Redruth 33 Bournville 10
Bournville’s wait for a first away win of the season continued as they returned from the long trip to Cornwall empty-handed.
The defeat, by a solid and hard-working Redruth side, was a seventh in a row for Bourns and the third in succession without the consolation of a bonus point.
If there was a silver lining it was that Bournville ended the weekend in the same position as they started it – just a point and place above the relegation zone – but only because Macclesfield and Exeter University, the sides either side of them, were frozen off at Priory Park.
It was a frustrating trip to the Recreation Ground and its notorious ‘Hellfire Corner’ for Bournville’s strong contingent of travelling supporters as the mistakes against Macclesfield three weeks ago were repeated.
A misfiring lineout meant that Bournville were unable to build a platform from which to launch attacks and Redruth were gifted territory with some soft penalties conceded in the middle third of the pitch.
Bourns also had three yellow cards, Stef Thorp for a technical offence in the first-half, and Rob Knox and Louis Mifsud in quick succession in the second which meant they were reduced to 13 men for an eight minute period.
Freddie Morgan scored all Bournville’s points with a first-half penalty and try from the final play of the match, which he also converted, but which came too late to be anything other than a consolation score.
Morgan had switched to full-back by that stage of the match which allowed Reiss Price, a recent recruit from Luctonians, to make his senior debut as replacement scrum-half after a couple of impressive outings for the Blues.
For the second successive away match Bourns were forced into a late reshuffle caused by illness. This time it was hooker Ben Rhodes who withdrew which meant James Weaver was promoted to the starting XV with Jonjo Fanning moved to the bench in a switch with Kieran Henderson and wing Dan Rundle added to the squad.
Fanning replaced Henderson midway through the first-half by which time Redruth were 12-0 up after loosehead prop Luke Barnes and lock Ed Pascoe had scored tries with fly-half Dan Wills converting one of them.
The third try came after Thorp had been sin-binned when hooker Matt Pritchard went over and Wills convert with Redruth securing the bonus point in first-half injury time through blindside flanker Chris Mills.
The second-half was better from Bournville and it was only in the period when Knox and Mifsud were off the pitch that Redruth scored again with a try and conversion from replacement fly-half Dan Rutter.
That made it 33-3 before Morgan gave the travelling supporters something to cheer when he went over late on.
*Bournville Blues had another blank weekend as their Counties Three Midlands West (South) match against Dudley Kingswinford IIs was postponed because of a frozen pitch at Avery Fields.
