A Guide To Truro: 2. Our Hosts


By CornyQuin
March 21 2006

In this second article CornyQuin gives us the history of the Cornish Pirates including their match day experience including the happy hour, ale, singing and pasties - what more could you want?!

Our Hosts: 

Their ground:   (With a nod to the Pirates official site)

It is known that Truro rugby club used the field in the early part of the 20th. Century, a delve back in history coming upon a piece which states that 'in 1907-08, Truro RFC had a short-lived revival. The playing field was later to become the Truro Cathedral School ground and used by the school for many years. Your author is one of scores of Pirates fans who have played on the very same pitch over the years as a schoolboy (and not even Richard Welding has matched my 6 tries in 1 game on the pitch!)

In recent years the district council acquired the area and installed new drainage and it was used by Truro rugby club once more.

At the start of 2005, if anyone had seriously forecast that national 1 league rugby would be played at Kenwyn, then they would have been deemed 'potty', let alone it being a venue that may see a World cup winner and an All Black legend run out for the opposition. 

However, it did come to pass, but not without difficulty. Once the members of Penzance & Newlyn RFC had agreed the various proposals put to a special meeting held in Penzance, in May, 2005 it was a case of green light and go. But not quite. There was a lengthy delay in receiving final notification of planning consent which finally was given just 4 weeks before the opening game on the 18th September.

So when you visit the ground, think not how it compares to The Stoop and don’t look for the faults.  Think how it all came together in 4 short weeks – from a totally empty field (bar some rusting rugby goalposts!) to a 6,000 stadium, albeit temporary.

The matchday: The one bar in the ground is at the North end of the stadium, behind the terracing.  That’s the opposite end of the ground to the entrance. It’s the full width of the pitch and housed in a large tented construction.  It can get busy so how it copes with a crowd twice as big as anything else the ground has experienced remains to be seen.  But the professional bar staff are very good and they pre-pour pints in anticipation of busy times!

The local bitter on sale is St Austell Ales ‘Tribute’.  The usual suspects make up the other offerings – lager, Guinness etc.

Pirates have announced a happy hour when beer will be £1 a pint – from 12.30 to 1.30.  This is to try and ease the congestion that will inevitably occur near kick-off.

Pasties have, in previous games, been available from a kiosk very near the entrance.  They are tasty and hot – something I wouldn’t honestly be able to say about those we found at Plymouth.  Various fillings and a few other food options too.  But don’t expect the gastronomic delights of Bedford or Bees.  I have yet to see site of a hog roast at the ground.

Before the game, at half time and afterwards, there will be traditional entertainment provided by, among others, the Cadgwith Singers.  They are a male voice choir from the tiny fishing village of Cadgwith (surprisingly) and belt out both traditional Cornish songs as well as more widely known rugby tunes.  Be prepared to join in as the mood inevitably takes you!

Links to some words and tunes can be found here: 

Trelawny - The Cornish "national anthem". Words to Trelawny

Up Camborne Hill (Coming Down) - Commemorates Trevithick's pioneering steam coach. (Rude verses omitted!) Words to Up Camborne Hill

Little Lize - One of several songs brought back from the USA by returning miners. Words to Little Lize

Lamorna - From West Cornwall. Words to Lamorna

The Oggy Song - The opening words are an adaptation of the Cornish rugby chant.

Get practising!

Finally, the ground is aligned the same way as The Stoop.  So those of you in the East Stand would be advised to take sunglasses or a baseball cap on the rare chance the sun is shining.  If it is, it’ll be straight into your eyes!

Pirates’ History:           

The Early Years

During the Christmas holidays of 1870, the first recorded game of rugby to be played in West Cornwall took place at Poltair, a gentleman's residence at the bottom of Madron Hill, near Penzance. One team, raised by W Borlase of Marlborough School, comprised local young men, who were mainly up at university or away at boarding school. Their opponents were from the Eastern Telegraph Company (later to become Cable and Wireless) at Porthcurno. This, then, was the genesis of the game in West Cornwall and from such roots were born Penzance RFC in 1876 and Newlyn RFC in, probably, 1894.

Two Clubs Combine

Penzance played at the St Clare ground on the northern approach to the town, while Newlyn's pitch was at St. Goulder, overlooking Newlyn Coombe. Relationships between the two Clubs were hardly ever amicable and, indeed, between 1929 and 1932, fixtures between the two were cancelled by the police in the interest of public order!

However, relationships began to mellow during the late 1930s, assisted subsequently by the temporary suspension of sporting activities during World War II. By 1944, there existed a strong desire to amalgamate on both sides, with the result that, on 22 September 1945, a new club - Penzance and Newlyn RFC - played its first match against Guy's Hospital on the Mennaye Field. The Mennaye was, and still is, perfectly sited in tribal terms, so symbolically equidistant from St. Goulder and St. Clare. The field itself is leased from Penwith District Council, but the Club owns the freehold of its superb, nationally famous Clubhouse, Westholme.

Post-War Peaks And Troughs

During the 50s and 60s, the Pirates were amongst the most well-known and respected Clubs in the country, hosting some of the finest teams in the land. Many distinguished players were team members and, on one occasion, two Pirates were in the same England team together! John Kendall-Carpenter (captain) and John 'Ginger' Williams both played at Twickenham against Scotland in 1951. 'Stack' Stevens was our third international, him winning the first of his 25 England caps against South Africa in 1969 - see Representative Honours. Support for the Pirates was immense in those days of little affluence and no television, especially in the 50s, and gates often exceeded 5000 people - over a quarter of the town's population. However, during the late 60s, the 70s and the 80s, young people took up different pursuits and touring teams could no longer afford to visit the far west. Also, young people who went upcountry for their higher education tended not to return. Consequently, the quality of rugby, with which The Pirates had long been associated, began to diminish in line with the decrease in organised sport in schools.

New Leagues Lead To A Revival

When the new English leagues were formulated in the late 1980s, the Pirates found themselves in the lower echelons and many young talented players went elsewhere to play at a higher level.

Meanwhile, a local man, Dicky Evans, himself an ex-Pirate, had become a successful businessman, based in East Africa. He played rugby for East Africa and Kenya for 12 years, mainly in the centre and, latterly, as team captain. His passion for the Pirates was immensely strong, but he was much distressed to see the Club's lowly status amongst the minnows of the game. In the early 90s, he decided to make an offer to the Club, with a view to bringing back to the Mennaye the standard of rugby which he remembered as a young man.

His help was mainly aimed at improving the facilities of the Club but, in 1996, rugby world-wide was allowed to go professional and he felt that he could do much more. He has done just that and the Pirates' senior side is now a mixture of pros, semi-pros and talented amateurs. As a result, the standard of rugby has increased dramatically, the gates have increased hugely and, once again, Westholme is a focal point of the town's activities.

The Future - The Cornish Pirates

At the end of the 2004/05 season the Pirates finished in 4th position in National Division 1 their highest since Dicky Evans became President and just 3 places below Premiership rugby status. To fulfil the club's aspirations of gaining promotion into the Premiership it is necessary to fulfil a number of criteria including becoming a Limited Company and playing home matches in a 15,000 capacity stadium. In examining the options it was viewed as imperative to increase the support base which led to perhaps the single most difficult decision for Dicky Evans and the supporters of the Pirates namely, should the team relocate to another site to play their home matches? The plethora of questions, concerns and sentiments arising from the proposals were debated in the clubhouse, in the street and through the media. However, on 27th May 2005 at an emergency meeting held in a packed St Johns Hall, Penzance, the innovative plans were passed. They included:

Following the vote Richard Evans told members: "Ten years ago I asked you to support me in taking this club into the professional era. At that time there were those were totally against this move, there are people that are against this latest move. However, it is my belief that we must try this venture." Mr Evans went on to say "I'm absolutely chuffed to bits that the members of Penzance & Newlyn Rugby Club share the same vision as myself. As I have said many times before, Cornwall deserve a Premiership rugby club and it is our aim to bring that to them."