Despite a couple of very disruptive 11th hour changes and something of a short-term tight-head crisis both prior to and during the match, London Cornish emerged from their trip to the Sussex coast with a meritorious bonus point win after outplaying their hosts Bognor for long periods of this London 2 South-West encounter at Hampshire Avenue on Saturday. The win was landed by virtue of a goal and 4 tries to a goal, a try and 3 penalties on a day when the clubs resources were stretched thinly across all 4 sides in an effort to give everyone a game.

With Skipper Dave Theobald finding his return flight from holiday not landing until after the match had finished, and 2s regular tight-head Alex Harris also away on holiday, Cornish would have normally called upon club stalwart James Turnbull, but he was catapulted into a family emergency late on Friday forcing a shuffle that would require George Johnson to stand in as an emergency tight-head, Simon Brading again in the Skippers mantle and the 7 shirt and Ed Nimmons in at 6. In the backs a hamstring strain forced Ian Keith to sit out so Iain Short was called in to partner Keith Thompson, who started a 1s league match for the first time since returning to the club in the summer and after having recovered from a pre season broken arm. Further changes out wide saw recalls for Tom Burns and Conor O’Daly, in for the absent Robin Heymann and Nick Harlock respectively as the exiles continue to suffer from badly planned holidays! On the bench there were recalls for Humphrey Bowles and Rich Fisher, and a debut for Ed Good after a series of strong performances for the 2s in the Shield.

Arriving in good time, Cornish found the pitch in good condition and a very decent crowd had gathered buoyed by a long lunch, Cornish well represented both in terms of numbers and colours with a number of VP’s sporting their blazers. Though dry, there was a bitterly cold wind blowing down the slight slope in the pitch and the visitors elected to play into it in the opening period. Winning the kick off, Cornish were immediately pinged for holding at the first ruck and the strong boot of the home 10 gave his side a lead inside the very first minute. It did not take long for the visitors to give notice of their ability, a Rich McKeown kick fielded by the Bognor back 3 but turned over by Burns on 4 minutes, the ball quickly recycled through quick hands to put right wing Laurie Bridgett in space only for him to slip as he tore into the 22, the chance quickly snuffed out. On 10 minutes, Bognor broke down the right hand side of the pitch from halfway, a few inter passes putting their right wing in space, but he was hauled down and the ball turned over by Andrew McEwen, who was to enjoy another decent afternoon. The danger averted, within 3 minutes it was Thompson who was quickly onto a spilled ball by the home side in mid pitch, his fly hack taking the ball into the 22 where it was scrambled into touch on the 22. Nimmons claimed the lineout and the ball was spun into Short to set up the ruck, and then 5 patient phases with Dave Madigan picking his options well were enough to see Thompson again involved as he spun a perfectly weighted pass right to left into the onrushing arms of Burns to scorch over wide left and plant the ball down some 10 metres in from touch, McKeown adding the extras to give his side a 7-3 lead. Bognor tried to respond with a blindside break but were called back for a forward pass, and their frustration grew when their 10 missed a perfectly kickable penalty for Cornish not rolling away from the tackle on 18. With the referee thankfully unaware or choosing to ignore the ‘afters’ at some of the rucks, the large Cornish pack set about controlling play by launching a series of energy sapping rolling mauls up the pitch, one particularly well orchestrated version taking play from inside their 22 to well inside their hosts half. Bognor suffered a blow when their robust Skipper and no 8 was injured and replaced on 24 minutes, but his side responded by driving into the visitors 22 a minute later. What followed was another entrant for the exiles try of the season – loose head Mike Bond turned over the Bognor player inside his 22, and the ball was spun to McKeown. He, Thompson and O’Daly saw the chance for a counter, quick hands seeing the latter sprinting out of the 22 to draw the home wing and pass to the flying Bridgett on halfway. Bridgett exchanged passes with Thompson to see off the home full back and then set off for the line, showing a clean pair of heels to all following to plant the ball down half way in to the posts on the right hand side, the length of the pitch counter drawing warm applause from the travelling faithful. Though the kick was well struck it drifted to the left of the posts, the visitors now 12-3 to the good. With the scrum holding up well despite the lack of regular tight-head, Cornish now played some decent rugby but were pinged for going off their feet at the ruck just inside their own half. With the wind behind him, the Bognor 10 got his radar working to launch a decent kick between the posts. 3 minutes later he repeated the trick when Cornish were again pinged for not rolling away, this one a gift inside the 22. Suddenly from controlling the game and looking in no trouble at all, the exiles were only 3 points to the good and their hosts sensed the change in the game well. Winning a penalty just inside the visitors 22 down the left hand flank on 37, their 10 spotted his right wing all alone out wide, the perfectly placed bomb giving the lad the simplest task of dotting down, though the scrambling cover prevented him from arrowing in to the posts, and the conversion was also missed. A game the exiles had controlled for long periods was now one in which they were losing 14-12 at the break.

Some strong words were required and delivered at that break by the ailing DoR and by Brading, who continues to bring a level head and no shortage of power to his side. Their mood darkened further when Johnson damaged a rib on 42 minutes, forcing Bond to switch to tight head and bringing Rich Fisher on at loose. To his and everyone’s surprise what followed was an immense scrum on 43 minutes, the platform giving McEwen the chance to launch a blind side break. He linked with O’Daly on the 22 whose cut out pass to Bridgett was deliberately knocked on inside the 22. Cornish kicked the penalty to the corner and set the rolling maul, only for a member of the Bognor pack to prevent its progress with a combination of pulling down and punching, the referee deciding his actions required him further rest and 10 minutes in the bin, 45 minutes on the clock. The retaken penalty was again kicked to the corner, and this time the exiles did what they had threatened to do throughout the match, and marched their opponents back over their line for Calvert and McEwen to crash across the line for the latter to score, the conversion again flying wide. 3 minutes later and back in the same corner, Cornish attempted to repeat the dose but frustratingly lost control of the ball as they rumbled toward the line and knocked on. Bognor survived the onslaught and were restored to full numbers without further damage. However, the damage being caused by the rolling mauls was sapping the strength of the home pack, and on the hour mark they fell further behind. This time the maul was the decoy, Madigan releasing Thompson on an arcing run back toward the pack, him stepping his man and only being downed 5 feet from the line. Carew-Gibbs is lethal at this distance, his powerful low centre of gravity being too much to stop, and he picked and drove over to claim the bonus point score, the conversion again wide but Cornish having turned the game on its head since the break. With Bond and Carew-Gibbs frequently pinching ball on the floor, and Pete Calvert and Phil Ridsdale preventing clean ball from lineouts reaching the Bognor backs, it was difficult to see how the home side could get back into the game, their visitors now out to a 22-14 lead, and rarely if ever under any sort of threat. However, it’s a topsy turvy game and a topsy turvy league so you can never discount the oppo, particularly on their own patch. On 65 minutes they won a very kickable penalty for a scrummage offence only to see their kicker fluff another on a day when neither decent kicker covered themselves in glory. Cornish replaced Burns with Good at this stage, and he quickly demonstrated excellent defence, driving his opposite number backward at an attack on halfway and forcing a turnover. With the bonus point secure, the visitors pack took their feet off the collective pedal at this point and paid the penalty. For fully 5 minutes Bognor hammered away down the right flank inside the exiles 22, and just when it seemed they had been repelled on 74 minutes, their centre ran back around his forwards to meet little or no resistance blind side until too late, planting the ball over the line for a score wide right. This time the Sussex sides 10 nailed his kick, and once again the game was on a knife-edge with 4 minutes left. Now Cornish brought on Bowles for Nimmons, him having scored on his last visit to Hampshire Avenue a couple of seasons back. Desperate to get within drop goal range, Bognor claimed the restart but were pinged for holding as Carew-Gibbs and Brading nailed the home sides ball carrier well inside his half. Though kickable, Cornish had learnt a tough lesson at Twickenham and this time kicked for the corner. Ridsdale, in increasingly good form and thoroughly enjoying playing against his old adversaries having spent so long at nearby Chichester, claimed the lineout and Cornish set the maul, rolling it up to the line for Fisher to crash over only for the referee to claim he was unsighted and award a scrum V. No matter (except for Fisher who was understandably disappointed afterward!), for with time nearly up, first McEwen going open and then Brading blind smashed back Bognors d for the former to pick up again and drive across the whitewash for the game ending try, the conversion following the pattern of many of the kicks on the day and flying wide. The final whistle went as the kick flew wide, Bognor not able to make it inside Cornish territory again from the moment they scored their last try.

They are decent hosts at Bognor, and the clubhouse was packed to the rafters following the match with 3 matches at home. Their side continue to enjoy their time in London 2 South-West, but would not want either of the bottom two sides to find their stride in the remaining 8 matches as they have a very tough run in and this would mean a few nervous glances over shoulders. Cornish responded well both to the previous weeks defeat and to the disruptions that littered their preparations. After a run of 5 away matches in 6 league games they now embark on a run of 4 home games in 5, only one more long distance trip left in the season!

LCRFC – Conor O’Daly, Laurie Bridgett, Keith Thompson, Iain Short, Tom Burns (Ed Good), Rich McKeown, Dave Madigan, Andrew McEwen, Simon Brading (Capt.), Ed Nimmons (Humphrey Bowles), Phil Ridsdale, Pete Calvert, George Johnson (Rich Fisher), Will Carew-Gibbs, Mike Bond.