Blaydon 35 Redruth 34

Mar 20 2011 by Mark Smith, Sunday Sun

BLAYDON ended their nine-game losing streak, but made hard work of it.

Recording their first victory since January 8, they hung on for dear life against their relegation rivals to open up a six-point gap between themselves and the drop-zone – albeit it with a game in hand.

Leading by 21 on two separate occasions in a helter-skelter match, the hosts looked as if they had blown it when hooker Owen Hambly crossed for Redruth’s fifth try to get to within a single point.

Dead-eye Aaron Penberthy had missed only a single kick all afternoon, but the fly-half’s conversion attempt drifted just millimetres wide of the left upright, sparing Blaydon’s blushes in the process.

Despite their late collapse there was still plenty to be positive about for Tom Rock’s side, and enough to suggest they should be nowhere near the three relegation spots after some enterprising early attack put them into a 21-0 lead less than a quarter of the way through the game.

Lock Chris Wearmouth opened the scoring with a try down the blindside after Redruth botched an attempted cross-field kick inside their own 22, with centre Matt Clark doubling the lead shortly after as he hit a hard midfield line.

Fullback Ed Yarnton rounded off a slick backs move for the third, but Blaydon allowed the Cornish side a foot-hold in the game as Redruth’s left-wing Tom Notman scored from a scissor move on the 22.

Wearmouth’s sin-bin for handling in the ruck was punished almost instantly as visiting No 8 Mark Bright dotted down a pushover try against a seven-man scrum, but the four-try bonus point was secured for Blaydon as Simon Barber’s touch-down took the half-time advantage to 28-14.

Fly-half Andrew Baggett restored the 21-point margin with a try from first receiver just four minutes after the break, but a second for Notman and a score from scrum-half Nick Simmons saw Redruth chalk up a potentially valuable four-try bonus point.

Penberthy’s penalty got them to within six of the home side, and pressure from the visitors saw Hambly scurry over for a try with three minutes to go.

With the home fans willing Penberthy’s conversion attempt to go wide, they got their wish by the slimmest of margins.