Rugby league in Cornwall

Last updated

Competitive Rugby League (Cornish : kesunyans rugbi) was established in Cornwall in 2010 by Joe Catcheside, who working on behalf of the Rugby Football League, organised and established an annual fixture between Devon and Cornwall. Until this time all rugby league played in Cornwall had been exhibition matches and featured teams from outside Cornwall. The first match between Devon and Cornwall was played in August 2010. The match is now played annually and is regularly billed as the "County Clash" or the "County of Origin" game and the teams play for the Martin Roddy MBE Trophy.

Contents

The Cornwall Rugby League Association currently has only one member; Cornish Rebels RLFC who were established in 2013 and play in the South West Premier Division. They will be joined by Cornwall R.L.F.C. in 2022, playing in the third tier of the professional game RFL League 1.

History

The first rugby league matches to take place in Cornwall were a series of exhibition matches between Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers which took place on three consecutive evenings in June 1962. The first match was at the Mennaye Field (a rugby union ground); the home of Penzance–Newlyn RFC and the former club of Hull Kingston Rovers player Graham Paul. Two more matches took place at Camborne and Falmouth. [1] There was an earlier attempt to introduce rugby league via a Western League in 1912. [2]

DateWonScoreLostVenueAttendance
4 June 1962Hull57–26Hull Kingston Rovers Mennaye Field, Penzance 2000
5 June 1962Hull38−26Hull Kingston Rovers Recreation Ground, Camborne 1500
6 June 1962Hull44−29Hull Kingston Rovers Recreation Ground, Falmouth

The next matches to be played in Cornwall were in 1985 when Mansfield Marksman beat Carlisle in a challenge match at Penlee Park, Penzance and two Doncaster teams played each other at Looe in a second challenge match. The formation of the South West League in 1984−85 saw two amateur teams from Cheltenham and Bristol play at Ludgvan. [2]

Martin Roddy MBE Trophy

On 16 September 2010 the first team to represent Cornwall took to the field to play Devon at the Rectory Ground, Devonport. [3] In 2012 the match was renamed from the Tamar Cup to the Martin Roddy MBE Trophy. [4]

DateWonScoreLostVenueAttendanceMatch report
16 September 2010Devon44–20Cornwall Rectory Field, Plymouth
24 August 2011Devon54–12Cornwall Mennaye Field, Penzance [5] [6]
29 August 2012Cornwall32–24Devon Bitton Park, Teignmouth [7]
21 August 2013Cornwall36–26Devon Recreation Ground, Redruth 300 [8]
2015DevonCornwall Recreation Ground, Redruth [9]
4 July 2015Cornwall40–34Devon Polson Bridge, Launceston
23 August 2015 Bitton Park, Teignmouth

Cornish Rebels

In March 2013 the first ever rugby league club was established in Cornwall. Cornish Rebels RLFC currently play in the South West Rugby League against Devon Sharks, Exeter Centurions, North Devon Raiders, Plymouth Titans and Somerset Vikings A. Their home matches are played at The Recreation Ground, home of rugby union club Redruth RFC.

Semi-professional club

Cornwall R.L.F.C. will join the professional league system in 2022, playing in the third tier RFL League 1. [10]

Related Research Articles

Rugby union in Cornwall is Cornwall's most popular spectator sport with a large following. The followers of the national side are dubbed Trelawny's Army. In 1991 and 1999 Cornwall won the County Championship final played at Twickenham Stadium, beating Yorkshire and Gloucestershire respectively to win the Cup. They had another strong spell in the 2010s, reaching seven of the eight finals contested between 2013 and 2022, winning four of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornish Pirates</span> English rugby union club, based in Penzance

The Cornish Pirates are a professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn RFU, the Cornish Pirates play and train at their home ground, the Mennaye Field in Penzance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redruth R.F.C.</span> English rugby union club, based in Cornwall

Redruth RFC is a rugby union club from the town of Redruth, Cornwall, currently playing in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 West. The club runs a number of men's teams including 1st XV, 2nd XV, Ladies XV, Colts and a Select XV as well as a number of junior teams from age 7 through to 16. They are one of the most successful club sides in Cornwall, having won the Cornwall Cup ten times and the Cornwall Super Cup three times, and are currently the second highest ranked club side behind the Cornish Pirates. Redruth enjoys a strong rivalry with neighbours Camborne, with the two clubs meeting annually on Boxing Day, in a fixture that dates back to 1928.

Mounts Bay RFC was a Cornish rugby club formed in December 1999 and based in Penzance, England, which folded in July 2009. Initially formed as an offshoot from Penzance & Newlyn RFC, the club operated as an independent club. Mounts Bay were promoted at the end of the 2007-08 season and competed in National Division Two in the 2008-09 season. However, the club folded in the summer of 2009 due to financial problems and withdrew from the league structure altogether.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camborne RFC</span> Rugby union club, based in Camborne, Cornwall

Camborne RFC was established in 1878, known locally by fans as 'Town', are one of the most famous rugby union clubs in Cornwall. They are currently champions of Regional 1 South West, a level five league in the English rugby union system and are promoted to National League 2 West.

The South West Rugby League is a summer rugby league competition for amateur teams in South West England. The competition was formed in 2003 as the RLC South West Regional. Its name changed following the 2012 restructure of amateur rugby league in Great Britain.

Cornwall/Devon League was an English level eight, rugby union league for clubs principally based in Cornwall and Devon. Following the reorganisation of the English rugby union leagues in 2022, the league was replaced by two level eight leagues based in Cornwall and Devon. The Pirates Amateurs won the last competition in season 2021–22 and were promoted to Counties 1 Western West

Penzance RFC formed in 1876, was a rugby union club based in Penzance, Cornwall, England. They amalgamated with Newlyn RFC in 1944 to form Penzance and Newlyn RFC, currently known as the Cornish Pirates.

The 2012–13 season was the Cornish Pirates tenth season in the second tier of the English rugby union league system, the RFU Championship and their fourth in the British and Irish Cup.

Counties 2 Devon is an English level eight rugby union league for clubs primarily based in Devon. The champions are promoted to Counties 1 Western West and relegation is to Counties 3 Devon East or Counties 3 Devon East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornish Rebels</span> English amateur rugby league club

Cornish Rebels are an amateur rugby league team based in Redruth, Cornwall. They were founded in January 2013 by John Beach and Rob Butland. Cornish Rebels RLFC are affiliated with the Rugby Football League, rugby league's governing body in the UK.

The CRFU Cornwall Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out cup club competition organised by the Cornwall Rugby Football Union first played for in 1896 but only regularly since 1969. It is open for teams based in Cornwall that are ranked below the national leagues but above the Cornish regional divisions. Tier 9 to 10 clubs have their own competition in the Cornish Clubs Cup.

The CRFU Cornwall Clubs Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out cup club competition organised by the Cornwall Rugby Football Union. First played for in 1897 but only regularly since 1971. It is open to teams based in Cornwall and play in the Cornish regional divisions. It is the third highest ranked cup competition in the county after the Cornwall Super Cup and Cornwall Cup.

Nat Saumi, real name Nacenieli, is a retired Fijian rugby union player who is currently a coach. A versatile back, Nat could play at fly-half, centre or full back. Despite having offers to play Premiership rugby, Nat spent his career in England playing for south-west clubs, most notably with Penzance & Newlyn and Plymouth, whom he also coached. An outstanding points scorer both in terms of kicking and tries, Nat became one of the most prolific points scorers of all-time in National League 2 South with over 700 points, including a divisional record of 374 points in a season, achieved in 2001 while playing for Penzance-Newlyn. As well as playing club rugby, Nat has also represented Fiji Sevens, Barbarians and Cornwall with whom he won the Bill Beaumont Cup back in 1999.

Matthew Shepherd is an English and Cornish rugby union player who currently plays at scrum-half or full back for Redruth in National League 2 South, having previously played for Plymouth Albion in National League 1. An extremely reliable points scorer with a knack for scoring important tries, he was instrumental in Cornwall's County Championship victories in 2015 and 2016 and has also been capped by England Counties XV. As well as playing union, Shepherd has played summer rugby league for the Cornish Rebels.

Alex Ducker is an English professional rugby union and rugby league player who plays as a winger or full back. He is currently playing back at at Camborne. He previously played for Plymouth Albion from 2019 until 2022. An extremely gifted try scorer who can also kick points, he is most comfortable on the wing but can also play at full back. During his career he has led a nomadic existence which has seen him play for all of the top club sides in Cornwall including a stint with the Cornish Pirates. Ducker has been capped by the Cornwall senior rugby union side and has played summer rugby league with the Cornish Rebels, as well as experiencing Premiership Rugby Sevens with the Exeter Chiefs.

Presented below is an alphabetical index of articles related to Cornwall:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ives RFC (Cornwall)</span> Rugby union club, based in Cornwall

St Ives Rugby Football Club is a Cornish rugby union club that are based in the town of St Ives and play home games at the Recreation Ground, just off Alexandra Road. The club operate a senior men's side as well as several min and junior teams. Following their withdrawal from the level 6 South West 1 West at the start of the 2019–20 season, the club continued to play friendlies for the remainder of the season. The club were readmitted to the league structure for the 2020–21 season, returning to competitive rugby in Cornwall League 2, at level 10, the lowest level St Ives RFC have played in. The season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. St Ives were then promoted as unbeaten champions at the first attempt in the 2021–22 season and currently play in Counties 1 Western West. The club play a traditional Boxing Day fixture against neighbours Hayle RFC.

Ryan Westren is a Cornish rugby union player who is currently a player-coach at Launceston, where he plays at outside centre. A club legend at Launceston, he previously played professional rugby union with Cornish Pirates and London Scottish, as well as captaining Cornwall in the county championships. His brother, Murray Westren, is also a rugby player, while their father, Phil Westren, played for Cornish Pirates when they were known as Penzance/Newlyn.

Rugby union in Cornwall is a timeline of rugby union in Cornwall in the 19th century.

References

  1. ↑ The Cornishman 7 June 1962
  2. 1 2 Rugby League. Cornwall Super League. Cornishman 11 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Cornwall lose inaugural inter-county clash. West Briton. 23 September 2010
  4. ↑ Walrond, Nigel (26 August 2012). "Rugby Briefs". Independent (Plymouth). p. 48.
  5. ↑ Straughan, D (8 September 2011). "Cornwall Suffer Another Tamar Cup Loss". Cornishman.
  6. ↑ Straughan, Dick. "Cornwall suffer another Tamar Cup loss" . Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Catchside, Joe (2 September 2012). "First victory for Cornwall in third regional challenge". Cornwall Independent. p. 46.
  8. ↑ "CORNWALL 36 DEVON 26 County of Origin 2013 – Martin Roddy MBE Trophy (RUGBY LEAGUE)". Redruth Rugby. 21 August 2013.
  9. ↑ "County Level Series With Comeback Victory". The Cornishman. 9 July 2015. p. 69.
  10. ↑ Cornwall to host new professional rugby league team after Ottawa plans shelved
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.