THE Saints produced a superb team performance following the passing of club legend Stuart ‘The Cardinal’ Widger earlier in the week.

Prior to kick-off, former teammates, supporters, and current players stood in silent remembrance with Stuart’s family before the kick-off in a touching tribute to a Saints legend.

It’s been four weeks since the last game when the Saints beat table-toppers Topsham, but the hosts didn’t waste any time in harnessing the raw emotions swirling around Tregorrick.

A relentless opening salvo was rewarded when winger Arthur Fletcher finished off a flowing move after just four minutes. Full-back Matt Shepherd slotted the touchline conversion.

A dominant scrum platform enabled the Saints to launch waves of attacks with great interplay between forwards and backs. Flanker Cam Taylor touched down from a ‘catch and drive’ and hooker Pete Harris powered over from a tap penalty, both converted by Shepherd to make it 21-0 on 20 minutes.

Marlborough dug deep to keep the home side at bay until right on half-time when Matt Boothby – returning from a knee injury sustained against the Wiltshire oufit – spun off a driving maul after coming on for the injured Riley Raikes – to crash over.

Shepherd hit another superb touchline conversion to make it 28-0 at the break.

The try of the game came early in the second half, and it came from an unlikely source with Tom Daniel scoring his first ever senior try. A prodigious leap saw the spring-healed lock steal a Marlborough line-out on halfway. Scrum-half Dan Tyrrell seized on the turnover ball to break to the edge of the 22. He found his back-row in full support with Taylor and Adam Powell on hand to power the move on. The ball was recycled to Daniel who scorched over from 15 metres.

Head coach Sam Parsons then emptied the bench with the welcome sight of two more returning from long-term injury with Ben Saunders and Max Bullen coming on for wingers Fletcher and Dan Navas.

Harris soon powered over, but the visitors got a deserved score through their own hooker, the industrious Jacob Te Rangi.

That seemed to reignite the home side with Tyrrell skipping through a beleaguered defence for 49-5, and thhere was still time for Boothby to complete his brace before providing the offload to Harris to allow the hooker to crown his man-of-the-match performance with a hat-trick.

Shepherd kicked both conversions to ensure a perfect “nine from nine” from the kicking tee to seal a 63-5 victory, one ‘The Cardinal’ would no doubt have approved.

The only cloud on the Saints’ horizon was the injury to Raikes as with season-ending injuries to experienced props Charlie Nicholson and Pete Rowe, as well as Cornwall U20s Dan Bennett already, the coaching team will be hoping for a quick recovery.

The Saints now have another week off before a tricky looking fixture at Sidmouth who have been in good form in 2026.

They will cross the Tamar on February 28 with confidence determined to keep the pressure on Exmouth and Brixham in the race for play-off slot.

ST AUSTELL: Shepherd; A Fletcher, Plummer, Stanlake, Navas; Ashwin, Tyrrell; Rolls, Harris, Raikes; Vian, T Daniel; Powell, Taylor, Marriott. Replacements: Boothby, Saunders, Bullen.

Tries: A Fletcher, Taylor, Harris (3), Boothby (2), Daniel, Tyrrell; Convs: Shepherd (9); Pens: N/A.

Saints’ man-of-the-match: Pete Harris.