They think it’s all over….it is now

Posted under Director's Commentary by admin on Thursday 30 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Our season is over again and what a season it has been! It has been full of great experiences, and ones that will remain with me for a long time. Challenges have come by the score both on and off the field. I am finding that as the demands of rugby at this level are getting greater so we are having our feet cut from beneath us as far as the authorities go.

Next season we have an extra 4 league games which is great and it will be good to have new teams in the league, but funding starts to decrease by some 30% this season, we will see a further 30% next and we will receive zero funding in 2011/12 other than our travel and accommodation covered to some degree. It makes planning for rugby a mammoth task and one that would keep full time staff extremely busy. I am in the process of sorting things and it is a head banging experience. However it is something that has to be done and I hope you will stick with me, understand what I am trying to do and continue to support through thick and thin.

On the field, well what a ride! I feel so proud of the players, coaches and backroom staff for all their efforts. It will go down as one of our most successful seasons ever and certainly the most successful of recent years. We topped the table for over 20 games and had a tremendous start with 11 straight wins. People say to me it could of been so different if we had sneaked those wins over Cambridge and Wharfedale. They are right, but what I look at are the sneaky wins we had up at Wharfedale and at Westcombe Park.

It could have all been so different but it wasn’t, we finished 3rd and we need to be mighty proud of that, we played some great rugby and scored some great tries, we continued to blood some of our youngsters with a total of 23 ex Colts playing for the 1st XV throughout the season….that is out a total of 39 players used. we scored over 100 tries some of them the best we have seen at the club for many a year …… I am not going to say too much more as I will give a full report at the AGM later in May.

Saturday’s game at Birmingham was one that was won by a very good team, we have no doubt about that. What was very pleasing though was the fact that we fielded a starting backline that featured former Colts in every position. In all there were 11 former Colts in the match day 20 …. a great feat by any standards. For 65 minutes we were very much in the game and at half time certainly in with a chance, but after 10 minutes of sustained pressure against a very resolute defence we turned the ball over and the Bees went the length of the field and scored and that pretty much ended our chances.

Young Stevie Kenward made his league debut and performed very well. He has been unlucky this season as he has been on stand by on numerous occasions but has not made the final cut. The game was followed by the players end of season jaunt to Cardiff which was enjoyed by all.

Congratulations to the Under 18′s Colts who retained their Cornwall Knock Out champions title for the 4th consecutive season after a very close win over Wadebridge Camels on Sunday evening. It was a great game of rugby played in the best of spirits. The Camels threw everything they had at the Reds but the boys defended superbly and thoroughly deserved their win. There were big performances from a number of players Malcolm Hearn at No 8, Ritchie Kevern in the centre along with his co centre Sam Newman, Lewis Moyle again at flanker and lad who continues to improve Matt Bunt at no 6. James Williams scored a typically barn storming try that has become his trade mark and some lad called Aaron Penberthy converted the try and kicked 3 penalty goals 2 from near the touchlines.

All in all a great team performance and a thoroughly deserved success for Simon Blake and his team of coaches and committee. Its been a tough year for Simon, but he has stuck with it. I can’t speak highly enough of what he does for the club and I know how much this competition means to him, seriously,we as a club we not be where we are if it were not for Simon. His endless efforts and hard work has formed the foundations for our success over the last 7 years. On Thursday (tonight if I am able to get this posted) the Under 17 Colts play Penryn in their respective Cup Final. Kick off for this is at 7:00pm at Hayle.

I feel sorry for Tomas O’Leary who broke his ankle playing for Munster against the Scarlets last weekend. Not only does he miss the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa but is also ruled out of the latter stages of the Heineken Cup.

Things like this always happen and I bet there are a few worried people at the moment, particularly the selectors and management, that with so many games left in the Guinness Premiership knock out stages and the Heineken Cup the chances are that further players could miss the trip. Munster who have a large representation play Leinster on Saturday and then Cardiff Blues play Leicester on Sunday …. in the Guinness Premiership Bath play Leicester next week and Harlequins entertain London Irish.

The final of the Heineken Cup is on the 23rd May and the Lions depart for South Africa on the following Monday. Those who were controversially left out will still have chances right up until the departure date. Nathan Hines, the Scottish 2nd row also faces a dilemma ….. He has decided to snub his club side Perpignan in favour of joining the tour to South Africa. The Scotland lock is one of five second-row forwards called up by Lions coach Ian McGeechan, meaning he will miss out on Perpignan’s bid to claim their first French title since 1955.

The Top 14 play-off semi-finals, which Perpignan has qualified for, begin on the weekend of May 23/24 but Hines will have already set off for South Africa by then. And, despite protests from some of the French club’s supporters, Hines has insisted he had very little option in the decision.

“I have a torn heart but what can I do? If I am not in London on May 18 I will not be selected by the Lions,” he said. “Last year I was a substitute for Perpignan in the play-off semi-final. Imagine if I were to refuse the Lions and the same thing happened to me? No, that isn’t possible. “Representing the Lions is the cr


Under17s Final – Redruth 27 Penryn 15

Posted under Colts News by admin on Thursday 30 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Jim Trinder reports from Hayle RFC:

Redruth Colts ended their season on a sunny Thursday evening at Hayle by collecting their second trophy in four days, this time retaining the Under 17 Merit table Cup for the fourth year in a row.

Penryn were expected to provide a stiff test for the young Reds side, many of whom were still carrying knocks from the Under 18s final win the previous Sunday.

Penryn took an early lead after the Reds infringed at a ruck right in front of their own posts.

They were soon on level terms however when Aaron Penberthy landed a long range penalty as his great kicking form continued.

Redruth extended their lead when some quick thinking from lively scrum half Jonny Jackson (who many picked as their man of the match) darted over after the Reds were awarded a penalty 15 metres out from the Penryn line. The conversion was added by Penberthy.

A dominant start to the second half by the Redruth pack with selected man of the match James Teixeira and Malcolm Hearn to the fore was rewarded with a try out wide by fullback Dean Bonds.

Jackson struck again as the young Redruth side look to be running away with the match at 22 points to 3. Penryn made several changes as they introduced their replacements, a move was replicated by the Reds coaching team as all the bench came on.

Penryn looked to give themselves a ray of hope when Noon went over for a try, converted by Banks.

Redruth struck back with a second try for Bonds to kill the match, although Penryn centre Swinchatt completed the scoring after the Penryn forwards battered the Redruth line.

All in all a comfortable win for Redruth Colts who finish the season by retaining two of the three county cups.

Redruth Scorers:

Tries – Jackson 2, Bonds 2

Penberthy – pen con 2.

Penryn Scorers:

Tries – Noon , Swinchatt

Banks – Pen & con.

Redruth: Dean Bonds, Matt Wedlake-Millicam, Kieron Thomas, Aaron Penberthy, Ben Drew, Nathan Strick, Jon Jackson, Liam Norwell, James Teixeira, Michael Allen, Mark Rayner,
Steve Atkinson, Ben Gregor, Malcolm Hearn, Replacements Lewis Moyle, Kieron Lean, Aaron Roskilly, Jason Jackson, Dameon Lynes, Aaron Rowe, Craig Williams.

Penryn. J Symons, C Wilkinson, M Swinchatt, M Fittock, T Mitchell, R Banks, T Peacock, J Rose,
T Noon, Z Terrell, B Trevaskis, E Pascoe, L Body, J Bone, K O’Malley. Replacements J Nines, A Smith. B Cock, J Bailey, T Hoban, J Hazelton, R Coote.


Touch Rugby every Sunday all Summer !

Posted under Colts News by admin on Tuesday 28 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Touch Rugby EVERY Sunday at Redruth School from 10am for two hours. Please contact Jim Trinder for more information on 07773 368704.


Jim Trinder on Colts Cup win

Posted under Colts News by admin on Monday 27 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Cornwall Colts cup kings Redruth retained the CRFU county colts cup for the fourth year in a row after a pulsating final against a strongly fancied Wadebridge side at Hayle on Sunday evening.

This was always going to be a close final and so it proved to be.

An infringement as early as the first minute gave Josh Taylor the Wadebridge fly half and kicker a chance to put his side in front. This was closely followed by a second opportunity but again the normally reliable Taylor pushed his kick wide.

All this within the first 5 minutes as the sides settled.

Redruth took a penalty chance which Aaron Penberthy converted to give the Reds a lead, which was added to by a try after the backs put Redruth’s strong running wing James Williams away for a score after 12 mins – Penberthy added the extras.

As the half wore on the strong Wadebridge pack began to dominate and the young Reds defence was called upon the defend their line under severe pressure. Superb organisation and strong tackling meant the Redruth line stayed intact as half time came.

Redruth started the second half the stronger side and looked in control of the match until an impetuous moment. Redruth’s fly half Aaron Penberthy tried a chip kick from just outside the 22 metre line. It fell into the arms of Wadebridge centre Ben Andrews to allow him to score under the posts and bring his side right back into the match.

It is said cometh the hour cometh the man. Penberthy was given a difficult penalty chance almost immediately 35 meteres out wide to the right of the posts. He showed great calm and class to convert and give his side a 6 point cushion.

Now it was Wadebridge’s turn to dominate and secured the ball for long periods but again the Redruth defence stood firm with some superb tackling by the backs with centres Richie Kevern and Sam Newman put in big tackles on the strong running Wadebridge backs. Redruth looked to have secured the match when Penberthy once more stepped up to kick a long range penalty to put Redruth 16 points to 7 ahead as the game was well into the final quarter.

But Wadebridge were not beaten as they roared back and put the result in doubt once again as they scored a try from right wing Ben Johns converted by Taylor to give the supporters of both sides a grandstand finish.

Redruth secured from the kick off and made their way into the Wadebridge 22 pressing the line for several minutes with man of the match Malcolm Hearn playing in the unfamiliar position of back row forward leading the way, supported by the rest of the pack. Redruth were unable to get another score to kill the game off and were relieved to hear the final whistle that brought a memorable cup final, the best in recent years, to an end.

Redruth scorers:

Try – James Williams

Aaron Penberthy – 3 penalties and 1 conversion.

Wadebridge Scorers -

Tries – Ben Andrews, Sam Johns

Conversions Josh Taylor 2

Teams:

Redruth:

Craig Williams, Dameon Lynes, Sam Newman, Richie Kevern, James Williams, Aaron Penberthy,
John Jackson, Will Nankervis, Ben Gregor, Peter Jenkin, James Teixeira, Adam Lewarne, Matt Bunt, Lewis Moyle,Malcolm Hearn.

Replacements Michael Allen,Mark Rayner, Liam Norwell, Ben Drew, Nathan Strick, Nick Pinniger, Kieron Thomas.

Wadebridge:

Sam Warne, Sean Johns, Luke Davidson, Ben Andrews, Lee Betts, Josh Taylor, James Taylor,
Lachlan Blacklaw, Luke Richards, Josh Towler Brown, Jack Scott, Josh Heath, Nathan Lomax,
Conner Murphy, Mark Grubb.

Replacements Dan Jolley, Rowan Nightingale,Ben Thomas, Jack Mcguiness, James Swarboy, Terry Mathews,Johnny Sayers, Jamie Bullen, Tom Turner.


U13′s NEWS

Posted under Under 13's by admin on Sunday 26 April 2009 at 12:00 am

The ‘run silent, run deep’ team of Redruth RFC youth section have been working very hard this year to improve and progress their rugby knowledge and performance.

On Sunday 19th April they played Bodmin in the Cornwall knock out plate final at Falmouth RFC. It was a game of mixed emotions due to the fact that Redruth had been victorious in their round one clash of the Cornwall cup with their old rivals Penryn, but had then to concede the game due to an administrative error regarding player registrations, thus forfeiting the cup competition for the plate.

However, the ethos of the team has been to ‘play what is in front of you’ which resulted in a passionate performance against a very competitive and physical Bodmin outfit. On a hot sunny day Redruth ran their counterparts around the field and after a relatively jaded start managed to find their form to emerge 46 – 0 winners.

Following on from that success, the Redruth team entered the Penryn county sevens competition at Penryn on Sun 26th April. The pool games against Wadebridge, Truro and St Austell were well contested resulting in Redruth winning the group after a drawn game against Wadebridge and victories against Truro and St Austell.

The semi final saw Redruth take on Bodmin, a very strong team ‘with great pace and rugby nouse.
Redruth managed to retain possession and shut their opponents out of the game. By now, every player was feeling the strain of the day which meant the they had to work ‘extra hard’ to achieve a place in the final. With a few injuries starting to show Redruth dug deep and guaranteed themselves a chance of winning the cup by beating Bodmin.

The final turned out to be a contest between Redruth and their first opponents of the day, Wadebridge. The game started with Redruth piling on the pressure and retaining possession for a long period of time. Players from both teams were now fighting the effects of dehydration and exhaustion. Errors were inevitable and after a few minutes Redruth struck scoring a try and conversion to take a 7 – 0 lead.

Half time could not come soon enough ! All the players rallied together realizing that they were 5 mins away form being crowned Cornwall sevens champions 2009. The coaches reminded the team that it was all about passion and pride from then on until the final whistle.

The second half started and couldn’t have been more of a two way battle; one minute Wadebridge looking to be in control with surging runs into Redruth territory only to be answered with resolute Redruth defense and counter attacking of the highest quality. Not long into the half though, Wadebridge managed to ingress into Redruth territory and score try, levelling the scores at 7 – 7. From then on both sides had opportunities to win the game but to no avail.

When the final whistle was blown, it was widely acknowledged that two very evenly matched sides had emerged from the day worthy of sharing the title of Cornwall sevens champions 2009; a very fair and just result.

Many thanks to Penryn RFC for organising and hosting what turned out to be a fantastic spectacle of U13 rugby in Cornwall, enjoyed by all who participated.

The Redruth squad : Jake Drage, Jack Austin (capt), James Watson, Daniel Rutter, Will Whitworth, Nick Prout, Harry Badcock, Luke Hattam, Callum Stevens, Zac Hosking.

Well done boys !!

Adrian & Stewart


Birmingham 31 Redruth 7

Posted under Match Reports by admin on Sunday 26 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Redruth ended their best ever season with a defeat in the Midlands against a very good Bees side who ran in 5 tries but the margin of defeat did not reflect the reds effort on the day.

A win for the Bees sees them lift the league title, a crown the Reds strove to wear for 6 months before being overtaken in the last four games and finish the season in 3rd place.

Bees got off to a great start when in front of a big crowd, Reece Spee touched down in the right hand corner in the opening minute following a mistake by Luke Collins. Mark Woodrow onverting from the touchline. The England Counties International Collins who has signed for the Cornish Pirates next season.

In good conditions Bees looked to play the game at pace through half backs Sam Brown and Woodrow and Redruth dd well to survive heavy pressure in the opening 20 minutes.

Redruth’s travelling support was massive, making themselves heard in Bees biggest gate for the season by a mile.

Indeed, the Redruth Under 14s played their Bees counterparts as a curtain raiser, failing narrowly to win in front of coaches Mark Bryant and Chris allan.

It was a big day for 20 year old Steve Kenward who made his league debut for the reds. A break down the middle after 26 minutes by Kenward led to a try touched down by Damien Cook which Brett Rule converted from wide out.

Play was very even just befoe half time but a try in the left hand corner by Rod Petty converted by Woodrow saw the hosts take a 14 – 7 lead into the interval.

Early in the second half Redruth applied great pressure on the Bes line, James Mann was just short and Redrutth forwards were held up over the line.

A crucial score in the 48th minute when Woodrow ran the ball from behind his own posts ended with a unconverted try for Simon Hunt gave Birmingham a good lead.

Bees were playing great running rugby but Redruth refused to throw the towel in, Spee touched down his 2nd try after 69 minutes with the leagues top scorer Woodrow converting from the touchline.

Four Minutes later flanker Chris Brightwell crashed over for a try to put the result beyond doubt.

With Esher now confirmed as relegated from the old National One, next season’s new League One has a fascinating look about it.

16 teams, many new players – but there will be only one winner.

Birmingham & Solihull:

Tries: Spee 2, Petty, Hunt Brightwell

Con: Woodrow 3

R Spee; S Hunt; R Tomlinson, R Petty, M Culpin (Rep J Aston 77 Min); M Woodrow, S Brown; M Long (Rep A Lawerence 71 Min), B Phillips (Rep J Preece 75 Min), C Voisey, A Davidson, S Pammenter, C Brightwel ( Rep A Clayton 75 Min)l, R Connolly (Rep A Clayton 20-22 Min), R Earnshaw (Rep A Halavatau 75 Min)

Redruth

Try: Cook

Con: Rule

R Thirlby, L Vinnicombe, C Bonds, S Kenward (Rep M Georgiou 70 min), N Pedley; B Rule, N Simmons; D Jacques, O Hambly (Rep M Gidlow 70 Min), A Morcom (Rep P Joyce 19 Min), D Cook, L Collins, J Mann (Rep B Fox 65 Min), R Carroll (rep C Fuca 76 Min), M Bright (Capt).

Ref Chris Sharpe (RFU)

Attendance – 1,167.


Under 15′s News

Posted under Under 15's by admin on Friday 24 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Congratulations to Redruth Under 15s, Aaron Bennett, Jamal Ford-Robinson, and Javiah Pohe, who have been selected to play for Exeter Acadamy in a festival next weekend . Go make us all proud !!


REDRUTH UNDER 10′S WIN CORNWALL FESTIVAL

Posted under Under 10's by admin on Friday 24 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Cornwall Under 10s Rugby Festival


After the heavy rain earlier in the week Redruth arrived in Truro for the County Festival with a pitch in perfect condition and basked in glorious sunshine. Fifteen teams from across Cornwall were due to compete for the cup


Abigail Smith – youngest ever Supporter of the Year

Posted under Supporters News by admin on Thursday 23 April 2009 at 12:00 am

Nine year old Reds supporter Abigail Smith has been named Supporter of the Year for season 2008-09, which comes to an end next Saturday with an away trip for Redruth to Birmingham. Abigail will be there, as usual, with her Dad Paul !

They were also at Redruth


REDRUTH U13′s vs BODMIN IN THE CORNWALL PLATE FINAL

Posted under Under 13's by admin on Tuesday 21 April 2009 at 12:00 am

The Reds faced a brave and keen Bodmin team who had a strong pack of forwards and some strong running backs who made it really hard work for the Reds for the frst half. The half time score was 15-0 but Bodmin were still in the game.




After half time the Reds playing down hill proved to be too strong all round for the Bodmin team and eventually ran out winners by 46-0 but credit must be given to Bodmin as they kept their heads up throughout.



Reds captain Jack Austen collected the Plate Plaque from Al Denham the Match referee and that capped a really good season for the boys who have gelled as a team really well this year.
Man of the Match for the Reds was Nick Gage who scored 4 tries to add to his 6 he scored the day before against 2 touring teams – a busy weekend!




Other try scorers were Jack, Jake, Will and Luke with Will slotting 3 conversions.

However the success has not been down to one or two players, the strength comes from a great team spirit and they are a real ‘band of brothers’ whose performances have improved greatly over the Season and they look forward to next season with great anticipation.





Just this weeks County 7′s and the parents v kids paint balling to go!


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