Miller master-minds the rout of Redruth
Last updated at 12:13, Friday, 03 April 2009
SALVATION Army officers are known for boldly going where others fear to tread in their mission to spread the word.
Tynedale 35, Redruth 24.
Therefore, clad brazenly in Cornish black and yellow, galloping Sally Army major Andrew Vertigan was immune to the howls of displeasure which were heaped upon his portly frame at a packed Tynedale Park on Saturday, where Tynedale faced league leaders Redruth.
He had already incensed the Tynedale faithful by awarding a penalty try against the Blue and Whites, and yellow carded hooker Joe Graham, before giving a couple of other contentious decisions which seemed to have condemned Tynedale to their first home defeat in two and a half years.
The Cornishmen led 24-16 with only 10 minutes left, and were camped on the Tynedale line.
When the second dodgy decision went against them – an erroneous ruling that the ball had been carried back into the 22 before being cleared to touch – Tynedale were visibly seething at the injustice of it all.
Somehow, they channelled their righteous indignation into a supreme final effort, running in three glorious late tries to leave Redruth’s hopes of the National Division Two championship in tatters.
The architect of the Tynedale revival was centre Rob Miller, who, after a bright start, had become largely anonymous.
He suddenly found an extra gear, and produced a series of devastating bursts of pace and precise passes to set up all three late scores.
He had played only 90 seconds the night before in Newcastle Falcons’ epic win over Leicester Tigers, but proved he had true Premiership class.
But this was by no means a one-man show, as every man Jack of the Tynedale outfit played a full role in Tynedale’s 37th successive home win in the league.
Skipper Jamie Murray led by example, seeming to handle the ball twice as often as anyone else in an awesome display of strength, guile and stamina.
There were also heroic cameos from centres Jack Harrison and Jack Smales, Gloucester-bound prop Rupert Harden, scrum half Ross Samson, lock Andrew Murray and tough tackling flanker Kevin Showler - the list is endless.
The result saw Redruth replaced at the top of the table by promotion favourites Birmingham and Solihull – who are Tynedale’s final opponents at Corbridge this season on April 18!
The game was played in a capricious breeze, rather than the howling gale a radio commentator was trying to conjure up for listeners to Radio Cornwall, and it favoured neither side.
Redruth were a ground-shakingly huge side, but it was Tynedale’s leaner, meaner whippets who outstripped Trelawny’s mighty mastiffs in the opening stages.
After just four minutes, a burst by Miller was carried on by Smales and Charlie Ingall, before Jack Harrison came storming through to touch down wide out for the opening score.
Miller swept over the conversion, and three minutes later, obliged with a penalty after a Redruth infringement to take Tynedale into double figures.
However, the Cornishmen have not topped the table all season for nothing, and they were soon knocking on Tynedale’s door like red-shirted bailiffs seeking a month’s back rent.
Skipper JP Gidlow was a real handful in the centre, requiring two or three men to pull him down, and scrum half Mark Richards had a long, flat pass.
They were camped on the Tynedale line on 27 minutes, forcing an attacking scrum which went down, and when the re-set scrum also collapsed, Mr Vertigan marched behind the posts to award a penalty try, converted by fly half Mark Scrivener.
Tynedale stormed back onto the attack, and set a series of probing attacks which had the visitors in disarray, before ending disappointingly when a long pass from fly half Gavin Beasley went straight into touch.
They continued to press, and were finally rewarded when the Redruth backs were offside and Miller put over a penalty.
Redruth struck a crucial blow just before the interval, when they attacked in numbers, with good crisp handling ending with full back Emyr Lewis roaring in at the angle to blaze over at such speed he barely had time to ground the ball before shooting out of the in-goal area.
Scrivener converted to give the league leaders a 14-13 lead.
Scrivener and Miller both narrowly missed penalties in the closing moments, so Redruth went in at half time with a slender one-point lead.
The second half started disastrously for Tynedale, as after four minutes, hooker Joe Graham was sent to the sin bin for killing the ball, and Scrivener extended Redruth’s lead with a penalty.
Miller responded with another penalty almost straight from the restart, after a high tackle on Charlie Ingall.
However, for the umpteenth time this season, Tynedale were left rueing their disciplinary record eight minutes later, when they simply ran out of numbers defending a powerful Redruth attack, and towering lock Luke Collins barged over from five metres, as unstoppable as a toppling giant sequoia.
Scrivener converted magnificently from the touchline, and Tynedale were in trouble at 24-16 down.
They felt the world was really against them when a long kick by Scrivener was touched down by Fraser Shaw - but the referee ruled he had touched the ball before it crossed the line, and the expected 22 drop out became a five metre scrum, from which Redruth got over the line, but were unable to ground the ball.
Then came the dubious line-out decision, and Tynedale’s dander was really up.
They stormed upfield, and a swaggering run by Miller took play to the right of the Redruth posts before a huge pass by Beasley found the ginger ghost Smales swooping in for a superb try with 12 minutes left.
Miller’s conversion swooped and dived wide, but the sight of at least four Redruth players on the hands and knees gasping for breath told Tynedale all they wanted to know.
The Cornishmen were out on the feet, and England U20s ace Miller underlined his credentials for more senior recognition with a 10-minute spell of breathtaking virtuosity.
He ran through gaps that were not there to really torment the visitors, before sending in skipper Murray for a richly deserved try that brought the crowd to its feet – and put Tynedale in front.
Miller added the conversion, and three minutes later, another wave of his magic wand send lock Eni Gesinde loping in for the bonus point clinching try, fittingly converted by Miller.
First published at 09:50, Friday, 03 April 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk
