HECTOR shined Bright on Diamond Opening Weekend as the Saints secure their first win of the season in a nailbiter with Exmouth at Tregorrick Park.

The Saints celebrated the opening of the clubhouse refurbishment and new ladies changing rooms with a hard-fought win.

The Saints started with Storm Amy at their backs and put the tempest to good use to apply the early pressure. A thunderous catch and drive routine was finished by flanker Cam Taylor to give the home side a 5-0 lead after five minutes.

A failure to exit allow Exmouth to gain a foothold in the home 22. A series of phases was finished by centre Lewis Geran out wide to tie things up at 5-5.

It was a case of hero turned villain when Geran was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, giving fly-half Ben Saunders the simplest of tasks to slot the penalty in front of the posts to restore the lead at 8-5.

Saints were now on top and a sweeping move unleashed winger Max Bullen who weaved his through despairing defenders to score a superb try in the corner (13-5).

The home side piled on the pressure but spurned three opportunities to stretch the lead before the interval.

The second half got off to worst possible start for the home side with an early score for the Cockles. A clearance kick from just outside the home 22 was charged down causing panic in the Saints’ defence. In the melee that followed, Saunders went high in the tackle and it was now the fly-half’s turn to spend time on the sidelines.

Exmouth were quick to take advantage of the disparity in numbers spreading the ball for winger James Clarke to close the gap to 13-10.

The Cornishmen dug deep to withstand the resurgent Cockles and a barnstorming run by player of the match Hector Bright took the Saints deep into Exmouth territory. Quick hands across the backline created the space for winger Dan Navas to score on his first team debut (18-10).

The home side were unable to turn their territorial advantage into points on the board, setting up a nervy ending as the game moved into the final ten minutes.

Exmouth used their scrum to turn the screw but found home side resilient and determined in defence, although the pressure finally told when centre Nicholas Headley burst through under the posts. George Meadows added the extras to make it 18-17 with just two minutes left.

A deep searching restart by Saunders enabled the Saints to pin the Devonians down in their own 22 to see the game out in relative ease. A trademark Cam Taylor turnover brought the final whistle to the delight for the home side and their supporters.

A hard-fought game was expertly officiated by Emily Hope, a very talented referee who managed the flashpoints with authority and allowed the game flow as much as possible.

Saturday sees the Saints travel with renewed confidence to table-topping Topsham who have four wins from four.

ST AUSTELL: Bees, Navas, Stanlake, Plummer, Bullen, Saunders, Tyrrell; Rowe, Harris, Nicholson, Vian, T Daniel, Bright, Taylor, Powell. Replacements: Raikes, P Fletcher, Tregilgas.

Tries: Taylor, Bullen, Navas; Convs: N/A; Pens: Saunders.

Saints’ player-of-the-match: Hector Bright.