Nottingham vs Cornish Pirates – Match Report

Happy Pirates Make it Three Wins on The Trot

By Phil Westren

Nottingham 28 – Cornish Pirates 36

For the Cornish Pirates this Friday night under lights encounter was always expected to be close, and so it proved. It also, for them, pleasingly ended with a deserved third league win on the trot.

Ahead of this third versus sixth Round 6 fixture in ‘The Champ’, the Archers from Nottingham had enjoyed a good start to this season and were naturally hopeful of recording a rare victory against their visitors.

There were several changes in the Cornish side’s starting line-up from the one that faced Caldy at home the previous weekend, including in the backs for fit again wing Arthur Relton. Other changes were in the forwards which saw returns for prop Billy Young, who was a replacement the previous week, and back to fitness hooker Morgan Nelson. Luke Ratcliff was named to make his first starting appearance at openside flanker, and Josh King was selected at blindside wing forward, with his place in the previous week’s engine room taken by Charlie Rice. For the latter, who has been unavailable because of injury, the game marked his first league outing of the campaign. Finally, having arrived at the Mennaye Field dual registered from Exeter Chiefs, included on the bench was 21-year-old Welsh scrum half Orson James.

Conditions at Nottingham’s Lady Bay ground were a little damp underfoot, but otherwise fine, as the teams lined up just ahead of kick-off for two minutes silence during this period of Remembrance. Both captains had laid poppy wreaths on the halfway spot, and a bugler also poignantly played the ‘Last Post’.

Whistle next blown, and game underway, two excellent early takes and carries by Pirates’ full-back Iwan Price-Thomas impressed, as did the equally fine kicking from hand of scrum half and skipper Dan Hiscocks. Indeed, from his deft stroke of the ball Price-Thomas was the beneficiary who scooped it up to score the game’s opening try that was converted by fly-half Arwel Robson.

It was a fine start which was soon added to when fluency in the backs led to an unconverted try scored by wing Matty Ward.

As if to remind their opponents that they would be difficult to overcome, and with their No. 8 James Cherry to the fore, Nottingham responded to create pressure close to the line from where hooker Jack Dickinson scored a try near the posts which was converted by fly-half Gwyn Parks.

This match was already providing entertainment, and for the Pirates it soon got better when, from a lineout on the right, the ball was worked to the left for wing Arthur Relton to gather possession and scoot in for another unconverted score.

With ball in hand the Pirates were giving a clinical display. However, after the referee felt compelled to issue one yellow card to Robson, and then a second to prop Billy Young, they were made to pay for their apparent indiscretions.

Dickinson would again score a converted try from close range, there was a mazey run from wing Harry Graham to admire, and the Archers then took the lead before the break after Welsh lock forward Osian Thomas charged down an attempted clearance kick and crashed over the line to the right of the posts. Devon-born Parks again added the extras for Nottingham to arrive at the break suddenly 21-17 up.

Into the second half, following the returns of Robson and Young the Pirates regained and then extended their lead. Relton notched up his second try of the night, as did then Ward with his second terrific score which was converted by replacement Louie Sinclair.

Of replacements being introduced, Barnaby Elderkin, brother of Pirates; centre Joe, had earlier in the match proudly made his ‘Champ’ debut, whilst for the Archers the familiar face of Michael Etete, who made three appearances for the Pirates last season, also entered proceedings.

Nottingham got their bonus point providing fourth try with a converted score for Cherry on about the hour mark, but it was a final converted sixth try scored for the Pirates by power-running replacement Harry Yates that would seal their satisfying 36-28 victory.

📷Centre Joe Elderkin leads an attack that led to try scored by wing Arthur Relton. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest

Commenting at the end of Friday night’s encounter, Cornish Pirates’ joint head coach Gavin Cattle said:

“It was a fascinating game and one which we executed really well at the start before we got the blip with the yellow cards which put us under pressure. Overall, however, looking back on the second half we managed the moments and there were a lot of good things, including our physicality, our fight at the end, and the scoring of some good tries as well.

“Considering that this we week we had a lot of adversity and had to have a four-four split on the bench it all shows that we are pretty good at rising to the challenge, as the boys have turned up and put a good performance in, again with no shortage of heart and desire. Two yellow cards were not ideal, but we kept our nerve and, as Dan (Hiscocks) said at the end of the game, it was his favourite win for the club in terms of how we managed and got through it, and kept fighting, so fair play to them.”

Nottingham:   15 Evan Mitchell 14 David Williams (captain)13 Charlie Davies 12 Kegan Christian-Goss 11 Harry Graham 10 Gwyn Parks 9 Will Yarnell; 1 Aniseko Sio 2 Jack Dickinson 3 Ale Loman 4 Jay Ecclesfield 5 Osian Thomas 6 Sam Green 7 Michael Green 8 James Cherry.

Replacements:   16 Ben Brownlie 17 Oscar Stott 18 Dan Richardson 19 Michael Etete 20 Iestyn Rees 21 Josh Goodwin 22 Levi Roper 23 Charlie West (all used):   .

Cornish Pirates:   15 Iwan Price-Thomas 14 Arthur Relton 13 Chester Ribbons 12 Joe Elderkin 11 Matty Ward 10 Arwel Robson 9 Dan Hiscocks; 1 Billy Young 2 Morgan Nelson 3 Alfie Petch 4 Charlie Rice 5 Alfie Bell 6 Josh King 7 Luke Ratcliff 8 Tomi Agbongbon.

Replacements:   17 Alessandro Heaney 18 James French 19 Ben Cambriani 20 Barnaby Elderkin 21 Orson James 22 Louie Sinclair 23 Harry Yates (all used); 16 Matt Pritchard (not used).

Yellow cards:   Robson and Young.

Scorers:

Nottingham – tries: Dickinson (2), Thomas, Cherry; cons: Parks (4).

Cornish Pirates – tries: Ward (2), Relton (2), Price-Thomas, Yates; cons: Sinclair (2) Robson.

Referee:   Andy Wigley

Assistants:   Kieron Henry & John Meredith

📷Happy Pirates' skipper Dan Hiscocks addresses his troops post-match. - Photo credit: Brian Tempest