This was a disappointing result for Callington that sends them out of the Cornwall Junior Cup. However, there was nothing to be ashamed of in this defeat as Perranporth are currently near the top of the division above Callington, the important thing was that they displayed a performances that they can be proud of.
The first half was where most of the damage was incurred, Perranporth were quick to set the play and spread the ball wide for their backs to outpace Callington's defensive line. A total of 29 points comprising of five tries and two conversions were scored against Callington, but something surprising happened in the second half. Although it would have been unrealistic to stage a comeback, Callington took back possession of the game and looked good in control. Together with constant pressure and a determined effort, it eventually paid off when Callington scored the first try of the half coming from Tremayn Harbut which was successfully converted by Matt Halfpenny.
Although it was probably Callington that owned most of the play in this half, they just seemed to be caught out on the odd occasion leaving Perranporth's backs with a clear run for the line. Another three more tries and two conversions were then added to Perranporth's tally. This did not dampen the Callies spirit, they simply hit back and despite losing Rob Congdon on the wing due to injury, they continued to play with 14 men as all the substitutes had been used up.
This appeared to be a positive factor as it made Callington give more than 100% and still they applied the heat The sustained pressure was rewarded was a drop goal from Tremayn Harbut. Callington's drive did not end here either, they persisted to irritate Perranporth's defence going forward all the time. Mark Jacob displayed great form by running half the distance of the pitch along the wing and charging through three of their defenders to score in the corner which took the final second half score to 15-19. Although this score would still not have been enough to beat them in this half, it was great performance in any case. It was just a shame that Callington did not play the first half to the same standard to that of the second, otherwise it might have been them going through to the next round of the cup.
Tomorrow (Saturday) Callington resume their league action where they play host to Stithians. This is likely to be a tough game, but if Callington can play as well as they did against Perranporth, then a good result is likely.