Those three vital points put the visitors in front for the first time in a match during which they had trailed 10-0, and keep the side second in National League 1. With closest league rivals Wharfedale and Cambridge both losing, the latter to leaders Esher who maintain their five-point gap at the top of the table, there are now six points between Scottish and the chasing pack.

The heavens opened just before kick-off and the rain, together with a swirling wind, made handling difficult throughout the match. The first-half was a pretty level affair, but is was the hosts who went into the interval ahead following a try by No 8 Mark Bright after Redruth broke through the Scottish defence on 14 minutes, fly-half Mark Rule adding the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Despite the visitors going down to 14 men temporarily following the sin-binning of scrum half Simon Amor, Redruth were unable to translate their superiority into points, and that remained the score at half-time. The visitors also enjoyed a numerical advantage either side of the interval following a yellow card for former London Scot Lewis Calder, but like the hosts were unable to capitalise.

Indeed, it was Redruth who got the next points on the board through a penalty from Rule on 53 minutes, as Scottish, despite becoming stronger as the game wore on, found it difficult to get the ball cleanly out to the backs despite some solid work from the pack as a result of the inclement conditions.

On 58 minutes, however, Neale sent a penalty over to claim his side’s first points of the match and seven minutes later Scottish got the breakthrough they deserved, the ball being worked out wide following a drive from the forwards to find winger Charlie Broughton, on as a second-half replacement for Roman Piotrowski, who went over in the corner for the score.

Neale missed with his conversion attempt, but the full back redeemed himself with the 78th minute penalty that clinched the game for Scottish, a pressure kick given the circumstances and the conditions. Scottish, who had looked the stronger team during the closing quarter of the match, were able to play the last few minutes out without mishap, to seal their eighth win of the season.

London Scottish head coach Brett Taylor said: “the boys showed some real character to claw it back from 10-0 down and get 11-10 ahead and then hold on until the final whistle went, and in horrendous conditions with a long day’s travel that was an unbelievable performance.”

Next week, Scottish host Otley, who lie 12th in the table, at the Athletic Ground with kick-off at 3pm, while Esher make the long trip to Cornwall to face Launceston, who are sixth in the league.

But before then, Neale will hope to have got another match under his belt after his early-season performances earned him a place in the 22-man Barbarians squad who on Wednesday face the Combined Services in the annual Remembrance Day fixture at Aldershot. The match kicks off at 7.15pm.

Taylor said he was delighted for Neale at his call-up to the Baa-Baas’ squad, saying it was a deserved reward for “an incredibly talented player who is on top of his game.”