THE Cornish Pirates built on their home victory over London Scottish with an impressive bonus-point victory away at Caldy on Saturday.

For the eighth versus ninth contest in Round 17 of the ‘Champ’, there was just one change to thePirates starting line-up as Harry Yates was named to partner Chester Ribbons in the centre, whilst on the bench there was a return for winger Matty Ward.

The Pirates applied most of the early pressure against the Ravers, although they had to wait to the 15-minute mark before taking a lead. Fly-half Louie Sinclair popped a pass to wing Ben Cambriani, play was taken to the right, and wing Arthur Relton maintained his regular try-scoring exploits with an effort converted by Sinclair.

Caldy responded with try of their own, instigated by their own number 10, Kieran Wilkinson, a former England under 20s and Sale Sharks player. Finding touch with a penalty kick to the right corner, from the ensuing line-out hooker Matt Gallagher was driven over the line for a try converted by Wilkinson.

The Pirates soon hit back with a successful ‘catch and drive’ of their own. Hooker Sol Moody found the hands of skipper Alex Everett, and after the drive to the line it was flanker Luke Ratciff who had scored his team’s second converted try.

The Ravers, who proved their usual spirited selves, were once again well led by their longstanding captain, JJ Dickinson. However, the Pirates maul defence was excellent, and when they took play up to the other end of the field it was prop James French, who had been an early replacement for the injured Alfie Petch, who touched down their third converted try.

Achieving a bonus-point fourth try was the focus, and it was one delivered as Yates scored near the posts. Sinclair’s conversion also made it four from four attempts at the sticks.

Striving to stay in the contest, after a terrific carry by Dickinson, Caldy’s replacement prop Ryan Higginson’s converted try narrowed the deficit, before a Sinclair penalty made it 14-31.

With a quarter of an hour to go the Pirates all but confirmed victory when No.8 Tomiwa Agbongbon chose a diagonal run to score wide out on the left.

Caldy’s replacement scrum-half Tom Akehurst was sharp to spot his chance to snipe to the line for the home side’s third and final converted try, whilst the afternoon’s points scoring was finished off by Ward for the visitors who made it all look easy when he ran 30 metres cooly dot the ball down.

The Ravers have only won once in nine previous encounters against the Pirates – that a solitary 15-14 points victory achieved at Caldy’s then snow-covered Paton Field in December 2022.

For this latest encounter, although played on Valentine’s Day this was going to be anything but a romantic affair, whilst for the Pirates it was also a 760-mile round trip which proved well worth it. The win saw them leapfrog their opponents up to eighth in the table, whilst it also increased their chance of making it into the all-important top-six come the season’s end.

CORNISH PIRATES: Mawson, Relton, Ribbons, Yates, Cambriani, Sinclair, Hiscocks; Heaney, Moody, Petch; Hallam, King; Everett (capt), Ratcliff, Agobongbon. Replacements: Pritchard, French, Woodmansey, Cannon, Suttor, Rigelsford, Robson, Ward.

Tries: Relton, Ratcliff, French, Yates, Agbongbon, Ward; Convs: Sinclair (4); Pens: Sinclair.