Saltash 2nds 10
Tavistock 2nds 17
THE Seconds travelled to Saltash on the back of an astounding victory against Bodmin with only 13 players the week before. They had a full complement of players including kicking maestro Stan Staniland.
Strong performances from Dave Welsh and Chris Johns in the front row meant a strong platform was built for the backs to work off but despite this Saltash drew blood first.
The conversion was missed and Tavistock came back fiercely. The aggression induced by the try spilled over midway through the first half and saw Neil Cole the skipper in the sin bin, but Tavistock maintained the momentum. Craig Pascoe scored his third try in two games early in the second half and along with the conversion from Staniland Tavistock took the lead.
Probing runs from Mark Ninnis and Adam James increased the pressure on the opposition and a penalty from Staniland gave a five-point lead. But Saltash refused to quit and came back with a try of their own to level the score at 10-10.
The red and blacks refused to lie down and driving runs from McDowd and Alford kept the pressure on the home side. It was not until the final 30 seconds that the game was won when Chris Wilks made an inspired run and put Glenn Martin in under the posts.
The conversion was kicked and a second successive victory proved that the spirit of last season's cup final run is still there in abundance and a successful season looms.