IN THE SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE
COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)
ON APPEAL FROM THE QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
Following the original hearing and subsequent appeal this case went to the High Court in April. It took the judges some two and a half months to reach a decision and hand down the judgement, probably because the decision may well have huge implications for all semi-professional sports clubs.
In short Redruth RFC has been found vicariously liable for the actions of Richard Carroll at Halifax on 29th October 2005. This means that, in future, all clubs will have a legal responsibility if any of their employed players commits an act of foul play that results in injury.
Redruth RFC never has, nor will, condone foul play. Indeed the players’ contracts state that they must play within the laws of the game and do nothing that might bring the game or club into disrepute. However the courts have decided that is insufficient.
For those who are interested the full judgement may be read on:
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2008/689.html
In this case the club is insured but the longer term implications are extremely worrying, not just for us but all rugby clubs who employ players. We have asked the RFU for advice and after receiving it, it seems likely that all contracts, including win bonus clauses, will need to be closely examined.
We are disappointed by the decision but do not intend to allow it to distract us from the business of preparing to be competitive in National League Two next season.
Roger Watson (Hon. Sec.)
04/07/2008
The scoreboard - steeped in history and the focal point of the ground on any given day - is up for grabs - for advertising that is. Redwoods Estate Agents have decided not to renew next season and so this prime site, together with other boards on the ground, are available NOW.
If you are interested, please contact Jeff Knuckey on 01736 850039 or David Thomas on 01209 217419. Many other packages are also available. 
03/07/2008
An audience with the Players proved very popular on Friday the 13th, no horror shows however just plenty of fun, catch ups, plans, oh and some drink and great food.
Our thanks to all who came, a great turn-out that went well past the witching hour. Well done to Denise and Kim on preparing a fantastic buffet, and to Chris Allen and Mark Bryant for the music and fun.
David Penberthy welcomed our guests, David Martin England RFU Rep on behalf of the Cornwall RFU and key on the rules and regulations panel. Also attending was Radio Cornwall's very own Emma Vardy, host of the Saturday sports show, sports producer, and presenter of the Sunday afternoon "Cornwall Connected" programme. 
David Penberthy briefly summarised last season, David Martin handed out the ties, blazers and trophies to all those players whose recognition was well-deserved, then out-going Captain Craig Bonds passed the baton to PJ Gidlow, and gave a memorable slide-show assisted speech, culminating in likening the First XV and some backroom boys to the cast of TV's The Simpsons.
The Awards are as follows
Blackbrook Trophy for the Supporter of the Year
87 year old Raymond Dunstan (Geoff Sinclair 2007)
A.J. Paul & Co. Cup for the Clubperson of the Year
80 something year old Cynthia Prisk (Dave Thomas 2007)
A well desrved award for Cynthia who has supported the Club for many years, both home and away, still looks half her age, and gives so much of her time in arranging raffles, the Christmas Draw and the prizes, providing knitwear woven by her own fair hand - plus loads of vocal support from kick-off until final whistle. 
Club Ties (50 Club Appearances): Mark Bright, Glenn Cooper, Grant Thirlby, Dan Job, Ashley Morcom, James Mann, Simon Peters, Alan Rule
Club Blazer Badges (75 Club Appearances):Luke Collins, PJ Gidlow, Tim McBride
Maroon Blazers (100 First Team Appearances)
Damien Cook
Darren Jacques
Lewis Vinnicombe
Paul Thirlby
Nathan Thomas Trophy for the Most Promising Player
Steve Kenward (Ryan Spargo 2007)
Mr & Mrs J.T. Penberthy Shield for the 2nd XV Player of the Year
Ben Fox (Jason Pengilly 2007)
Training Attendance Shield
Peter Joyce (Damien Cook 2007)
Fitness Shield
Craig Bonds & Mark Richards (Peter Joyce 2007)
Roy Jennings Cup for the Most Improved Player of the Season
Chris Fuca (Luke Collins 2007)
Supporters’ Player of The Year
PJ Gidlow (Mark Bright 2007)
Players’ Player of The Year
Peter Joyce (Mark Bright 2007)
Collected by Chris Fuca in Peter's absence - honeymooning in Florida
Special Award for services rendered
Neil Douch
C Award
Chris Allen
This award is presented to the biggest wind-up merchant, but we still don't know what the "C" means... 
02/07/2008
Rugby legend and TV personality and Daily Telegraph columnist Brian Moore will be the Guest Speaker at Redruth Rugby's Evening with Brian Moore, to be held at The Greenlawns Hotel in Falmouth on Friday 1st August.  
It is NOT a black-tie evening, NOT exclusively all male, and is open to EVERYONE.
A 3 course meal is included.
During his career, Brian Moore played for Harlequins, Nottingham, Leeds and Richmond. He also represented England and the British and Irish Lions at international level. He was known for his combative playing style which earned him the nickname "Pitbull".
He won a total of 64 England caps between 1987 and 1995 making him the 13th most capped Englishman (as of July 2007). He played in three Rugby World Cups including the World Cup final against Australia at Twickenham in 1991 and was also a member of the England side that won Grand Slams in 1991, 1992 and 1995. In 1991 he was voted Rugby World Player of the Year (this was a decade before the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board, began its awards programme).
He went on two British Lions tours winning five caps. In Australia in 1989 the Lions won the series 2 - 1 and Brian was famously caught celebrating the following morning on Sydney Harbour Bridge doing aeroplane impressions.
Originally a City solicitor, and still qualified as such,he has also written a wine column in the Sun newspaper. At football, he supports Chelsea.
Brian Moore is now best known as being Eddie Butler's 'side-kick' co-commentator on the BBC's rugby union coverage, including the Six Nations Championship. He is known for his unprofessional emotional outbursts; in 2008 he was heard to yell, "They've kicked it away again, for God's sake!" when England were refusing to run with the ball in Rome, and shouted "You halfwit!" at an England forward who played a French re-start that had not gone the required ten metres, which caused England to lose possession where they would otherwise have been awarded a scrum.
Sponsors and businesses are very welcome.
Tickets are £40 pp, contact David Williams on 01209 315060 to book your place.
01/07/2008
The Presentation Evening went off very well on Friday and there was a good sized crowd there. The player's were strongly represented, it was a bit of a shame that there were not more supporters there. However, all that were there had a great time and Chris Allen was to the fore in providing entertainment until the early hours!
Principal award winners are listed on the awards report.
The award that Neil Douch received was donated by the "Ladies" .... it is always given to Nigel and myself to award to a player who we think has been outstanding in their contributions to the club. Neil is a very worthy winner and has given year's of dedication to the club. A while back he had offers to move to the Pirates and Plymouth Albion but remained loyal to the Reds. At 40+ he still featured regularly in the 1st XV squad last season and will no doubt be back this .... and what a great bloke!
I was also very pleased that Cynthia Prisk received the Club person of the Year. She has put many hours into fund raising on behalf of the club and thoroughly deserved her award.
So onto the internationals that took place on Saturday morning .... and a very promising start by England soon materialised into the expected!
I didn't think all was too bad, there were good performances from Tom Rees, James Haskell and Topsy Ojo. The one real issue that has to be addressed before next week is the No 10 position. With Jonny Wilkinson and Danny Cipriani at home injured, Charlie Hodgson was the only fly half taken..... what a mistake. He had a shocker and the All Blacks targeted that channel really well. A change there is absolutely necessary and it looks like Olly Barclay will fill the void with Toby Flood or Jamie Noon filling the vacant centre position. Andrew Sheridan will also miss the 2nd test owing to an eye injury and I hope Nick Kennedy gets a shout in the 2nd row. A big task for England but if they don't step up to the challenge they will get hammered!
I thought the Ireland v Australia game was a most entertaining one. I'm not sure how good the Aussies are, I suppose the Tri Nations will show that, but Ireland certainly pushed them all the way. The Aussies are finally getting rid of the "old guard" and giving players like Barnes the opportunity. Lote TIquri continues to push the tackle law to the limit! He hit Jerry Flannery near the end of the game and rattled his rib cage, but did not look to have used any arm whatsoever .....
The Wales game was a beauty and the scoreline certainly did not reflect the effort the Welsh put in. It was only a couple of late tries that flattered the Boks. Shane Williams and Gareth Cooper scored great individual tries and, in general, the performance of the Welsh was a great improvement on last week. The Boks did look slightly rattled when the going got tough and the Welsh kept within touching distance. Hopefully the Lions will learn a lot from the performance here and prepare accordingly for next year. I didn't think the gamble of playing James Hook at 15 worked particularly well. He didn't seem to have the same effect there as he does at 10 ......
Now what about Scotland!!!!!....they buggered up my predictions! A "stay of execution" for Frank Hadden? Nevertheless what a great result for the Scots. It's no mean feat to go to Argentina, who finished 3rd at last years World Cup, and win ..... they must be delighted, plus their A Team meet England Saxons next week in the Churchill Cup Final .....
So, with the decisions expected to be confirmed soon about the fate of Coventry and the appeal by Pertemp Bees, my prediction is that it will all remain as it is .... if the decision does go against Coventry then the likelihood is that ND1 will reduce to 15 teams and there will be no promotion or further relegation issues .... If Pertemps win then Sedgely Park will drop into ND 2 ... but expect them to go easily!!!!! ..... all will be revealed shortly. After writing this I have just found out that Coventry have been given a further 14 days to come up with assurances and fulfil conditions that will allow them to continue playing in National 1 next season. It seems to me that the RFU etc are doing all they can to give the club every opportunity to secure their immediate future ....
Very sad news this week. Neath scrum half Gareth Jones passed away on Monday following a serious neck injury sustained in a game between Neath and Cardiff back in April. My reason for including this is that when we were in Cardiff, following our game against Henley, a group of the Neath officials were in our hotel and this is when we became aware of what had happened. We at Redruth offer our sincere condolences and sympathies to his family, team mates and club...... tragic!
Here's something ... went down St Just last night to watch the Vinter Cup game between St Just, who are currently top of the Premier League, and Redruth, who are mid table in Cornwall Div 1. The young Reds team did exceptionally well to post a score of 132 after their 20 overs. St Just set about the task and motored to 50 for 0 off 4 and a bit overs! With, seemingly, no way of stemming the tide they moved swiftly towards their target. The mid order batsmen thought the game was over and proceeded to get changed ... but the Reds had different ideas and proceeded to take 5 St Just wickets and push the game to 18 overs. It was comical to see the St Just players running back into the dressing to change back into their white's to bat! ....as they say "It's nev r over until the fat lady sings!!!"
Only one prediction this weekend .... All Blacks 27 England 19 ....
That's about it for this week ... back next week
Cheers for now
David Penberthy
Director of Rugby
17/06/2008
Well the internationals went pretty much to forecast! … I thought at one stage Ireland were on course to cause a bit of an upset, but not to be …. Argentina were too strong for Scotland and South Africa put the Welsh to the sword ….. it will be very interesting to see how The Welsh recover from that … in the past, once the Boks put on a display such as the one they did on Saturday they get stronger and blow away what is in front of them …. We will see.
On Saturday, England take on the All Blacks and I read an article earlier, from Craig Dowd the former All Black prop and Wasps player/coach, about the Blacks need to be wary of this England side. He stated the England scrum is as good as any around and that Andy Sheridan will be key. I reckon they will target both Sheridan and Stevens and, to some degree, Charlie Hodgson. If England can get a good platform going forward and the back row competing for the loose ball with Macaw and the others, then we may have a chance ….. Predictions later!Went to Peter Joyce’s wedding last Friday at Tregenna Castle and what a great day it was. The weather was beautiful, the service was on the lawn and was one of the best I have been to. It was good to see a lot of the boys there as well … Joycer is now honeymooning in the USA.
Now here is a thing! ….. Went to watch Redruth play cricket on Saturday and Sunday and was surprised how many Reds rugby people were there ….. It was a bit of a mixed weekend really with a win against Hayle on Saturday followed by a defeat against Launceston on Sunday ….. Mind you there was some sound banter going on especially in the bar where Dave Thomas bought a round!!! … Ralph Pascoe was also there and, as usual, was coming out with some real classic comments ….. Pre season is only 3 weeks away now and where is the time going? I hope to be in a position to announce some changes in personnel shortly and also summarise what we have done on the player front.
With regards to our pre-season games …. Well, as normal, once you announce something there will always be something that changes …… what has changed now is that the Plymouth Albion game on Sunday 17th August will be changed to a date in mid week. On Saturday 16th August, following the Development game at Redruth, our 1st XV will play the Cornish Pirates at Camborne. This is a great coup for us and the Pirates have been very accommodating in allowing us to sell ground admission tickets to our supporters, in advance, and keep all the proceeds. Please keep watching the website for further details.
As mentioned previously, the proofs of our new kit are virtually approved. We are returning to the traditional Redruth colours of Red and Black. The away strip will be Black and Red! There is also a very smart range of “off field” gear designed and this will be available for supporters to buy in due course.So it’s back to the predictions …..
New Zealand 24 England 21
Australia 35 Ireland 21
South Africa 35 Wales 18
Argentina 20 Scotland 18 (Chris Paterson 6 penalties!!)
To be honest I think I have made the England game a lot closer that it may be … if they play like they did against the Barbarians it could be much more, but if they hit their straps it could be a real hum dinger!
That’s about it this week, so I’ll be back next …
Cheers for now
David Penberthy
Director of Rugby
09/06/2008
Last week turned out to be “one of those weeks” I’m afraid…I just could not get my head around writing any notes surprisingly enough … yes you guessed it …. Heineken Cup Final!!!!!!! I suppose in many respects it was not the great affair I was thinking it was going to be …. But then I suppose my expectations were very high following the last final that was played at Cardiff involving Munster. Don’t get me wrong, the fans and that were brilliant, the atmosphere was great but it did not exceed 2 years ago …. Anyway we had a great weekend, had a few and got back home on Bank Holiday Monday ……
Commiserations to the boys who played in the County Shield Final at Twickenham on Sunday. From all accounts they were beaten by an “OK side” and were hugely disappointed with their own performance. With that competition out the way, it now gives the guys the chance to have a rest and prepare for the challenges of the up and coming season ….
I watched the England v Barbarians game, what a pile of dross! God help England in New Zealand if they turn in a performance like that …. No direction, poor handling, poor scrummaging … the only thing that did go right was the line out steals by Nick Kennedy (I hope he gets a cap in NZ as he thoroughly deserves it after a brilliant season with London Irish). Charlie Hodgson picked up his inevitable injury whilst wearing an England shirt … a nasty cut after a clash of heads with Jerry Collins that required 13 stitches ….. Mark Regan was his usual self and had a fair old tussle with “club mate” Jason Hobson … I would imagine that those who paid to watch this debacle would have a fair case for asking for their money back! I can’t believe Rob Andrew said “it was a useful exercise” …. For what and in what respect??
Things are now beginning to hot up as we really start to prepare for the new season. Coaching plans are being put in place, travel arrangements are being sorted, new players are being spoken to, new kit being sorted and ordered ….. It won’t be long before the boys will be running out for the 1st home match against??????????????????????????? (Opposition still to be confirmed!!). However, what is sorted is that our second game of the season will be our closest!, with a 20 mile trip down the road to league newcomers Mounts Bay …. Their first game is their furthest with a mammoth trip to Tynedale. A number of the Tynedale players were in the Northumberland team that beat Cornwall on Sunday ….
Things are still uncertain in the Pertemps Bees saga …. The case, that was referred by FDR to an Independent Tribunal to sort, has now been referred back to the RFU…the place where it was some weeks ago and whom referred it to FDR to make a decision!!! This is all very unsettling for everyone concerned. Then you have the Coventry saga… a decision on that is expected sometime in the next 2 weeks. However the latest rumour is that no team will benefit from Coventry’s possible exclusion…..ND1 will just reduce to 15 teams in preparation for a further reduction next season to 12 …. What a mess!!
Going back to the Guinness Premiership Final on Saturday, and what a finale for Lawrence Dallaglio! This guy has been immense in world rugby over the years. His record speaks for itself and when you look at the stats, he has played an average 23 competitive matches for his club per season for the past 8 years … its unbelievable! It was so fitting that he received a standing ovation from everyone in the ground on Saturday. He was certainly a player who supporters of other teams “loved to hate” …… he will be a huge loss to rugby in general …
Don’t forget the Presentation Night is on Friday 13th June and will be held at the club with a 7:30pm start. Tickets for this are £10 each. Awards up for grabs are Players Player of the Season, Player of the Year, Fitness Shield, Most Training Appearances, Development Player of the Year, Most Improved Development Player of the Year, Special Award from “The Ladies” for their Player of the Season, 100 game blazers, club badges and ties plus the cup for the Club person of the Year …… then we have “Mincer” and his Disco/Karaoke…..
Pre season games have now been confirmed and we start with a Development game against Brixham on Saturday August 16th followed by the 1st XV against Plymouth Albion on Sunday 17th August. On August 23rd the 1st XV travel to Bath to play Bath United on the famous “Rec” This is part of a double header as Bath 1st XV play Llanelli Scarlets before … be a great weekend away !!!!!! Kick off times will be confirmed in due course ….
I can’t believe we are in June already and, of course, this sees the start of the Home Countries tours down under. This weekend World Champions, South Africa, take on Grand Slam champions Wales, New Zealand play Ireland and Argentina play Scotland……Predictions coming up …
New Zealand 35 Ireland 14
Argentina 26 Scotland 15 (Chris Paterson 5 penalties!!)
South Africa 30 Wales 24
Getting bold now.. Even predicting the scorers, not difficult though is it!!!!
I heard a whisper that Jimmy Stevens has made the England Under 18’s tour to Argentina … congratulations to him on that achievement.
One of the latest replacements on the England tour to New Zealand is Dominic Waldouck from Wasps. Some of us will remember him turning out for Blackheath a couple of seasons ago and scoring a try against us at the Rectory Field.
Bits of news coming out about signings in other clubs in our league ….. Cambridge look to be recruiting strongly (11 in)as do The Cornish All Blacks ….. No doubt Blackheath and others will be strongly represented and it’s going to make next season a huge challenge. You can really help us by becoming members/sponsors ….. Look out for a new initiative that will be launched shortly … The Hellfire 100 Club ….. Ask myself or Mark Bryant for details …..
So that’s about it for this week …. Back again next with some more predictions and notes.
Cheers for now
David Penberthy
Director of Rugby
04/06/2008
Redruth Rugby Football Club and leading Cornish firm of chartered accountants, Robinson Reed Layton, are celebrating 10 years of mutually supporting talent in Cornwall.
Redruth RFC have reappointed Robinson Reed Layton as its auditors and financial advisors, not a new front row, while Robinson Reed Layton has confirmed that it will renew its sponsorship of the club. Both the professional services contract and the sponsorship celebrate their 10th anniversary this year.
Local talent sits at the heart of Redruth RFC. Since its inception in 1875 the club has nurtured local talent, and today over 80 per cent of the full senior playing squad are Cornish, while over 50 per cent have achieved a place on the team via the club’s own junior sides.
Ron Spencer, Chairman of the Executive at Redruth RFC, Paul Reed from Robinson Reed Layton, with Luke Collins, a member of the first XV who has played in all the club’s age group sides from the under-7s upwards.
Robinson Reed Layton, meanwhile, remains a staunch supporter of all that is innovative in Cornwall and pays equal attention to the development of local business and accounting talent. As well as sponsoring local organisations such as Redruth RFC, the firm also supports the annual Cornish Business Awards by sponsoring the award for Best Diversification.
Ron Spencer, chairman of the executive committee at Redruth RFC, commented: “We are delighted to have reappointed Robinson Reed Layton as our auditors and business advisors. We aim to support successful Cornish businesses whenever we can, and it is great that a firm that is so important to the development of the club shares our ethos. We are also very pleased that Robinson Reed Layton continues to support the club with sponsorship.”
Paul Reed, partner at Robinson Reed Layton, added: “Of all the major clubs in Cornwall, Redruth is the most committed to developing and supporting locally produced talent, and we think that is a real strength. That is why we are very happy to renew our sponsorship of the club for the 10th year, and that the club has renewed its commitment to using our professional services.”
More information is available by logging on at www.redruthrfc.com and www.rrl-truro.co.uk.
30/05/2008
Bar Manager Chris Allen bought his annual round of drinks at the Club on Thursday evening. Sadly, only 5 were there to witness the event, but a stolen photo below could be proof enough that this did indeed happen.
Forensic experts are checking to see if it's the same £20 note that also made appearances twice last season at the Blaydon and Wharfedale games 
30/05/2008
Sponsorship opportunities at Redruth Rugby are available now for next season, and are listed below.
There are many ways of becoming involved at the Club, and please ask us if there is something you would like to do with and for the Club.
There are many different types of opportunities, designed to suit all budgets, business type and what is best for you.
Match Partners for the September home games against Pertemps Bees and Blaydon are particularly sought, as are Player Sponsors. Both Mark Bright and next year's captain PJ Gidlow remain unsponsored, surely a fantastic opportunity to promote your company. and reap the rewards of constant press coverage.  
Photos courtesy of Simon Bryant
Please contact Jeff Knuckey, Commercial Manager, on 01736 850039 or David Bone, Sponsorship Chairman, on 07970 223714. 
29/05/2008
|
