North Petherwin 5

Gunnislake 0

Launceston Football Club, Pennygillam

A ONE-SIDED affair that saw the Badgers out of sight by the half-time whistle was not what the neutral was hoping for, but for North Petherwin it was a great day that saw them lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

It was always going to be a tough ask for Gunnislake, who sat just below mid-table in Division One, were facing a North Petherwin side that had come into fine form in recent weeks, securing safety in the Premier division with a spate of good results.

With the sun pounding down on the Pennygillam pitch, the Badgers got off to a quick start, hunting every loose ball down, winning every dual and attacking with intent — spurred on by the commanding voice of centre-half Steve Greenaway.

It didn’t take long for the deadlock to be broken as the Gunnislake defence finally buckled under the mounting pressure and Callum Reeve kept his cool to slot home into the bottom corner of the net before an own goal all but confirmed the way the game was heading.

With 25 minutes played, the third came as a crushing blow for Gunni’ — who were doing their best to feed their talisman Kieren Jasper and find a way back into the tie to no avail. North Petherwin’s Joe Reeve picked up pace down the left flank as he weaved in and out of oncoming players to drive a low cross along the goalmouth for substitute Adam Smith to fire home at the far post.

With Gunnislake heads down, knowing the mountain they had to climb, North Petherwin hammered the final nail into the coffin just before the break. More good play, this time down the right, saw the ball squared across the edge of the box to striker Josh Sanders to fire into the top left corner.

Both sides came out for the second half knowing the game was done and with that, it wasn’t played at the same intensity as the first. Gunnislake failed to create many chances at all, while the Badgers were moving the ball around to see the game out.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, fan-favourite Dan Warring made it five, converting a cross with a powerful downward header — much to the delight of the crowd.

Elation came for North Petherwin when the final whistle sounded knowing that their name would finally be etched on the trophy, while the sound was met with relief from Gunnislake who were just glad the torture was over.

North Petherwin manager Wayne Basford told the Post after the game: “I’m delighted for the lads and the club — we played some fantastic football.

“I’m extremely proud of them all; after a tough season, we’ve shown real character to push forward and win such a prestigious cup.”