potential and the growing understanding within the squad.