On Monday night Hornets played their first of three tough pre season games against higher league opponents Truro. This was always going to be a tough game but one that would really give the Hornets an idea of where they are as a squad currently. With several new faces on show, the youthful looking side started very brightly, but unfortunately the power of the Truro side seemed to catch the Hornets slightly off guard and they succumbed to a 14 - 0 Truro lead after just 15 minutes. This certainly seemed to get the lads going a little and as the Hornets started to believe in themselves and put some phases together, they started gaining a little parity at set piece, but also in the loose. The Hornets started to enjoy a little possession of their own but a few unforced errors gave Truro the advantage again and they capitalised on it with another try outside, which this time went unconverted for a 19-0 lead to Truro. Hornets however, were determined to get something from the first half and they again pressurised the home defence and forced them into some errors of their own. From the territorial gains, they pressed and were eventually rewarded with a nice try in the corner for Kyle Gratrix on debut, from a tidy grubber kick from Aaron Simmonds on his return to the club. The last few minutes were pretty even and the Hornets went into the break trailing 19-7. The second half saw a much more confident Hornets side and they took the game to Truro at every opportunity and showed that they are capable of mixing it with teams from the league above. The second half saw both sides make several changes and this did disrupt the flow a little bit to their credit every player put in a good shift. Both sides went on to score two tries a piece and Hornets scorers were Jack Burbidge and Sam Thomas, one of which were converted by Aaron Simmonds. Truro also scored two more tries with one being converted to run out 31-17 winners. Overall this was a great first game for the Hornets and they will have learned a lot as a squad and look forward to their fixture with Penryn on the 17th August. Comments from Head Coach Ian Morgan: "For a first hit out of the season, I was really pleased with how well we responded to their early tries and managed to bounce back with three of our own. There is still plenty to do and improve before we face Tavistock in the league, but we are definitely heading in the right direction which a good to know."
