Last updated at 11:24, Friday, 01 May 2009

TYNEDALE ended their one and only season in National League Division Two the way they began it – splashing to a watery win over Penzance based Mounts Bay.

Bonus point: Rupert Harden's try remained unconverted, but still earned Tynedale a league bonus point.

Mounts Bay 14, Tynedale 32.

The weather in the West Country was abysmal, the lashing rain turning the Cornish turf to a quagmire.

And while the already relegated Cornishmen were not quite so thuggish as they had been in the opening fixture at Corbridge in September, hooker Joe Graham was still treated to two meaty thumps to the eye.

The result consolidated Tynedale’s fourth place in the league, which was an incredibly high finish for a team of amateurs, often playing against full time professionals.

The rugby powers that be change the rules and league structures almost as often as women change their mind, so the league in its present form will disappear next season.

A new fully professional second tier league will be created to replace the existing division one, and Tynedale will go into a new third tier - called division one!

There they will face the likes of big names London Scottish – complete with £1.5 million budget – and the five professional sides relegated from the present division one,

Tynedale flew to Newquay International Airport without two of the cornerstones of their success this season, Roman Wall farming brothers Jamie and Andrew Murray, who were both busy lambing.

However, they gave a debut in the back row to teenager Jonathan Cousin – the third generation of the Cousin family to grace the Tynedale back row.

Granda John and dad Wallace could be well satisfied that this young man is a chip off the old block.

The day belonged to Tynedale’s leading scorer this season Jack Harrison, who added three more tries to his already impressive haul for the season.

But the all-action performance of Joe Graham, who has altogether too many footballing skills for a front row forward, earned him the man of the match award.

The game also marked the swan sing of two Tynedale favourites, prop Rupert Harden and scrum half Ross Samson, both of whom are heading for bigger and better things next season.

The 19-stone powerhouse Harden has had another storming season, which has seen him snapped up by Premiership Gloucester, while mighty atom Samson is off to his native Scotland to join Edinburgh, high fliers in the Magners League.

His final game for Tynedale was something of an anti-climax, as he was carried off with a torn hamstring after just 18 minutes.

The Caledonian comet will be much missed for his sniping runs, quick penalties – and his generous contribution to Tynedale’s record total of yellow cards!

Overnight rain and gales had left the pitch in a sodden state, and rain throughout the first half made it even worse.

Tynedale had the breeze in their favour in the first half, but it was Mounts Bay who were first to show, with a penalty on 14 minutes being put just wide by fly half Dan Hawkes.

From the resumption, Tynedale won a penalty, and Samson scuttled away on one of his trademark diagonal runs.

A kick and chase put the Cornish defence under such pressure, they were pleased to get away with a scrum five.

The scrum came to nothing, but the break was Samson’s last action in a Tynedale shirt.

The versatile Jack Smales moved from full back to scrum half, James Hoyle dropped back to full back, and Fraser Shaw came off the bench on to the wing in the ensuing reshuffle.

Mounts Bay had a let off when a dine break by Hoyle saw him find Harrison on the burst, and he in turn sent Jake White in to touch down. However, the score was ruled out when the referee ruled Hoyle’s pass had gone forward.

The breakthrough came on 28 minutes, when the advancing five-head of Peter Southern rushed the home full back into failing to find touch with his clearance.

Fraser Shaw ran the ball back with interest, before finding Hoyle, who made good ground before sending Harrison for his first try from the edge of the 22.

Gavin Beasley was a whisker away with his conversion attempt.

The Cornishmen struck back four minutes into first half injury time, when Hoyle fell on a hoof into the Tynedale 22 by lock Ben Hilton, and was somewhat harshly penalised for holding on to the ball.

In true Samson style, Mounts Bay scrum half Grey Goodfellow took a lightning-quick penalty, and fed Hawkes on the line to flop over for the try.

He converted it himself to give Mounts Bay an unlikely 7-5 interval lead.

They could have extended their advantage five minutes into the second half, but a long range penalty from Hawkes was again to the left of the posts.

So it was Tynedale who got the scoreboard rolling again when Harrison, now at full back, made another knifing break, before finding Charlie Ingall on the edge of the 22, with one man to beat.

The Irishman skinned the defender for a great try, which Beasley was again unable to convert.

Straight from the restart, Graham gathered, and trickled through a delightful grubber kick, which a defender was glad to carry over his own line.

This led to a series of pounding Tynedale attacks, which culminated in a penalty in front of the posts, converted by Beasley to give Tynedale a 13-7 lead.

Tynedale were now fully into their stride, and after a series of combinations from forwards and backs, Harrison came gliding into the line to run through for his second try on 24 minutes, which Beasley improved.

Three minutes later, Tynedale went further ahead, thanks to a superb long pass off his left hand by Southern, which freed skipper for the day Greg Irvin to make ground before sending in Matthew Fieldhouse for the fourth try to ensure a bonus point.

Mounts Bay were far from finished though, and three minutes later, a rolling maul left Tynedale at sixes and sevens, allowing Hawkes to score his second try, which he converted himself.

The score buoyed the Cornishmen, who were soon roaring upfield again after fielding a speculative chip from Smales.

Their hopes of a revival were dashed however, when the ever-alert Harrison anticipated superbly to pull off a brilliant interception, and storm away to complete his hat-trick at the other end.

Beasley’s conversion set the seal on a highly satisfactory season for Tynedale.

First published at 09:38, Friday, 01 May 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk