THE Pirates’ hopes of earning some much-needed points on Saturday came unstuck as they were comfortably beaten 34-12 at Crediton.

The Pirates scored tries through lock Ben Martin and centre Josh Semmens, one of which was converted by fly-half Rhys Brownfield, but that was it on an ultimately disappointing day for the Cornish side.

Now in 10th place of 12 in the league, their higher points for than against in games played is an indicator of what the team is capable of, so looking forward an upturn in results will be very much hoped for.

Reflecting on the afternoon, head coach Murray Westren said: “This was a very disappointing result, especially to gain nothing from the game. Accumulating points in this league is important and we are simply not collecting enough.

“Credit to Crediton, I thought they were by far the better side and as a collective showed very good understanding in their game.

“We can never fault the effort and character of the group who always give their best, but we are simply not learning our lessons quick enough, and we make the same mistakes. Until we do, we will continue to make life very difficult for ourselves.”

The Pirates are back in action on Saturday (2.30pm) with a crucial home game against a Teignmouth side who sit just two points clear of the Cornishmen.

PENZANCE & NEWLYN: 15 Ben Wragg, 14 Joey Norways, 13 Josh Semmens, 12 Oscar Marr, 11 Cal Gardner, 10 Rhys Brownfield, 9 Rhodri McAtee; 1 Dec Prowse, 2 Kenny Jones, 3 Joe Best, 4 Ben Martin, 5 Jamie Eddy, 6 Tom Hutton, 7 Sam Carroll, 8 Stan Somers (capt). Replacements (all used): 16 Ben Taylor, 17 Nick Nowell, 18 Harris Eddy.

Tries: Martin, Semmens; Convs: Brownfield; Pens: N/A.

Pirates’ man-of-the-match: Rhodri McAtee.