BILL BEAUMONT CUP
CORNWALL 18 – 34 KENT
By Bill Hooper at the Recreation Ground, Redruth
Kent deservedly booked their place in the Bill Beaumont Cup final with this thrilling win against a Cornwall side that can have no complaints.
Some will point to the disallowed Ben Plummer try on 64 minutes when Cornwall trailed by six points following a superb break by Duncan Tout. Sadly for the Cornish faithful in Hellfire corner the officials got it right as the St. Austell winger’s right foot touched the whitewash as he was about to score.
It came at a time when Cornwall were pressing hard to get on level terms and proved a pivotal moment in the game.
Cornwall played up the slope first half looking to restrict Kent, an early penalty to Cornwall was kicked to the corner. Tom Cowan-Dickie made ground from the lineout but Cornwall infringed.
Kent got the opening score on 10 minutes, a clearance kick was charged down by the visitors on the Cornwall twenty-two, ball bounced wickedly on the hard surface eluding Tout but not Kent’s No.8 Ben Charnock, he grabbed the ball and romped in under the sticks. Fly-half Sam Evans added the extras.
Cornwall needed a reply and it came from a lineout up in the scoreboard corner when Cowan-Dickie powered over for an unconverted try.
Kent upped their game with their back row looking sharp whilst the backs gave notice of their powerful running.
The visitors had a lineout down in Hellfire corner, they set up the drive that saw Cornwall take the drive to ground, Jon Drew sent to the bin and Kent awarded a penalty try.
Worst was to come, from a scrum on the Cornwall twenty-two, Charnock broke away shrugging off a poor Cornish tackle to stride under the posts, Evans’ conversion and Cornwall already faced a mountain to climb.
Good play from Alex Ducker and Matt Shepherd took play up towards the Kent line, from an ensuing lineout Cowan-Dickie was again on hand to get over and dot down.
A penalty from Evans put Kent two scores ahead early in the second half, Shepherd cut that back with his one successful kick of the game.
With the game in the final quarter both Ducker and Harry Larkins combined to put the young Camborne wing in at the Piggy Lane corner.
Plummer’s chance came and went, Larkins was again called into action to stop Kent’s hooker from scoring, it proved a brief respite as Kent’s excellent scrum-half Mikel Davies scored their fourth try converted by Evans to start the celebrations.
Cornwall’s head coach Graham Dawe was understandably disappointed with the result. He said. “I felt we did well in the set-piece but at times we tended to over play it a bit, we were second best in the tackle area we need to see what went on there.
“Losing a couple of players to yellow cards didn’t help neither the foot in touch which would have made it a one score game at a critical moment.”
Cornwall will now need to refocus ahead of their final game away to Hampshire next Saturday at Havant and look to finish with a win.
Cornwall (Camborne unless stated): Matt Shepherd (St. Austell, Capt), Harry Larkins, Duncan Tout (Tonbridge J), Sam James (Redruth), Alex Ducker, Dan Rutter (Redruth), CJ Boyce; Kye Beasley, Tom Cowan-Dickie (Redruth), Jon Drew, Jamie Prisk, Edd Pascoe (both Redruth), Adam Hughes, Jordan Nicholls, Hugo Culverhouse (Tonbridge J).
Replacements: Ben Priddey, Luke Barnes (Redruth), Sam Rodman, Pat Walton (Barnes), Ben Hancock (Bude), Chris Rovery (Redruth), Ben Plummer, Archie Bees (both St. Austell).
Cornwall scores: Tries, Cowan-Dickie 20, 37, Larkins 61, Pen, Shepherd
Attendance: 2,075
