🏉 Cornwall Rugby: Saints secure history-making promotion
Jubilant St Austell chairman Paul Hayes talks to Cornwall Sports Media after Saints clinched a historic promotion on Saturday. Plus, further reaction from three members of the title-winning squad.
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⬇️ In today’s newsletter ⬇️
🎉 ‘Days like this make it all worth it’ - Saints chief lauds club’s ‘greatest achievement’
🏆 ‘Promotion up there with the best things I’ve done’ - St Austell star Shepherd
👀 What’s on this week
🎉 ‘Days like this make it all worth it’ - Saints chief lauds club’s ‘greatest achievement’
By Gareth Davies at Tregorrick Park
Jubilant chairman Paul Hayes says that St Austell’s promotion to Regional 1 South West is the greatest achievement in the club’s 60-year history.
Saints confirmed their title triumph with a resounding 76-7 win over Devon outfit Newton Abbot in front of a huge crowd at Tregorrick Park on Saturday.
Needing just four points to confirm their elevation to level five, Saints ran in 12 tries with Matt Shepherd bagging a fine treble to take his individual tally to 31 for the season from just 20 games.
Evergreen hooker Miles Davey, flying winger Konnor Ewudzi and replacement Max Bullen all recorded braces as St Austell racked up an 11th consecutive bonus-point win on home turf this term.
“Level five is the highest we have ever been in the RFU structure so I would say yes,” said Hayes, when asked if this wonderful accomplishment ranks above anything else Saints have attained in their six decades of existence. “Our aim over the past couple of years was to sustain ourselves at level six and we have done that.
“We now need to be competitive at level five but it’s all about celebrating now and enjoying the success, before putting our heads down for next season.
“We can take comfort from the fact that we played well against the teams that were promoted last season — Lydney, Devonport Services and Chew Valley. We have to travel greater distances and the play will be harder whilst rubbing shoulders with some very good teams.
“I don’t think we can lose sight of the fact that we are a very good side and we’ll stay true to our values as a community club which represents the people of St Austell.
“We will go as far as our talent and level of commitment will take us, by breeding our own success. We are not about attracting players in with inducement and if anyone wants to play for us, it’s because they want to represent this club.
“Days like this make our policy all the more worth it as our club is built on people that belong and love the area.”
Shepherd got the ball rolling with a seventh-minute score and Saints crossed the whitewash four more times before the break with the Devon All Whites’ points coming from Scott Mason’s 34th-minute try which was converted by Jay Barnes.
After the turnaround, Saints ran riot as Ewudzi and Bullen caught the eye with spectacular scores that demonstrated the hosts’ scintillating attacking prowess.
Nevertheless, Newton Abbot, who arrived in the Duchy on a run of 11 consecutive defeats, were spirited throughout and more than contributed to a wonderful 80 minutes for Saints, despite the lop-sided scoreline.
“It was an absolutely fantastic display from us,” Hayes added. “I must also pay credit to Newton Abbot, who did not come here to make up the numbers.
“Even though the scoreline was hard on Newton Abbot, we were deserving winners and played like we have done all season - a strong counter-attack and defence.
“We had a real desire to succeed and I am over the moon personally, but I am so happy for the players.
“They have worked so hard and put the disappointment of last season behind them resulting in a fitting reward.”
📈 Regional 2 South West:
St Austell, 95pts
Crediton, 83pts
Truro, 75pts
Wadebridge Camels, 71pts
Sidmouth, 55pts
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🏆 ‘Promotion up there with the best things I’ve done’ - St Austell star Shepherd
By Gareth Davies at Tregorrick Park
St Austell star Matt Shepherd says that winning promotion with his hometown team ranks amongst the best things he’s ever achieved on a rugby field.
The 32-year-old full-back has enjoyed a remarkable campaign with the Tregorrick Park outfit by scoring 31 tries in just 19 matches.
A multiple Bill Beaumont County Championship winner with Cornwall, Shepherd scored three times in Saints’ promotion clinching victory over Newton Abbot on Saturday.
The 76-7 triumph secured St Austell’s place at level five for the first time in the club’s history with Shepherd also recently celebrating his own personal St Austell milestone last month.
“To make my 200th appearance and get promoted in the space of two weeks is just amazing,” he began, speaking after the full-time whistle. “Winning promotion, back at home, in front of a huge crowd, is up there with the best things I’ve done (in rugby).
“Last year we wanted to go up but we didn't so days like this, with young families here watching on, taking my boyhood club to the old National League Three is pretty outstanding.
“I am excited to see what next year brings and I hope this squad sticks together and keeps driving on because we have bags of potential.
“I will be able to give the boys an insight on playing at a faster standard because that’s all that changes is how fast the game is and how big people are. You can see from our defence that we are not letting many tries in so we can hopefully take that forward into next season.”
Shepherd may have received many plaudits for his outstanding try scoring feats, but praise must also go to his player-coach Kyle Marriott, another player with more than one Twickenham winners medal on his mantlepiece.
In this, Marriott’s fourth season in charge of the Tregorrick Park first team, he has reached the holy grail of level five and after the dust had settled on a momentous day for Saints, he praised not only his team, but the whole club.
“It was absolutely phenomenal but I’m a bit lost for words really,” he added. “We are proud of our promotion and what’s just happened then I just thanked the boys and also the support staff, crowd and our players down at St Ives (Sinners) and Falmouth (Spartans) on what has been an immense day for the club.
“It’s not just about us 18 out on the pitch, there is an army of volunteers that make the senior and youth sections work which is our pathway at the moment.”
St Austell’s wonderful campaign is testament to the mental resolve installed by Marriott on to his troops after they came so close to promotion 12 months ago.
However, a late season capitulation, which saw four of the final five matches end in defeat, resulted in Devonport Services, Lydney and Chew Valley winning promotion while Saints finished fourth in the old South West One West division.
This time around though, in the newly titled Regional Two South West, alongside familiar Cornish foes Wadebridge Camels and Truro, there was no hint of a repeat even after a defeat at nearest challengers Crediton two weeks ago.
“The league restructure and not getting promotion shook us a bit and I felt real disappointment over last season but towards this crucial period of the campaign, like two weeks ago at Crediton, we used the hurt of last year to help us,” Marriott added.
“That’s what rugby is all about, learning from your errors and we have certainly done that this season with the two games we have lost this season has propelled us forward.”
And once the champagne corks had been popped and the celebrations shifted from pitch, to dressing room, then to club house, captain Mark Vian says his side are ‘looking forward’ to the challenges that level five rugby will bring.
“As a club, we are thriving and going from strength to strength,” said Vian, who was raised in Gorran Haven. “We have enjoyed a brilliant season so far and scored over 1,000 points but we are also now looking forward to next season too.
“We have got some really young players who have come through the system and for someone like myself, who has trodden that path, it’s a really emotional day.
“We have never been this high before and I have played for the club since I was six so it is a massive honour to lead this team and take over from someone like Miles (Davey) who has been a great leader for many years.”
👀 What’s on this week
🏉Championship: Saturday, 1.30pm: Cornish Pirates v Coventry.
🏉National League 1: Saturday, 3pm: Plymouth Albion v Rams.
🏉National League 2 West: Saturday, 2pm: Redruth v Leicester Lions.
🏉Regional 1 South West: Saturday: Launceston v Camborne.
🏉Regional 2 South West: Saturday: Chard v Wadebridge Camels; Crediton v Truro; North Petherton v St Austell.
🏉Counties 1 Western West: Saturday: Falmouth v Plymstock Albion Oaks; Kingsbridge v Bude; Paignton v Penryn; Pirates Amateurs v Topsham.
🏉Counties 2 Cornwall: Saturday: Camborne SoM v Saltash; Helston v Newquay Hornets; Illogan Park v Liskeard-Looe; Redruth II v Hayle; St Austell II v St Ives; Veor v Bodmin.
🏉Counties 3 Cornwall: Saturday: Bude II v St Just; Camborne II v Launceston II; Lankelly-Fowey v St Agnes; Wadebridge Camels II v Redruth Albany.
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