TRURO 18pts PENRYN 16pts

This Skinner's Brewery Cornwall Cup semi- final was without doubt one of the most exciting games played this season with the lead changing hands four times and ending with "Diddy" Duncan's match-winning penalty goal in the fifth minute of injury time.

Penryn started well and could have had points on the board in the first ten minutes, but resolute defence coupled with some Penryn handling errors meant that the opening score did not come until midway through the half when Dave Pascoe slotted home a penalty goal for an offside.

Undeterred, Truro came right back with a penalty goal from the boot of Duncan, when a Borough player was penalised for coming in at the side of a maul.

Play swung from end to end, but on the half hour, with Truro pressing hard, Jamie Caruana broke through and would have scored if Kevin Hughes had not tripped him. The referee, from Somerset, had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try and Hughes was sin binned.

During this period resolute tackling from the Borough kept the score down. In fact, they managed a second Dave Pascoe penalty goal and half time arrived with the scores at 10-6 to the home side.

With the Borough back to full strength, the first 20 minutes of the second half were very even, with the game switching from end to end, but eventually Borough's forward pressure led to a drive over the line with Justin Doney getting the touch down. Dave Pascoe had no problems with the conversion and the visitors were back in the lead.

It did not last long, however, as the Truro threes broke out from their own half with the move culminating in a superb try from winger David Coombes. The conversion failed but Truro were now in the lead, and looked to be heading for victory.

The Borough forwards had other ideas though, and took the play back to the Truro 22. The home team's defence held out until, as so often happens at all levels, over enthusiasm led to an infringement. Pascoe converted the penalty and Borough were one point ahead after 79 minute of play.

It looked to be a win for the visitors but Truro came back yet again, and in the fifth minute of injury time, Borough infringed on their own 10 metre line; Dunkin converted a very difficult penalty to give Truro a two point lead. There was little time left and Truro were through to the CRFU Cup Final at Camborne on April 20 where they will meet Redruth who disposed of Launceston 59-5 on Easter Monday.

This cup game between a team at the foot of South West I and one second in South West II (W) gives an indication of the strengths of the game in the far South West. Truro will not find it easy in South West II, which is a very hard league to play in, but they have an excellent young team, and must now do what Borough had to do three season ago, namely re-organise and prepare for next season. One advantage for them, and for Borough is if they fail to win the play-off there will be a lot less travel in 2004-05.

The balance is shifting to the West with possibly six or seven South West II sides from Cornwall or Devon. This will reduce the travel problems, which are immense for clubs such as Truro and Penryn at the level, played.

Truro: Jay Curgenven, David Coombes, Stephen Nicholls, Jamie Caruana, Mark Lea, Mike Patterson, Daniel Duncan, David Moyle, Jason Sobey, Ewan Campbell, Richard Tucker, Nick Yelland, Graham Lutey. Eddie Lawrence. Subs: Rikki Brandham, Ian Rowe, Mark Davey, Ross Robins, Darren Symonds, Jason Cowl.

Penryn: Chris Mann, Darren Pellow, Nick Brown, Mike Slater, James Greville-Smith, Richard Hambly, Dave Pascoe, Darren Jacques, Phil Wells, John Cour), Allen Jordan, Kevin Hughes, Justin Doney, James Mann, Ben Short. Subs: Steve Patterson, Andrew Laity, Adam Giles, Sheldon Waetford, Martin Strick, Peter Webster.