Redruth R.F.C.

Redruth RFC (established 1875) is a rugby union club from the town of Redruth, Cornwall, currently playing in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 West. The club run a number of men's teams including 1st XV (National League 2 West), 2nd XV (Counties 1 Western West), Ladies XV, Colts and a Select XV as well as a number of junior teams from age 7 through to 16. They are one of the most successful club sides in Cornwall, having won the Cornwall Cup ten times and the Cornwall Super Cup three times. Redruth enjoy a strong rivalry with neighbours Camborne, with the two clubs meeting annually on Boxing Day, in a fixture that dates back to 1928. History Redruth RFC was founded in 1875 by Henry Grylls and W H Willimot both of whom had returned to Cornwall after their education at Clifton College and Marlborough respectively. The club quickly established itself as one of the most successful in Cornwall, a position they were to hold for much of the 20th century. They began life playing on the Brewery Field at Redruth but, in 1883 they moved to the Recreation Ground at the end of Green Lane. They have remained there ever since. When the leagues started in 1987, Redruth was in the provincial league of South-West 1, which they won. The team then won the old League Four South in 1991 and gained promotion. In 2005, the club reached its highest-ever ranking by winning promotion into National Division One. The team finished in 4th position in the 2006–07 season. Current standings Ground The Recreation Ground is situated on Cardrew Lane in Redruth, around five minutes walk from the town centre and Redruth railway station. The ground consists of a main pitch with a wooden grandstand alongside the clubhouse on the west side, and terraced grass banking on the other three sides. The ground also has several bars adjoining the grandstand, and there is also a secondary pitch for 2nd XV and junior fixtures. There is parking for around 100 cars but this is often limited on match-days and it is recommended that supporters park nearby in town. The capacity of the Recreation Ground has varied over the decades. Up until the 1980s it was considered the third largest rugby ground in England (behind Twickenham and Leicester Tigers home of Welford Road) with an official capacity of 21,172, which included a number of temporary stands. This capacity was actually exceeded in 1969 when the ground hosted the final of the County Championship between Cornwall and Lancashire, when 25,000 are believed to have watched the game. The removal of the temporary stands and increased safety standards saw the ground's capacity reduce to 12,000 in the 1990s to around 3,500 as of 2018. This figure includes 580 seated in the grandstand, with standing room of approximately 1,500 on the east bank, 800 on the north bank, 400 on the south bank and a further 200 or so in front of the grandstand. In 2018 the local police gave an estimate of 3,000 but since Redruth were reported to have achieved an attendance of 4,000 for a National 2 promotion playoff game as recently as 2005, this is a little conservative. Support As one of the traditional rugby powerhouses in Cornwall, Redruth topped attendance charts in National League 2 South after entering the division during the 2011–12 season. The reported crowd of 4,000 that attended Redruth's playoff victory against Macclesfield remains the club's best crowd for a competitive fixture in recent times. The club also draws large crowds in excess of 1,000 for the traditional yearly fixture against neighbours Camborne. The table below is a summary of the club's league attendance since the 2000–01 season. The club received its highest attendance during the 2008–09 season in the former National Division Two, in part due to crowds in excess of 2,000 during derby games against Launceston and Mounts Bay. Season summary Below is a summary of Redruth's performances in competitive rugby since the advent of the leagues in 1987–88. Playing record First team Reserve team Honours Cornwall Cup winners (10): 1979–80, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07 South West 1 champions: 1987–88 National League Division 4 South champions: 1990–91 National Division Three (north v south) promotion play-off winner: 2004–05 Cornwall Super Cup winners (3): 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16 Rodda's Cup winners (13): 2010 (1), 2011 (1), 2012 (2), 2013 (1), 2014 (2), 2015 (2), 2016 (2), 2017 (2) Colts The colts section is coached by David Wills and Jason Pengilly. The team has consistently finished highly in the national Colts competition, and won the U-17s cup and U-18s Cornwall Cup competitions in 2009. Representative honours British & Irish Lions James (Maffer) Davey 1908 Roy Jennings 1930 Richard Sharp 1962 Phil Vickery 2001 & 2009 Great Britain (1908 Olympics) Bert Solomon James (Maffer) Davey Arthur Lawry England William Mitchell Grylls 1905 James (Maffer) Davey 1908–1909 Bert Solomon 1910 Edward Scott 1947–1948 Richard Sharp 1960–1967 Phil Vickery1998–-2010 Barbarians Harry Faviell 1935 v East Midlands Edward Scott1944 v Thornloe. 1945 v Leicester Tigers Les Semmens 1948 v Newport. v Cardiff. Harold Stevens 1960 v East Midlands Richard Sharp Six appearances 1959-1964 C. "Bonzo" Johns 1962 v Newport v Cardiff Ken Abrahams 1962 v Newport v Cardiff Derek Prout Six appearances 1968-69 Terry Pryor 1968 v Swansea, Penarth, East Midlands Richard Keast 1992 v Newport Andy Hawken 2002 v Combined Services 2004 v Combined Services Darren Jacques 2009 Bedford England B Terry Pryor 1978 Tour of Romania (captain) England Counties Darren Jacques Luke Collins Owen Hambly Peter Joyce Glenn Cooper Lewis Vinnicombe Sam Heard Notes See also Rugby in Cornwall References External links Official website Former official website (archived) –