CAMBORNE 29 – 22 LUCS
AN ENTHRALLING TOP-OF-THE-TABLE CLASH
Camborne RFC vs Luctonians RFC
Saturday 16th November 2024 – Crane Park
Match Report by Alex Smith
Luctonians came out on the wrong side of an enthralling top-of-the-table clash down in Cornwall, as 1st placed Camborne ran out 29-22 winners in National League 2 West.
With the breeze and slope in their favour first half, the visitors started smartly and after waves of attack were repelled by excellent home defence, Lucs settled for three points from a Jack Park penalty on seven minutes.
Almost instantaneously the hosts hit back, with a Ben Priddey double on ten and seventeen minutes, both in identical fashion, from five-metre driving lineouts in the left-hand corner, after indiscretions from the Herefordshire men gave Camborne the field position to strike. Full back Kyle Moyle added the extras for the first effort, to give the hosts a 12-3 lead after the first quarter and things almost got worse for Lucs as a forward pass ruled out a third score for the Cornish men, as the visitors seemed a little rattled in the opening exchanges.
But Lucs applied themselves better as the half wore on, got their defensive system working well, and it meant that both sides were getting little return out of some meaty collisions around the centre of the pitch. Both would get one more opportunity as the half came to a close, and whilst Camborne dropped an offload when deep in visitors’ territory at the end of the half, Lucs would make their visit pay, as skipper Ben Link was driven over from a maul, meaning the sides went in at half time with the score at 12-8.
Half Time Score
Camborne RFC 12 – 8 Luctonians RFC
Playing up the slope in the second period, the visitors knew a solid start was essential, so dropping the kick off to give Camborne possession 20 metres out was not in the script, and when just two phases later, former Fijian international Josh Matavesi burst through weak defence and offloaded to man of the match Jordan Nicholls for a score under the sticks, converted by Moyle, Lucs were staring at a tough gig at 19-8.
The job got harder on 57 as Moyle kicked a penalty as the hosts used the slope excellently to pin Lucs in their 22.
The visitors then had a real purple patch, applying plenty of pressure to the Camborne line from the kick off but more last-ditch defence prevented the scorers being troubled and two loose offloads in succession from Lucs took them from battering the hosts’ line to defending a maul five-metres from their own and whilst Lucs defended the maul stoutly, the ball was moved excellently from one wing to the other for Harry Larkins to score the bonus-point try in the corner, with Moyle converting once more.
With 63 minutes gone, all looked done at 29-8, but at that stage the score probably didn’t reflect how tight the game had been and Lucs deservedly hit back on 68 minutes as the talismanic Owien Harriott-Davis crashed over following sustained pressure, that had already included Lucs dropping the ball over the Camborne line. Debutant Morris Clementson knocked over the extras for 29-15 with just over 10 minutes to play.
With positive injections from the bench, the Herefordshire men, in spite of the slope, were now dominant at set-piece, with repeated penalties coming at scrum, and this allowed Lucs to gain field position and drive Link over once more, and with Clementson adding the extras on 78 minutes it was back to a one-score game at 29-22.
But that would be as good as it got for Lucs, as the hosts saw out the final phases in style.
Full Time Score
Camborne RFC 29 – 22 Luctonians RFC
It was a really decent game of National League rugby, officiated superbly by Dan Parrott, between two of the better sides in this division. As tight as it is at the top now, the loss for Lucs drops them from 2nd to 5th, whilst Camborne maintain their promotion push at the summit.
Off the back of a testing period of fixtures, Lucs looked somewhere near back to their best down in Cornwall, despite the result, and will be looking to take advantage of the fact that three of their next four games are back at Mortimer Park, starting with Midlands rivals Bournville this weekend.
Star Man
Jordan Nichols – Camborne RFC
Luctonians Man of the Match
Owien Harriott-Davis
On our Facebook page you can check out the Live scoreline. You can also view video of the Lucs’ tries HERE.
Picture Credit – Daniel Rule Photography – Camborne RFC