BUDE?bounced back from a woeful first-half display to come from behind and win 19-10 at struggling Wessex.

The Exeter-based will be disappointed not to have been more than 10-0 up at the break as Bude seemed to suffer a hangover from their defeat at home to Wellington a week before.

However, thanks to a serious talking to at the break, the North Cornwall side put in a much-improved performance in the second-half to ensure they returned home with four points.

Wessex led through Andy Alderman’s penalty and Sam Carpenter’s try, which was converted by Alderman.

Bude made three changes before the start of the second-half to try and get in the game as James Comber and Zerran Hammond came on at the break while hooker Liam Cook was brought on within half-an-hour.

That seemed to inspire them as they awarded a penalty try early in the second-half after the home side twice collapsed scrums close to their own line.

At 10-7 down, Bude knew that a try would put them in front and it was centre Ed Hilliam-Cooke who provided it.

Picking up the ball 30-metres out, Hilliam-Cooke broke through a couple of tackles before beating the full-back for pace to score. The conversion was missed but Bude had the lead.

The visitors’ forwards are always dangerous and they decided to play keep-ball to run the clock down.

Although Wessex saw a 45-metre penalty kick just fall short, Bude sealed the game in the final seconds when Hilliam-Cooke latched onto Matt Trewin’s pass for the easiest of finishes.

This time Olly Denford converted to leave player/coach Angus Hodges relieved.

He said: “I’m incredibly relieved to have picked up the win although we didn’t play any rugby at all. We were extremely lucky to be only 10-0 down at the break in what was a must-win game for us.

We weren’t at it all physically in the first-half and the substitutes really changed the game for us.

They really allowed us to get our intensity going. We had a good chat at half-time and thankfully we stepped up. To turn it around showed alot of charachter when we could have very easily stuck our head in the sands. Our away form over the last couple of years hasn’t been very good and for us to rise above that shows how far we’ve come.”

Bude are back on the road this week when they make the long trip to West Cornwall to take on newly-promoted Hayle.

Bude comfortably defeated the Cornwall League champions 36-0 back in September and Hayle have won just four of their 13 league games to sit second from bottom.

Last weekend they failed to raise a side for their trip to Wellington but Hodges isn’t taking anything for granted.

He said: “It’s a bit of a pychological game for us. We’re getting a bus down there which should help as we can all travel down there together and get ready for the game. We’re taking this week very seriously heading into the Christmas break and if we do I’m sure the result will take care of itself. It’s a good test for us as we want to put in a performance like we did for long spells against Wellington. In a way that’s what made the first-half of the Wessex game so disappointing as I was expecting the boys to be really fired up but in the first-half we weren’t.

Hopefully we’ll play like we can and make sure that we come home with a bonus-point victory.