Penryn RFC

Penryn RFC
Full name Penryn Rugby Football Club
Union Cornwall RFU
Nickname(s) The Borough
Founded 1872 (1872)
Location Penryn, Cornwall, England
Ground(s) Memorial Ground, (Capacity: 4,000[1])
Chairman Stephen Long
President Steve Booth
League(s) Tribute Cornwall/Devon
2017-18 3rd
Team kit
Official website
www.penrynrugby.com

Penyrn RFC is a Cornish rugby union club based in the town of Penryn, and is the oldest club side in the county having been formed in 1872.[2] The club currently has 2 senior men's teams (the seconds are known as the Saracens) as well as a ladies team, colts, and multiple mini/youth sides (male and female). Nicknamed "The Borough" the clubs colours are black and red.[3] The men's first team play in Tribute Cornwall/Devon having been relegated from Tribute Western Counties West at the end of 2015–16.

The Memorial Ground, home of Penryn RFC

History

Cornish dominance

Formed in 1872, Penryn are the oldest club side in Cornwall.[2] The 1960s and 1970s were the glory days for the club as they dominated domestic rugby. This period of dominance began during the 1964–65 season when the club claimed a hat-trick of titles including the South West Merit Table, the Cornwall Knock-out Cup and the Cornwall Sevens Cup.[4] In 1968 they claimed the inaugural Cornwall Cup when they defeated Redruth 5–0 at the Recreation Ground in nearby Falmouth.[5] Between 1968 and 1975, Penryn appeared in six finals, winning the cup five times which included sharing the 1970 cup after a 7–7 draw with St Ives (who also enjoyed great success during the early years of the cup).[6] At the time Penryn were so good that they were picked to face the British and Irish Lions in 1973 (and are still the only English club side to do so), losing 10–38 to the Lions at the Memorial Ground.[7] The glory days would not last forever and the 1975 final victory over Penzance & Newlyn would be the clubs fifth and last Cornwall Cup title, as they began to be overtaken by other clubs in the region such as Redruth and Camborne.[8]

League rugby

The advent of the Courage leagues in 1987–88 saw Penryn placed in Courage Cornwall/Devon, a regional league ranked at tier 8 of the new league system. Penryn started league rugby well, winning successive league titles in 1989 and 1990 and gaining promotion to South West 2.[9][10] In 1992 the club gained a third promotion in five seasons when they went up to South West Division 1 – which at tier 5 is the highest league ranking the club have achieved in its history.[11] Early success in the league was counteracted with relegation in 1993 after just one season in South West Division 1.[12] The club would stabilize in South West 2 for the rest of the 1990s but as they moved into the millennium they were relegated to Western Counties West in 2001.[13] Two years later Penryn had one of their best seasons of recent memory as they won all 22 league games in Western Counties West on the way to claiming the title and promotion, scoring over 1,000 points in the process.[14] The club retained momentum the following season as they finished second in South West 2 West, qualifying for a promotion play-off which they won 23–19, away to South West 2 East runner-up Swanage and Wareham.[15][16]

The 2005–06 season saw Penryn in South West Division 1 which at tier 5 was the highest league ranking they had achieved since 1993. Although Penryn were competitive in the division, taking place in a furious relegation battle, they ended up going down on points difference (for/against) in 10th place, despite being tied on league points with relegation rivals, Clevedon and Oxford Harlequins.[17] As is sometimes the case with a relegated team, Penryn struggled the following season and went down for the second year running, after a poor league campaign that saw only 2 wins.[18] The slump was halted in 2009 when Penryn won the Tribute Cornwall/Devon title, following up with a second promotion in 2011 when they won Tribute Western Counties West.[19][20] Life in Tribute South West 1 West was short lived, however, and Penryn were relegated at the end of the 2011-12 season.[21] The 2015–16 season was a disappointing one for the club as they were relegated from Tribute Western Counties West, falling back down to Tribute Cornwall/Devon. They did have a chance of silverware at the end of the season but lost heavily to a very strong Camborne in the final of the Cornwall Cup held at Tregorrick Park in St Austell.[22][23] The club finished their first season back in Cornwall/Devon League in fifth place at the end of the 2016/17 season after relegation from Western Counties West.

Honours

Notable former players

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Band of Brothers - Lions of '71 roar one more time". ESPN. 28 May 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Penryn RFC". Penryn Town Council. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Penryn RFC". Penryn RFC (Pitchero). Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Penryn rugby players reunite after 50 years". Cornwall Live. 22 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Cornish Glory: The History of Redruth Rugby". Redruth Rugby. 22 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Honours - Honours 1 - St Ives RFC - Pitchero". Pitchero. 22 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Penryn RFC on the up". Everything Rugby. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  8. ↑ "Re: PIRATES - The Best & The Worst". RugbyNetwork.net. 24 July 2009.
  9. ↑ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990-91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd.
  10. ↑ Tony Williams and Bill Mitchell, ed. (1990). Courage Clubs Championship. Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91. Horsham: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd. ISBN 1873057024.
  11. ↑ Cornwall Rugby Football Union Official Handbook 1992-93. Cornwall RFU. 1992.
  12. ↑ Official Handbook and Byelaws. Season 1992–93. Cornwall Rugby Football Union. 1992. p. 111.
  13. ↑ "South West 2 West 2000–2001". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Final League Tables 2002–2003". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "South West 2 West 2003–2004". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "South West Play-Offs". England Rugby. 24 April 2004.
  17. ↑ "South West 1, 2005–2006". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "South West 2 West 2006–2007". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  19. ↑ "FINAL LEAGUE TABLES, 2008 - 2009". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  20. ↑ "Final League Tables, 2010–2011". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  21. ↑ "Tribute South West 1 West 2011–2012". England Rugby. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  22. ↑ "South West Division 2015-16". England Rugby. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  23. ↑ "Camborne overpower Penryn to make history with fourth Tribute Cornwall Cup win in a row". Western Morning News. 2 May 2016.
  24. 1 2 "'Mr Penryn' celebrates 90th birthday". Falmouth Packet. 17 June 2013.
  25. ↑ "KEN PLUMMER". Newport RFC. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  26. ↑ "Adryan Winnan Record by competition". Rugby Statbunker. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
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