St Ives Tame Lions with Nine Tries

Hayle 3 : 55 St Ives

On Saturday 17th January the Hakes travelled to Hayle for the local derby, with the prospect of securing the first ‘double’ of the season against Cornish opposition. A strong and virtually unchanged side was announced, with Ryan Bishop stepping up to the bench in the absence of Jamie Hoskin. Many consider this 1st XV to be the strongest that St Ives can field at present. This may be the case and is a point for some clubhouse debate. However, it would be rather shallow to ignore the many that have put on the blue or pink shirt only once or twice during this campaign. They have played their part in placing St Ives a strong second in the league. Those who work tirelessly to gather these players from far and near stand out for such accomplishments.

The game was predictable enough. Hayle indulged in tactics to suppress the preferred style of St Ives that worked reasonably well during the first half. A lot of whistle, starts and stops, a lack of fluency and few multiple phases. Initial plans and structure may have begun to fade and frustration set in, but it was that exciting right winger, Bobby Conroy-Smith, who crossed the line after nine minutes.

After only 10 minutes, an injury to the hardy Martyn Lawrance saw him leave the field. Louis Stevens replaced him and showed what a combatant, experienced performer he is.

A more settled team scored further tries through Jess Tompsett (14 minutes) and another from Bobby Conroy-Smith on 32 minutes. Goal kicker, Grant Thirlby converted one to make the half time score Hayle 3 : 17 St Ives. Hayle managed a penalty to close out the half through Steve Richards.

The second half demonstrated fully the dominance of the away side. While Hayle were unable to frustrate their opponents, nor add to the score, St Ives procured a bonus point as Bobby Conroy-Smith notched up his hat trick in the 47th minute. Considerable interchange between forwards and backs, with equally considerable possession, brought further tries from Ben Jenkins (52mins), Tom Nicholas (55mins), Lewis Thomas (57mins), Louis Stevens (67mins) and in the final play, Lewis Thomas again (80mins). Grant Thirlby added the extras on four occasions. Final score: Hayle 3 : 55 St Ives.

The travelling supporters, many of whom had taken the opportunity to make use of the bus provided, were given plenty of entertainment at the expense of Hayle, who have a tough road ahead to avoid a relegation battle. They should manage to stay up given their resources. A recent away win at Tavistock demonstrates this positivity.

This was a strong performance by the whole side, with another impressive outing by centre Greg Loydall. Unsurprisingly, but not complacently, young father, Jamie Prisk, shone once more in what must be his best season.

On Saturday 24th Falmouth visit The Rec. This is another must win for The Hakes. Everyone will be motivated to prove that the defeat at Dracaena Avenue in October can be over turned. Your support would be appreciated. Kick-off is at 2:30p.m.

St Ives:

Jess Tompsett, Ben Taylor, Ben Jenkins, Todd Prisk, Jamie Prisk, Cameron Bone, Martyn Lawrance, Sam Heath, Sam Carter, Grant Thirlby, Peter Mabbott, Greg Loydall, Tom Nicholas, Bobby Conroy-Smith, Lewis Thomas.

Replacements: Louis Stevens, Tony Stevens, Ryan Bishop (all used).