St Austell RFC

St Austell RFC is a Cornish rugby union club that is based in the town of St Austell and was founded in 1963.[1] The club run three senior men's teams as well as ladies side, a colts and multiple junior/mini sides. The club's kit is red and white hoops and the first team currently play in Tribute Western Counties West with home games at Tregorrick Park.[2]

Tregorrick Park, home of St Austell RFC

St Austell RFC
Full nameSt Austell Rugby Football Club
UnionCornwall RFU
Nickname(s)The Saints
Founded1963 (1963)
LocationSt Austell, Cornwall, England
Ground(s)Tregorrick Park (Capacity: 4,000 (300 seats))
ChairmanPaul Hayes
PresidentRoger French
Coach(es)Andy Ashwin
League(s)Western Counties West
2019–20Runners up (promoted to South West 1 West)
Team kit
Official website
www.pitchero.com/clubs/staustell

History

Early history

St Austell RFC was formed on 31 July 1963 by Wilf Vernalls and Des Robbins, with home games being played at Cyprus Avenue in Par Moor. There had been a previous rugby club in St Austell called the Hornets who had formed in 1933, but during the 1954-55 season this club relocated to Newquay, becoming known as the Newquay Hornets. The club moved to Circus Field at Cromwell Road in 1967 but would have to wait until the mid 1970s until it emerged as a player on the Cornish senior circuit, defeating established clubs Truro and St Ives in 1976. Several years in 1978 the club reached the final of the Cornwall Cup for the first time, losing 7-6 to Camborne at the Recreation Ground in Redruth.[1] In 1986, St Austell sold their Circus Field ground to Asda spending several seasons without a ground until they moved into their current ground, Tregorrick Park, in 1988.[3]

League rugby

With the creation of the Courage national leagues in 1987, St Austell were placed in Courage Cornwall/Devon (division 8 of the league system). They had a poor debut season in the new league, finishing second bottom in 10th place and were relegated to Courage Cornwall League 1.[4] In 1991 St Austell reached the final of the Cornwall Clubs Cup (the secondary cup in Cornwall at the time) but ended up as losing finalists after a 13-0 defeat to Helston.[5] After 7 seasons in Cornwall League 1 the club finally achieved promotion in 1995 as they claimed their first ever league title and booked a return to Cornwall/Devon.[6] Several years later a second league title and promotion was achieved as St Austell won Western Counties West to reach the dizzy heights of South West 2 West - which at tier 5 is the highest level the club has reached to date.[7]

The 2000-01 season ended up in disappointment for St Austell, as although they were competitive in the division, they were unable to stay up, going down in 10th place just two points behind relegation rivals Ivybridge.[8] This relegation would see the club fall through the league system as they suffered two more relegations, first from Western Counties West and then from Cornwall/Devon.[9][10] St Austell stabilized itself during the 2004-05 season when it bounced back with a league and cup double - winning promotion from Cornwall League 1 as champions and then winning the Cornwall Clubs Cup for the first time in the club's history, defeating Perranporth 11-9 at the final held at St. Clement's Hill in Truro.[11][12] Several seasons in Cornwall/Devon ended in relegation in 2007 as the club finished in 10th place after a tough relegation battle, just 2 points off safety.[13] St Austell then had a period of resurgence as it was promoted from Cornwall League 1 after finishing runners up in 2009.[14] Two years later another second-place finish, this time in Cornwall/Devon, saw the club promoted to Western Counties West.[15] In 2012 St Austell reached the final of the Cornwall Cup for the first time in 34 years losing 20-17 to Wadebridge Camels at the Memorial Ground, Penryn.[16]

The 2012-13 season was the most successful season in St Austells history to date. Firstly the club had an excellent run in the RFU Intermediate Cup (a competition for sides based at level 7 of the league system), beating Wimborne at home 14-8 in February to win the South-West section, making the national semi-finals.[17] A 31-19 defeat away to Brighton at the beginning of April ended the club's chance of making the final at Twickenham Stadium but they had some compensation as the claimed the Tribute Western Counties West league title with a 38-5 win over Exeter Saracens in front of a club record attendance of 800 at Tregorrick Park.[18][19] In 2014 St Austell reached the final of the Cornwall Cup held at the Recreation Ground in Redruth in what was a repeat of the final of 1978, with Camborne once again victorious in a 24-10 win.[20] The following season St Austell were relegated from Tribute South West 1 West as well as experiencing another disappointment in a Cornwall Cup final, losing to nemesis Camborne, 23-13 after extra time at St Clements Hill, Truro.[21][22]

On 17 April 2017, St Austell won the Cornwall Cup for the first time in the club's history, in what was their fifth attempt, defeating fellow league side Wadebridge Camels 33-22 at the final held at the Recreation Ground in Redruth in front of a crowd of 850.[23][24]

Season summary
Season League National Cup(s) County Cup(s)
Competition/Level Position Points Competition Performance Competition Performance
1987–88Cornwall/Devon (8)10th (relegated)3
1988–89Cornwall 1 (9)2nd
1989–90Cornwall 1 (9)
1990–91Cornwall 1 (9)Cornwall Junior Knockout PlateRunners up
1991–92Cornwall 1 (9)
1992–93Cornwall 1 (9)
1993–94Cornwall 1 (9)
1994–95Cornwall 1 (8)1st (promoted)
1995–96Cornwall/Devon (8)2nd (promoted)[25]
1996–97Western Counties West (7)2nd[26]30
1997–98Western Counties West (7)1st (promoted)[27]27
1998–99South West 2 West (6)9th[28]18
1999–00South West 2 West (6)9th[29]16
2000–01South West 2 West (6)10th (relegated)[30]14
2001–02Western Counties West (7)12th (relegated)[31]6
2002–03Cornwall/Devon (8)10th (relegated)[32]7
2003–04Cornwall 1 (9)3rd[33]20Powergen Junior Vase[34]Cornwall Cup1st Round[35]
2004–05Cornwall 1 (9)1st (promoted)[36]26Cornwall Clubs CupWinners
2005–06Cornwall/Devon (8)4th[37]30Powergen Junior Vase[38]
2006–07Cornwall/Devon (8)10th (relegated)[39]12EDF Energy Senior Vase1st Round[40]
2007–08Cornwall 1 (9)4th[41]20EDF Energy Junior Vase6th Round[42][43]Cornwall Clubs CupSemi-finals[44]
2008–09Cornwall 1 (9)2nd (promoted)24EDF Energy Junior VaseQuarter-finals[45]
2009–10Cornwall/Devon (8)3rd[46]33Cornwall Cup2nd Round[47]
2010–11Cornwall/Devon (8)2nd (promoted)109[a 1]Cornwall Cup1st Round[48]
2011–12Western Counties West (7)4th[49]89Cornwall CupRunners up
2012–13Western Counties West (7)1st (promoted)[50]108RFU Intermediate CupSemi-finals[51][52][a 2]Cornwall CupQuarter-finals[53]
2013–14South West 1 West (6)4th[54]91Cornwall CupRunners up
2014–15South West 1 West (6)13th (relegated)[55]39Cornwall CupRunners up
2015–16Western Counties West (7)8th[56]58Cornwall CupQuarter-finals[57]
2016–17Western Counties West (7)7th[58]69Cornwall CupWinners
2017–18Western Counties West (7)3rd[59]83SW Intermediate CupSemi-finals[60][61][a 3]Cornwall CupSemi-finals[62]
2018–19Western Counties West (7)4th[63]93Cornwall CupSemi-finals[64]
2019–20Western Counties West (7)2nd (promoted)106.36[a 4]Cornwall Cup
Green background stands for either league champions (with promotion) or cup winners. Blue background stands for promotion without winning league or losing cup finalists. Pink background stands for relegation.

Honours

Notable former players

Notes
  1. The 2010–11 season would see the introduction of bonus points into lower league English rugby union (tier 6 and below).
  2. St Austell would win the South West Intermediate Cup on route to the National RFU Intermediate Cup semi-finals.
  3. St Austell exited the competition during the South West Counties final, which was equivalent to the semi-finals of the overall South West Intermediate Cup.
  4. The season was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom with St Austell sitting in 1st, having played 22 games and gained 90 points. The remaining games were calculated on a 'best playing record formula', with St Austell dropping to 2nd place with 106.36 points. Despite the playoffs being cancelled St Austell would be promoted as the best runner up as they had a better league record than Western Counties North runners up Matson.[65]

See also

References
  1. "St Austell RFC - The Early Years". St Austell RFC. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  2. "St Austell RFC". St Austell RFC. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  3. "St Austell RFC - The Nomadic Years". St Austell RFC. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  4. Stephen Jones, ed. (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988–89. London: Rothmans Publications Ltd.
  5. Cornwall Rugby Football Union Official Handbook and Byelaws 1996–97. Cornwall RFU. 1996.
  6. Cleary, Mick; Griffiths, John, eds. (1995). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1995–96 (24th ed.). London: Headline Book Publishing. pp. 179–195. ISBN 0 7472 7816 4.
  7. "Final League Tables 1997–98". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  8. "South West 2 West 2000–2001". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  9. "Final League Tables, 2001–2002". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  10. "Final League Tables 2002–2003". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  11. "Final League Tables, 2004–2005". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  12. "The Senior Leagues 2004-05". Trelawny's Army. 23 March 2015.
  13. "Final League Tables 2006–2007". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  14. "Final League Tables, 2008–2009". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  15. "Final League Tables 2010–2011". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  16. "Camels hang on to deny Saints in cup final thriller". West Briton. 7 April 2012.
  17. "Hat trick of Cup Wins!". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 23 February 2013.
  18. "BRIGHTON GIVE SAINTS THE BLUES". Trelawny's Army. 3 April 2013.
  19. "St Austell v Exeter Saracens rugby match report". Cornish Guardian. 17 April 2013.
  20. "Camborne claim Cornwall Cup against St Austell in battle of the elements". Western Morning News. 5 May 2014.
  21. "Tribute South West 1 West 2014–2015". England Rugby. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  22. "Camborne complete Cornwall cup hat-trick with extra time win over St Austell". Western Morning News. 4 May 2015.
  23. "Super Saints give Camels the hump". St Austell Voice. 19 April 2017.
  24. "Saints march to historic cup win". Trelawny's Army. 18 April 2017.
  25. Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997-98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 07472 7732 X.
  26. "Final League Tables, 1996–97". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  27. "Final League Tables 1997–98". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  28. "South West 2 West 1998–1999". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  29. "South West 2 West 1999–2000". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  30. "South West 2 West 2000–2001". England Rugby. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  31. "Final League Tables, 2001–2002". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  32. "Final League Tables 2002–2003". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  33. "FINAL LEAGUE TABLES, 2003 - 2004". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  34. "Powergen Draws". ESPN. 12 July 2003.
  35. "Cup boost for Penryn". South West Farmers. 18 December 2003.
  36. "FINAL LEAGUE TABLES, 2004 - 2005". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  37. "FINAL LEAGUE TABLES, 2005 - 2006". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  38. "Powergen Cup Draws". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. 17 August 2005.
  39. "Final League Tables 2006–2007". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  40. "Close call for Tavistock". Tavistock Times Gazette. 12 October 2006.
  41. "FINAL LEAGUE TABLES, 2007 - 2008". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  42. "Chiswick romp into quarter-finals". Wimbledon Guardian. 7 February 2008.
  43. "EDF Energy competition draws and finals news". ESPN. 21 November 2007.
  44. "Saints 10 - 17 Saltash Cornwall Cup Second leg. 15th March 2008". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 15 March 2008.
  45. "Lions just one win from Twickenham". Cornish Times. 6 March 2009.
  46. "FINAL LEAGUE TABLES, 2009 - 2010". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  47. "Saints 24 - 5 Saltash". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 21 November 2009.
  48. "Camborne 25 - 0 St Austell". Camborne RFC (Pitchero). 2 January 2011.
  49. "Final League Tables 2011–2012". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  50. "Final League Tables 2012–2013". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  51. "Twickenham dream shattered despite 2nd half fightback". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 30 March 2013.
  52. "Saints to meet Brighton Blues in Semi Final". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 17 March 2013.
  53. "St Austell 23 Wadebridge Camels 26". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 10 November 2012.
  54. "Tribute South West 1 West 2013–2014". England Rugby. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  55. "Tribute South West 1 West 2014–2015". England Rugby. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  56. "Tribute Western Counties West 2015–2016". England Rugby. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  57. "Boyer Late Show not enough to save Saints". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 17 October 2015.
  58. "Tribute Western Counties West 2016–2017". England Rugby. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  59. "Tribute Western Counties West 2017–2018". England Rugby. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  60. "Saints long trip up North". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 24 February 2018.
  61. "South West Division Cups". England Rugby. 24 February 2018.
  62. "Hakes hang on to halt Saints". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 31 March 2018.
  63. "Tribute Western Counties West 2018–2019". England Rugby. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  64. "Wadebridge Camels 47 3 St Austell". St Austell RFC (Pitchero). 23 February 2019.
  65. "RFU confirms league positions". England Rugby. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  66. "Scrum-half Matt Shepherd makes the switch to Plymouth Albion". Plymouth Albion R.F.C. 26 June 2015.
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