The Cornish Pirates secured themselves a home semi-final in the Championship Cup by beating Ampthill 23-14 away in their final Pool C game.

They will now play Jersey at Menneye Field in the last four on the weekend on May 5-7.

Changes in the starting XV from the one that faced Caldy last time included Carwyn Penny at full-back and Robin Wedlake on the right wing. 

Rory Parata partnered Shae Tucker in the centre, and there were also returns for fly-half Arwel Robson and for Cory Teague, who was selected at blind-side wing forward. Finally, Harvey Beaton started at tight-head prop.

From the start Ampthill’s skipper Morgan Strong, a former Wales under-20s and Ospreys player, showed the threat that he posed with a surging line break. A penalty followed to enable the home side to threaten with a driving line-out opportunity but the Pirates upset ambitions and were awarded a scrum.

After working their way back upfield, Arwel Robson opened the scoring for the Pirates with a successful penalty kick at goal.

Further Pirates points also looked on the cards when Rory Parata went close to scoring a try, his effort only denied by a superb tackle from Ampthill’s full-back Tom Bacon.

The visitors were enjoying the opening quarter of the match, and it came as no surprise that a try would ultimately materialise when, following a spell of applied forward pressure close to the opposition line, it was captain John Stevens who scored, with Robson adding the extras.

Points on the board, the defence solid, and looking sound in the set piece and at maul time, for the immediate present all was looking good for the Pirates, before the hosts reminded one and all of the danger they posed. 

Their selection included two former Pirates in hooker Syd Blackmore and flanker Paddy Ryan, and when a response came it was Ryan who made it to the line for a try converted by fly-half Tom Hardwick.

With the clock ticking towards half-time, after Pirates flanker Will Gibson made an important steal at a breakdown, it was wing AJ Cant who kicked for territory with a lengthy boot from hand.

Then, a couple of minutes later, Cant was again in the limelight when scoring his side’s second try. Robson had firstly made a telling break, with excellent support then given by centre Tucker. Robson’s conversion attempt from out wide missed and halftime arrived with the team holding a 15-7 points advantage.

For Pirates supporters the hope for their side was to hold onto their lead, and perhaps even deliver a sixth consecutive bonus point win in the competition.

The start of the second period was less than ideal for the Cornish team, as not only did Ampthill, with former Tongan international prop Aleki Lutui, now aged 44, still in action, apply considerable pressure for a lengthy period, but the Pirates also briefly lost the services of skipper Stevens, after he was directed to the sin bin by the referee, seemingly for making an apparent deliberate knock-on. 

A next score soon followed, as the home side prospered from numerical advantage when Blackmore scored a converted try from close range – his fourth in three games – which reduced the deficit to just one point.

Robson’s second successful penalty strike soon after did though extend the Pirates lead, and during a period when they emptied their bench it was replacement prop Jack Andrew who, after a series of controlled phases, powered over the line for an unconverted try to add to his proudly acquired tally over the years.

A bit of a gap had opened, and striving for the bonus point win was still the focus, but it was not to be. However, in overall terms, there was just satisfaction in that it was a mission accomplished. 

Ampthill: 15 Tom Bacon 14 Josh Skelcey (23 Conor Rankin, 69) 13 Dominic Morris (22 Gwyn Parks, 69) 12 George Worth 11 Ollie Dawkins 10 Tom Hardwick 9 Lewis Finlay (21 Pete White, 50); 1 Dom Hardman (17 Jake Ellwood, 50) 2 Syd Blackmore (16 Matt Gallagher, 61) 3 Aleki Lutui (18 Rob Hardwick, 50) 4 Joe Sproston (19 Ali Gibbs, 61) 5 Fyn Brown 6 Paddy Ryan 7 Isaac Curtis-Harris (20 Josh Smart, 40) 8 Morgan Strong (captain).

Cornish Pirates: 15 Carwyn Penny 14 Robin Wedlake 13 Rory Parata 12 Shae Tucker (22 Joe Elderkin, 64) 11 AJ Cant (23 Will Trewin, 64) 10 Arwel Robson 9 Alex Schwarz (21 Ali Stacey, 65); 1 Olly Adkins (17 Jack Andrew, 50) 2 Morgan Nelson (16 Will Crane, 61) 3 Harvey Beaton (18 Matt Johnson, 55) 4 Josh Williams (19 Steele Barker, 55) 5 Will Britton 6 Cory Teague (20 Jarrard Hayler, 58) 7 Will Gibson 8 John Stevens (captain).                                                                                                                        

Yellow card: 8 John Stevens (48).

Scorers: Ampthill – tries: 6 Paddy Ryan (26) 2 Syd Blackmore (51) cons: 10 Tom Hardwick (27, 52).

Cornish Pirates – tries: 8 John Stevens (20) 11 AJ Cant (39) 17 Jack Andrew (66) con: 10 Arwel Robson (21) pens: 10 Arwel Robson (08, 55).

Referee: Jonathan Cook. Assistants: James Pidding & Andrew Ashwell.