MIDLANDS Hurricanes wrapped up the season with a 42-26 win against Cornwall to finish the campaign in eighth place.
The hosts cruised into a 30-point lead at the break thanks to tries from Matty Welham, Liam Welham, Tyler Walton, AJ Boardman and Hayden Freeman.
However, quickfire scores from Johnny Griffiths, Jack Ray and Jamie Prisk flung Cornwall back into contention and almost sparked a sensational recovery.
Further tries from Tyler Hepple and Adam Reed sealed the points for Hurricanes, although Cornish scores from Prisk and Nathan Cullen meant the visitors did not go down without a fight at Portway.
Hurricanes head coach Rich Squires said: “We got a little bit carried away in the second half, a little bit complacent and, on their day, Cornwall can score points.
“Our discipline went out of the window a bit, but we were comfortable off the back of that first half, going in 30-0 up at half time.
“It’s been a stop-start season, both on and off the field. I’m really proud of the group that has stuck together – there have been some highs and lows this year.
“We didn’t quite match our own expectations, but it’s a stepping stone for the bigger journey we want to go on. It’s only the start for us.”
After a positive opening few minutes from the visitors, it was the Hurricanes who struck first when M Welham finished off a fine move after recouping his own grubber kick before burrowing his way to the line.
And L Welham extended Hurricanes’ lead five minutes later when his quick thinking allowed him to find the gap at the play-the-ball.
Walton then pounced on a Cornwall mistake at a high ball to touch down before Boardman powered over with ease from close range and Freeman finished well after some exquisite handling.
However, the visitors came out with renewed purpose after the break and cut the deficit through tries from Griffiths, Ray and Prisk – the latter throwing a huge sidestep to flummox the Hurricanes defence.
The comeback was halted when Hepple waltzed his way through the Cornwall defence to the line before Reed collected the latter’s long pass and stepped inside for a simple score.
Cornwall refused to go quietly as Prisk grabbed his second of the afternoon, showing impressive strength and agility to score, before Cullen completed the scoring late on after he somehow reached the line through three defenders.
The result means Hurricanes finish the Betfred League One season in eighth place with six wins and 14 defeats from their 20 matches.
