TAVISTOCK player-coach Marc Kerswill won’t run up the white flag on dodging relegation just yet, despite the setback of a 58-17 home drubbing by Kingsbridge.

Bottom side Bideford are effectively relegated already, but anyone of Tavistock (19pts), Penryn (27) or St Ives (30) could be going with them.

And as relegation issues are never an exact science in the lower divisions due to the trickle-down effect from divisions above, it is best to finish outside the bottom three, just to be on the safe side.

Tavistock do have a game in hand on Penryn, which could be an advantage, but a vastly inferior points difference (-515) to every survival rival, which is a definite disadvantage.

All Tavistock can do is play as if their lives depend on it in what’s left of the season.

“With five games to go we will keep fighting, but we have made it a damn hard job for ourselves,” said Kerswill.

Kerswill said although Tavistock were ‘poor’ at times against Kingsbridge, they also had some bright spots as well.

“We started nicely, stringing together a few phases, and capitalised on their poor discipline when Tom Burgess went in under the posts for his first try for the club,” said Kerswill.

Kingsbridge flexed their muscles with three tries before Olli Plummer bagged is maiden try for Tavistock, who conceded soon after to trail 22-12 at the break.

There was little for Kerswill to feel positive about in the second 40 minutes.

“We were all over the place,” said Kerswill. “We made unforced errors and didn’t utilise the ball we won from set-pieces, which was an area we dominated.

“A couple of interception and charge-down tries followed, before we got a push-over try from a scrum.”

Tavistock play their game in hand this Saturday when they pay a visit to Hellfire Corner to take on Redruth Quins.