Saltash swept away by 16-try All Golds blitz

» THE All Golds cruised into the semi finals of the Harry Jepson Trophy with a handsome 90-6 thumping of South West League champions Saltash Essayons.

They ran in 16 tries with Aedan Coleman crossing for a hat-trick and Pat Crummay, Callum Merrett and Josh Stafford Smith each scoring twice. There were also tries for Jack Uren, above, Josh Llewelyn, Sean Roberts, Ash Lewis, Mitch Dent, Tom Gaffney and Ryan Tanner while Merrett booted seven goals, Lewis four and Coleman and Stafford Smith one each.

All Golds were three converted tries to the good after six minutes with Merrett scoring a typical breakaway try after Dent’s opening score and then Lewis rampaging over straight from the back of a scrum.

The Essayons collected their only try of the game after receiving backto-back penalties and Ben Morris did well to gather a kick to the corner and touch down. Ryan Cruickshanks adding the goal.

But when Crummay crashed over after 20 minutes, the All Golds seized control and were rarely troubled from then on.

Coleman simply ran round the defence to score from a scrum move before Gaffney scored with his first touch after coming off the bench.

Stafford Smith added the All Golds’ seventh try just before the interval, Merrett banging over his fifth goal to put them almost out of sight at 38-6.

Playing down the slope in the second period, Roberts scored from Jack Uren’s offload six minutes into the half before Uren reached the line.

Lewis added both goals but Merrett returned to snatch an interception and run 80 metres to the posts.

On the hour mark, Coleman scored his second before completing his hat-trick eight minutes later, bursting through the defence for a superb longrange score, adding the goalfor good measure.

After Coleman’s third try, Crummay and Lewis rampaged down the field from the restart and Tanner finished the job from 30 metres out as the Essayons finally began to wilt.

Three more scores in the last seven minutes simply put the gloss on a professional performance as Crummay ignored a three-man overlap to crash over before Llewelyn stepped his way into space and raced away to score.

Stafford Smith concluded things with the All Golds’ final score and added the extras himself.