Blues fall in the land of Brian
Close call as decisions and wind play a hand
Camborne 11 Newbury Blues 7
BLUES trip into the heart of the storm saw them cast adrift by some eyebrow raising decisions from referee Zerron Bell as they fell short in the eye of ‘The Brian.’
The wind reared, but bit was not the forecast Armageddon in that part of Cornwall, and Blues coped well with the conditions, although not so well with the man in the middle.
They had Alex Millar and Ollie Spanswick yellow-carded, the first leading to Camborne going ahead after Blues had dominated the early exchanges, playing punching, close passing rugby and dominating up front.
They broke dangerously and pinned back the home side, and might have scored before taking a 15th minute lead when Toby Thorne scored in the corner and Ryan Trevaskis potted a tremendous conversion in the swirling wind.
The home side rallied, but were aided when Millar was binned in a spell of pressure under the posts, and David Mankee converted the penalty in front of the posts, and the extra man paid off when Harvey Bell got over wide out to nudge his side ahead at the break.
Blues had to withstand enormous pressure after the re-start, but the league’s meanest defence coped with all that was thrown at them, including a spate of puzzling decisions that added to the threat, but not the points, which were limited to a single Mankee shot.
Blues battered at the home defence at the finish, and Joe Pigott’s quickly taken free kick opened the line, only for a knock-on to be awarded, and when Adam Neal was held down in the final seconds, Camborne were given the chance to clear and leave Blues with a bonus point consolation.
Camborne: M. Westren; Guy, Champion, Semmens, Bell; Mankee, Peacock; Hearn, Bartle, Zacharovas; Goldsworthy, Wollcock; Rose, Hinchley, Roberts. Subs: Lee Southworth, Nicholls, Clarke.
Newbury Blues: Trevaskis; T. Thorne, D. Thorne, Love, Pearce; West, Pigott; Hicks, Drysdale, Macauley; Dowl, Winfield; Walsh, Spanswick, Millar. Subs: G. Stewart, Neal, D. Stewart.
