REDRUTH overcame a dreadful start to earn two bonus points in defeat at relegation-threatened Loughborough Students on Saturday.

The Cornishmen sealed another season at Step Four a fortnight before with a home victory over Chester, and headed to Leicestershire looking to end a challenging campaign on a high.

That looked nigh-on impossible when they conceded four tries in the opening 14 minutes, not helped by losing hooker Tom Cowan-Dickie to a yellow card just four minutes in.

Loughborough scored inside 60 seconds and with the influential Cowan-Dickie off, which meant Jarrod Hambly coming on in his position and Dean Wills, having to be withdrawn, they attacked ruthlessly on the 3G pitch.

However, inside-centre Sam James got the Reds on the board 18 minutes – which was added to by the first of five out of six successful kicks from Joseph Cummins.

Cowan-Dickie pulled a second try back 10 minutes later, before the hosts grabbed another to go into half-time 35-14 to the good.

Any hopes of a comeback were quashed further as the hosts crossed inside a minute of the restart through Matthew Snell, but five minutes later flanker Jake Bond grabbed the first of his hat-trick of tries (42-21).

A seventh home try on 52 minutes effectively sealed the match in their favour, but Redruth still found time to score a further three times to take two points back to the Duchy.

Bond crossed on both 65 and 72 minutes with Cummins converting both, and James’ second of the day with the hosts down to 14 men made it 47-40 which was how it stayed.

REDRUTH: Wills; Clifford, Simmons, James, Thomas; Cummins, Bray; Barnes, Cowan-Dickie, Gendall; Hattam, Goldsmith; Osborne, Bond, Stevens. Replacements: Hambly, Ewels, Wolstencroft, Statton, Counter.

Tries: S James (2), Cowan-Dickie, Bond (3); Convs: Cummins (5); Pens: N/A.