Price impressed by Camborne after home record is taken

Bournville Head Coach Matt Price accepted that his side had been beaten by the better team after an eight match unbeaten home record was ended by National Two West leaders Camborne at Avery Fields.

Bournville went down 40-12 and failed to collect a point for the first time this season having gifted Camborne a 26-0 lead inside the first 24 minutes.

Bournville did respond with tries from Alex Evans and Stef Thorp either side of half-time but a hat-trick of tries from hooker Ben Priddey – the division’s leading try-scorer – enabled Camborne to emulate their Cornish neighbours Redruth who won at Avery Fields in January.

“We lost two lineouts and they scored two tries and suddenly we were 12-0 down. We had a penalty kick and missed it, then we had a scrum on our own ball, we were penalised for popping up, they kicked to the corner and they scored again,” Price said.

“That’s as clinical as you are going to be. There’s a reason why Camborne sit top of the table and that’s because they take their chances and they are clinical.

“It forced our hand a little bit into forcing the game, trying to stretch them and to stress them. There is an argument that should we have been a bit more efficient in our own half and put pressure on them there.

“We felt like we could stretch them and cause them problems but I thought they defended well in the end. We had chances and if we had taken them and not given them so many then it would have been a top of the table clash.

“We rattled them definitely, but we gave them too many chances. When you are a decent side and have a decent spine of a team which they very much have and they do the basics well and you try to put them under pressure it’s difficult.

“They are a quality side and deserve to be top of the league. You tip your cap to them. They have come here and done the job and they will go home happy.

“They can play an off-loading tip game or they can tuck the ball up the jumper and carry and grind you down, win a penalty in the middle third, kick to the corner, drive over and score.

“They can do both. We didn’t execute in the early part of the game and in these top end games you have got to execute your set piece and if you don’t it bites in the back side.

“They put their foot on the gas when they needed to and took it off when they needed to. They are a clever side with a spine that has been around a bit with an exciting ten and an exciting 15 and a 12 who has been around a bit.”

Bournville are back at Avery Fields next Saturday when Hinckley are the visitors for the final match before a rest week.

“We have a big chance next week against Hinckley at home to get back to winning ways, get back to executing our game, putting pace into the game – which we want to do – and climb back into the top six which is where we want to be,” Price said.

“We have always had a battle with Hinckley. We just tipped them the last game of last season here but they pumped us at the start at their place. So, they will be coming here to right a few wrongs. We have to turn up and attack them.”

The week-off will give Bournville the chance to rest some tired bodies after three months of intensive rugby which included three pre-season matches and to get some of their injured players back into action.

Openside flanker Adam Shaw, a summer signing from Old Halesonians, made his comeback from an ankle injury against Camborne and turned in a performance that delighted Price.

“I thought Adam was outstanding in everything he did and on both sides of the ball” he said.