On a beautiful, warm sunny afternoon on a drying but very sandy pitch in Dulwich on Saturday, London Cornish produced an outstanding and timely performance to banish their winter blues in the nick of time, spectacularly busting their 8 match losing sequence in London 2 South-West and lifting them up a place to 9th, 6 points off the drop zone. The win saw the exiles register their highest points score of the season and Old Alleynians concede the most in a single game at home, in the process leaving the hosts in a perilous position in the table. Cornish registered 3 goals, 4 tries and a penalty to a goal, a try and a penalty, the visitors landing 27 unanswered points in a scintillating second half.

Cornish have had to carefully marshal their resources in the latter stages of the season given the injury crisis, but were finally able to call upon former England U21 International Simon Brading at 6, so uniting him with open side Phil Jones and no 8 Andrew McEwen for the first time this season. With Skipper Dave Theobald able to start a match clear of the heart problem that has dogged him this season for the first time, and top try scorer Nick Harlock able to start only his third match since January, this was undoubtedly the strongest side Cornish have fielded since Christmas. Dave Hill was preferred at lock to partner Tim Oakes, and Dave Soar was moved to fly half, ensuring a robust and aggressive edge to the side across the park.

Playing away from Dulwich in the opening half, Cornish gave Alleynians the first chance to score on 3 minutes but the hosts pulled a kickable penalty wide. They were made to pay for their profligacy 3 minutes later when the first of many lung busting McEwen carries saw him power over halfway to the home 22, and after Luke Spells darted through a gap, player/coach Tom Sincock fed Phil Francis to link with Harlock, who stepped his man and crashed over for his 9th try in the 12 league matches he has started this season, though the conversion attempt flew wide. To their horror and that of their supporters, the exiles quickly surrendered their lead when a pass on their 22 was knocked forward by an onrushing defender and when the ball bounced up with everyone expecting the unsighted referee to blow, the lad simply gathered the ball and ran in rather sheepishly for the equalizing score, this conversion attempt from wide right smacking the post and falling the wrong side. Spurred on by the injustice of the try against them, Cornish responded on 17 minutes, Sincock angling a great chip in behind the OA’s right wing, and when it bounced awkwardly 5 out the home full back knocked it into touch to concede a penalty. Brading grabbed the ball, took a quick tap and fed wing Robin Heymann with a cutout pass that gave the elusive flyer the chance to dive over for another unconverted try. Back came the home side on 21, a carbon copy chip in behind eluding the exiles cover with an oblique bounce that landed squarely in the hands of the OA wing to feed his fellow back to scamper over and round toward the posts, the conversion giving his side the lead for the first and only time in the match. What was becoming clear was that Cornish would be dominant when there was structure in the game, and the OA’s had delivered when attacking from broken play. This was further evidenced on 25 as a lineout set play won by the irrepressible Dave Hill just inside the home half saw prop Mike Bond peel round and over the gain line, first Jones, then Oakes, Theobald and McEwen all involved smashing their way forward prompted by Sincock until Brading drove over from 5 out, Spells converting to give his side a 17-12 lead. The topsy-turvy scoring in the half was not over yet as Cornish were pinged for holding after a crucial Harlock tackle had snuffed out a scoring chance deep inside his own 22, though the 3 points narrowed the lead to 2. OA’s had their best spell of the half now, kicking a further penalty to the corner only for McEwen to hold them up and then Francis to thump his way out of the 22, Soar clearing the lines and the whistle going for the break shortly after, Cornish 2 to the good.

A frenetic opening to the second half saw both sides turn the ball over and Alleynians twice kick the ball dead when well placed. On 51 the home side had a chance to take the lead but their penalty from wide right fell short and left of the posts. Gradually, the power of the Cornish pack and dominance in the tight began to wear down the tiring home side. Cornish brought on Mark Osei-Tutu at 6 for Jones, Brading moving to 7. On 54 minutes another McEwen break (picture 6) saw his side pen OAs in their 22 for 6 minutes, a respite not even forthcoming from a knock on as Carew-Gibbs had began to nick the ball against the head. On 58 Soar hit Harlock blind only for the full back to be held up over the line for a scrum V. Two penalties were won at the scrums and just when a penalty try seemed inevitable, McEwen picked from the base as the Alleynian scrum sped backward and plunged over the line for the vital bonus point try (picture 9), though the extras went begging. Osei-Tutu is such a powerful weapon against a tiring side, and it was he who picked up the baton on 64, a thundering run supported by a Sincock snipe driving play back into the OA 22, and as Iain Short carried over the gainline in midfield, the home side was caught offside. Spells lifted the penalty between the posts and his side over one score ahead at 25-15. On came Oli Low for Theobald and Tom Wapshott for Harlock as the exiles sought to preserve a few key players for the last weekends action. Now, as if a switch had been flicked, you could see the confidence return to Cornish colours for the first time in ages and the lead was extended on 68 when Soar, enjoying his finest game in an exiles shirt, lifted a beautifully flighted chip just out of the reach of the home outside centre inside the OA 22, Spells plucking the ball out of the air, drawing the covering wing, and then sending Francis away to dive over for a try (picture 12). Though not converted, the lead was now an unassailable 30-15. 5 minutes later and it was Soar again in the thick of the action, him charging down an Alleynians kick on half way, McEwen the quickest to react, him thundering clear of the cover straight down the middle of the pitch (picture 13) and just having enough legs to outlast the desperate cover to score by the posts (picture 14), Spells driving the score out to 37-15. A sporadic Alleynian attack with minutes remaining was snuffed out in the 22 when Carew-Gibbs again held the ball up in a maul, and with time running out, Cornish won a couple of penalties to drive play onto the home 22. From a set piece wide right, Soar hit Francis on a beautifully executed switch for the flying wing to arrow through a gap, round the cover and smash across the line under the posts for Spells to round things off at 44-15.

This heavy defeat will have dealt a shattering blow to Alleynians survival hopes as this was their last home game and would have been one they expected to win, given the two sides respective form coming into the match. They now need to win both of their remaining away matches and hope results elsewhere go in their favour. Cornish were about to enter the last chance saloon prior to this match, and pulling this one out of the fire in such spectacular fashion places their destiny firmly in their own hands. They will be keen to carry this form into training and their final match next weekend to finish the job.