Steps. Little steps. With every passing match now London Cornish show a little more improvement and in this match the side demonstrated that the genesis of a new look backline is really taking shape. With a wedding and 3 covid cases clobbering the side and taking out all of the main 2nd row options, it was no surprise that title challenging visitors Medway landed 3 tries through rolling mauls and 3 through pushover tries, but they were made to work hard for all of these as a brave performance by an understandably unpowered pack kept them at bay and actually saw Cornish lead at the break at the REMPF. In the end it took a herculean 16 phase last play of the game effort for the exiles to deservedly land their first try bonus point of the season in London 1 South on Saturday.
For the first time this side of Christmas Cornish were able to play on one of their front pitches at the ground, which was in great condition. On a breezy, sunny day the exiles played towards the clubhouse in the opening period and the home side flew out of the blocks. League debutant wing Mike Eghan, who had played well against St Ives the previous week, countered from a loose clearance on 3 minutes before Ed McCord and Terry Gillam broke tackles to take play deep into the Medway 22. When the ball was worked left to right across the line, Mark Osei-Tutu was on hand to cut back on the angle and give his side the leads, though the try was not improved. A Medway back was consigned to the bin for trying to trip Osei-Tutu on his path to the house. With their opening foray into home territory, Medway conceded a penalty to the returning Nick Goss, one of a number of exiles to enjoy decent games. To the surprise of most watching. Cornish extended their lead on 12 minutes when McCord ripped the ball from an onrushing Medway prop just inside his own half down the narrow side. He shovelled the ball to Mike Edworthy at 10, who drew a man and sent Gillam into a narrow corridor down the left flank. Switching on his afterburners he hugged the left flank and beat a last despairing tackle on the outside to scorch away and turn in towards the post for the try (pictured), George Kimmins adding the extras. Still the force remained with a rampant home side, Eghan linking with Mark O’Leary to drive Medway back into their 32 but the support not arriving quickly enough to prevent a penalty being conceded. On 20 minutes Medway finally gained field position via a maul but knocked on in midfield then conceded a penalty. This heralded the end of the match for one of their locks who injured a knee and could not carry on. With Edworthy and Kimmins using the breeze at their backs to move the Medway pack around, the visitors were forced to attack from deep and on 25 minutes one such a counter found Osei-Tutu in their path, him landing a penalty bang in front for his Skipper to extend the lead to 15-0. Increasingly aware of the disparity in sizes of the 2 packs, Medway responded quickly, a maul halted illegally on 27 minutes, the referee awarding a penalty try and binning an exile. 5 minutes later and Medway were back on the attack only for a strong Goss tackle then a Tony Pellow steal to force a turnover, Kieran Rodda clearing the ball. The concession of penalties and field position by Cornish was key to giving Medway the platform for gaining a foothold back in the match and they repeated the dose with a try scoring maul on 36 minutes, this one also converted and the deficit now just 1 point. With the last play of the half the Kent side again fought their way over the line but the combined efforts of stand in locks Will Harriss and George Shirlaw held them up. When the whistle went for the break few watching would have predicted the score before the match, Cornish 15-14 to the good.
The next score in the match would determine whether Cornish could regain the momentum of the opening quarter. However, just when they seemed to have resisted an early Medway sortie, a clearance kick was charged down and deflected via a Cornish hand some 25 metres back over the dead ball line for a scrum V to Medway. Sensing their moment, the visitors drove their hosts inexorably backwards to claim the lead, the conversion extending the lead to 6. Medway upped the ante and landed a penalty from point blank on 48 minutes, which they extended further with another converted pushover try on 54, this one seeing Goss withdrawn for Ed Grassby to bring his fresh legs to the fray. He was soon standing under his posts again as another rolling maul crashed across the line for an unconverted try, the score suddenly out to 15-36 to the now dominant visitors with 16 left on the clock. Cornish made another change, Oli Low on at tighthead for O’Leary. With the scrum often heading backwards it was to the great credit of no 8 Osei-Tutu and scrum-half Dan Phoenix that the exiles backs received any clean ball, but the pack held firm on enough occasions in the remaining minutes to give their side precious ball. Winning a penalty for a ruck offence on 70 minutes, Phoenix took a quick tap and drove the visiting pack backwards with a snipe. Quick ball saw Edworthy combine with full back Chris Wright and Kimmins to send Gillam outside his man down the left wing, then step into the last ditch tackle to crash over for a try wide left. The brave wing paid for his effort too, him taking a knock to the head to bring Goss back on in the unaccustomed position of wing. Though the try wasn’t converted, Cornish now had a sniff of a bonus point, Will Murray on at hooker for Joe Lynch, who had once again fronted up, Pellow moving to loose head. Medway were not finished however, another dominant scrum seeing their 8 create an unconverted try for their 9 on 76 minutes, the lead stretched back out to 20-41. What followed in the remaining minutes demonstrated just how much spirit is building in the exiles camp under the watchful eye of Head Coach Paul Spivey. Battering runs from pretty much the entire pack with Low and the in-form Osei-Tutu to the fore drove Medway to 5 out from their line. They held firm, though conceded penalties, which were quickly tapped to keep the momentum flowing. Showing great continuity Cornish worked this way and that looking for a gap until eventually it was Goss arriving on the angle to stretch through a tackle and plant the ball over the line for the bonus point try his team had richly deserved. Kimmins brought up the final whistle with his conversion.
We are very unlikely to see Medway again any time soon and their general play over the last few seasons has been of a standard worthy of a higher level. They remain a friendly club with a good set of humorous supporters and we wish them well in their remaining games and in the step up which, given their recent comfortable win against Welsh, they are well capable of sustaining.
It was a happy Cornish camp following the match, the squad well aware that they had produced a performance of which they could be proud against one of the strongest teams in the league. No shortage of promise either, which augurs well for the remaining games and for the re-organised leagues next season! Steps. Little steps...