Reds start with a bang as they hammer Bournville

REDRUTH got the new season off to a perfect start on Saturday with a nine-try demolition of promoted Bournville at the Recreation Ground.

The Reds gave a start to new signing Will Symons at flanker while Todd Prisk started in the second-row on his return after a couple of years out of the game. Fly-half Joe Cummins, who is with the club on a development loan from the Cornish Pirates, was also named in the side.

The Cornishmen were immediately on the front foot and a multi-phase attack ended when Cummins put a chip into Hellfire Corner and a kind bounce saw Noah Clifford pounce for the first try after only a minute. In his only miss for the day, Cummins put the conversion wide.

After a couple of near misses when perhaps the Reds should have scored, a sniping broken play run by Cummins and a smart off-load to Jack Counter meant the Reds had their second.

After a short period, a Reds line-out maul in the 22 made good ground and the ball was sent out to inside-centre Sam James who smashed through the cover to go over near the posts.

Bournville were able to get set-pieces in the Reds half on two occasions, but each time it went wrong, and the bonus-point fourth try came on 31 minutes with James again on the scoresheet. Try number five saw skipper Jack Simmons get in between defenders before finding Counter with a smart offload and the flying winger did the rest.

Things got worse for the visitors when Clarkson McLeod was shown the yellow card due to Bournville conceding too many penalties, and the Reds ended the half pushing the visiting pack over the line for a sixth try with scrum-half Sam Bray getting the score.

Bournville decided to run the ball at every opportunity after the break, however the Reds juggernaut was on a roll and could not be stopped and the next try went the home way as a Redruth line-out on the 22 saw a back peel move work to perfection, Clifford making good ground before his offload found Bray to score after 55 minutes.

Twelve minutes later the Reds added a catch and drive try, this time replacement hooker Jarrod Hambly touching down.

The Choccos finally got the score their endeavour deserved with a try in Piggy Lane Corner for Oscar van-Deventer, but the Reds hit back with a beauty of their own, a lovely pass from full-back Luke Johnson fed Counter and the left wing cut a mazy run to just short of the line. Quick ball found debutant Rob Baragwanath who was unstoppable from short distance.

The match ended with Bournville’s Adam Collingwood going over after a further move from deep in their own half, but it was a mere consolation.

Redruth head to Plymouth on Saturday to tackle another of the new boys in Devonport Services (2.30pm).

REDRUTH: Luke Johnson; Noah Clifford, Jack Simmons (capt), Sam James, Jack Counter; Joe Cummins, Sam Bray; Rohan Ewels, Tom Cowan-Dickie, Cam Leigh, Todd Prisk, Luke Hattam; Mawgan Osborne, Will Symonds, Finn Wolstencroft. Replacements: Jarrod Hambly, Tyler Gendall, Kaiden Carne, Rob Baragwanath, Adam Hall.

Tries: Clifford, Counter (2), James (2), Bray (2), Hambly, Baragwanath; Convs: Cummins (8); Pens: N/A.

Reds’ man-of-the-match: Sam James.