Jersey Reds strengthened their grip on third place in the Greene King IPA Championship with a comfortable win over Richmond at the Athletic Ground.
The visitors claimed six tries and after a few testing spells it was an eventually comfortable win, the fourth of the season over Richmond.
The Reds looked to make an early impression, kicking a penalty to the corner and then launching a powerful maul. The hosts had no legal answer, and when the maul was 'sacked', referee Smales headed to the posts to signal a penalty try.
Although the home side came back with a Rob Kirby penalty, a great run by Koch Marx made large amounts of ground and then the winger fed Mark Best who crossed the line (3-12).
The Reds were beginning to get the bit between their teeth and really made their presence felt with two tries in the left-hand corner for Jason Worrall. One conversion by Penberthy meant it was 3-24, but Richmond clawed back seven points just before the break when Liston crossed from a maul.
The home side had the lion's share of scoring chances early in the second period, but couldn't take them - Kirby missed a penalty and then saw what might have been a scoring pass intercepted by Jerry Sexton.
Harvey Biljon began using his replacements after around 50 minutes, with Dave McKern, Jack Macfarlane and Sam Rodman coming on. McKern was prominent within minutes, winning a ruck turnover and then popping up on the wing where he drew a man and fed Will Homer. The scrum-half, playing as a wing after replacing Koch Marx, went over for his side's fifth try (10-31).
Aaron Penberthy claimed his side's sixth try - his first five-pointer this season when he collected a Will Homer grubber and dotted down.
The hosts grabbed their second try in the closing stages when replacement Josh McNulty crossed. But the Reds managed a strong finish, with Jack Macfarlane almost adding a score from a late maul, but the scoreboard remained unchanged.
RICHMOND: Kirby; Rath, Mitchell (c), Damant, Webber; Dennett, Jones; Goodrick-Clarke, Grimstone, Trenier, Crawford, Davies C, Liston, Saysell, Parker.
Replacements: Freestone, Josh McNulty, Cunnew, Davies M, Boyce, Gibbs, Cook
JERSEY REDS: Herron; Marx (Homer 54), Ma'afu, Best (Eastwell 68), Worrall; Penberthy, Howley; Godfrey (Morley 64), Maddison (Macfarlane 50), Atalifo (Rodman 50), Sexton (c), Hallam-Eames (McKern 57), Hatherell, Joyce (Upfield 60), Venter.
REFEREE: Hamish Smales. Assistants: Jonathan Healy, Gareth Holsgrove
ATTENDANCE: 822
Half Time: 10-24
Scorers
Richmond
Tries: Liston 35, McNulty 75
Conversions: Kirby 35, 75
Jersey Reds
Tries: Penalty try 16, Best 22, Worrall 27, 31, Homer 63, Penberthy 70
Conversions: Penberthy 27, 63, 70
