Bill Hooper’s Cornish Roundup

Very much a first game of a tour performance is the best you could describe the British & Irish Lions’ opening win of their 2009 tour of South Africa at an almost deserted Stadium in Rustenburg. For 60 minutes the unthinkable was on the cards an opening match loss against a side that will be the weakest opposition on tour. Trailing 25-13 to the Royal Bank XV, the Lions managed to claw their way out of a deep hole, thanks in part to their replacements, which included Cornishman Phil Vickery to finally run out 37-25 winners. Full back Lee Byrne was the pick of the Lions with skipper Paul O’Connell leading by example. Much work to do on the training paddock before their next match against the Golden Lions on Wednesday, they will need to shift up a few gears to win that one for sure!

The various County Championship competitions reached their finales yesterday with the northern counties completing a clean sweep. In the plate final Durham saw off Kent 29-14, whilst at Twickenham in the early kick-off 10 am, Cheshire beat Hertfordshire 30-22 in the Shield final before Lancashire won the Bill Beaumont Cup defeating Cornwall’s conquerors Gloucestershire 32-18 to win the title for an 19th time. Jeff Probyn writes an interesting article in this week’s Rugby Paper that the County game must be run purely for amateurs and that academy players from the professional teams should not be allowed to play. I think he is correct.

The main event in South Africa was of course the final of the Super 14 played in Pretoria, which saw the Blue Bulls thrash Waikato Chiefs 61-17, the gauntlet has been well and truely thrown down to the Lions with a performance like that!!

An England XV lost to the Barbarians at Twickenham 33-26 in an entertaing game whilst over in Canada, Wales defeated their hosts 32-23, with former Pirate Ed Fairhurst scoing one of Canada’s tries.

Next Saturday sees the final of the Top 14 French Championship with Clermont Auvergne playing their 10th final having lost the previous nine against Perpignan who last won the Bouclier de Brennus in 1955. Can USAP make it a Catalan double after Barcelona’s win the Champions League final last Wednesday?? It will be colourful for sure with eurosport 2 showing the game live in the UK from 8pm next Saturday. For the record Clermont beat defending champions Toulouse on Friday night 19-9 in Bordeaux, whilst the following day Perpignan saw off Stade Francais 25-21 in Lyon.

Finally good luck to Redruth’s Peter Joyce and Owen Hambly as they set off today to the Far East with England Counties for their matches in South Korea and Japan. I reckon Joycer would look some smart in one of those Samurai outfits!!!!

Gloucestershire will play the Bill Beaumont Cup Final next week at Twickenham after defeating Cornwall 34-19 at Cinderford on Saturday.

Jaike Carter was the hero for Gloucestershire as he ran in three tries, with Jonny May scoring a fourth for the home side, whilst Birmingham & Solihull fly-half Mark Woodrow kicked all four conversions and a couple of crucial penalties.

For Cornwall Sean Hawkey, Luke Collins and Hano Dirksen all scored tries with Adryan Winnan adding a couple of conversions.

So not to be this season, but a big hand for the Cornish players who have given us a great few weeks. Well done lads you’ve done Cornwall proud.

CORNWALL followed up the fine win over Devon last Saturday with an impressive display against Somerset at Redruth in this season’s Bill Beaumont Cup, winning by 38-0, scoring six tries. Sean Hawkey capped a fine display with a hat-trick of tries, with other scores comming from hooker Owen Hambly, fly-half Lewis Webb and winger Hano Dirksen. Adryan Winnan kicked four conversions in tricky kicking conditions.

Cornwall travel to Cinderford next Saturday to take on Gloucestershire, who face Devon on Sunday at Kingsholm, to decide the Southern Group and who goes on to play the final at Twickenham.

For those in Black & Gold on Saturday afternoon at Plymouth Albion’s splendid Brickfields stadium, it was a day to remember as Cornwall knocked the County Championship kings these past few seasons off their lofty perch. OK granted Devon are not the reigning champions but three wins out of the last five finals is pretty impressive, Cornwall have only got three wins in 125 years of trying!

Head coach Dave “Benji” Thomas has got a magic formula, which tends to get the very best from the players he gathers around him. He gets the boys to “buy into” the Cornwall ethos despite comming from various clubs who as in the case of Redruth and Launceston have been league rivals all season. Cornwall skipper Ryan Westren made a telling remark about the crowd and the atmosphere on Saturday “That was like how I remember the County Championship being when I was a kid. The support was fantastic.”

The players had big smiles on their faces after the match and they were entitled to them after a job well done. Mark Bright. a Kiwi, felt elated after gaining his first Cornwall cap just talkiing to him you could see that mean’t a great deal. Lewis Webb who had a fine game at fly-half admitted to feeling nervous before his first senior apperence for Cornwall and paid tribute to scrum-half Mark Richards who guided him through his first cap. “One and All, Onen hag Oll”, that’s the Cornish motto and that’s the Cornish spirit.

There were some big performances in the Cornish side on Saturday, none less that the man who has been Trelawny’s Army Player of the Year on no less than three occassions, Richard Carroll. Richard led that Cornish pack by example in a commanding performance. In the backs Mal Roberts kicking with that of Richards were key components in our win, but the tackling in mid-field was awesome, skipper Ryan Westren, Paul Thirlby and Lewis Webb put in some big hits to stop the opposition dead, Tom Rawlings was there to putting in the big hits when it mattered.

The Devon match is now history, what counts now is the next match against Somerset on Saturday at Redruth. The boys deserve a big crowd to get behind them and act like a 16th man. It has always been said that the crowd at Redruth is worth a five point start for Cornwall. So let us all do our bit on Saturday and get behind the team and support them as only a Cornish crowd can. It’ll lift the team to greter heights.

To reach a Twickenham final is a marvellous achievement, despite losing Saturday’s EDF-Energy Junior Vase final to Brighton Blues by 32-20, Liskeard /Looe are to be congratulated on a fine season that has seen the club win promotion to the Cornwall & Devon League next season and also win the Lockie Cup. It was a marvellous day out for the fans from the SE Cornwall towns and one that will not be forgotten. You did Cornwall proud.

15. Malcom Roberts (Cornish All Blacks & Army), 14. Willem Dirksen (St. Ives), 13. Ryan Westren (Cornish All Blacks, Captain), 12. Paul Thirlby (Redruth), 11. Sean Hawkey (UWIC & Wadebridge Camels), 10. Lewis Webb (Cornish All Blacks), 9. Mark Richards (Redruth), 1. Darren Jacques (Redruth), 2. Owen Hambly (Redruth), 3. Sam Heard (Unattatched), 4. Luke Collins (Cornish Pirates), 5. Richard Carroll (Unattatched), 6. Sam Hocking (Cornish All Blacks), 7. Tom Rawlings (Cornish All Blacks), 8. Mark Bright (Redruth).

Replacements: 16. David Pascoe (Penryn & Navy), 17. Brett Rule (Redruth), 18. Peter Joyce (Redruth), 19. Damien Cook (Redruth), 20. Chris Fuca (Redruth), 21. Danny Clackworthy (Hayle), 22. Scott Hobson (Bath).

To travel: 23. Jason Bolt (Cornish All Blacks), 24. Ben Hilton (Cornish All Blacks), 25. Steve Kenward (Redruth).