 | |||
| Full name | Camborne Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Cornwall RFU | ||
| Nickname(s) | The Cherry & Whites | ||
| Founded | 1878; 147 years ago (1878) | ||
| Location | Camborne,Cornwall,England | ||
| Ground(s) | Crane Park, Recreation Ground (Capacity: 7,000 (780 seated)) | ||
| Chairman | Andy Gill | ||
| President | Bill Hussey | ||
| Coach(es) | Steve Larkins | ||
| League(s) | National League 2 West | ||
| 2023–24 | 6th | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Camborne RFC was established in 1878, known locally by fans as 'Town', are one of the most famousrugby union clubs inCornwall. They are currently champions ofRegional 1 South West, a level five league in theEnglish rugby union system and are promoted toNational League 2 West.
When the rugby union leagues were introduced in 1987, Camborne was the highest placedCornish team and played inArea 4 South. They are also one of the most successful club sides in Cornwall having won the Cornish Cup ten times as of 2016 – level with local rivalsRedruth – following a record fourth title in a row in 2016.[1] Camborne enjoys a strong a rivalry with neighboursRedruth, with the two clubs meeting each year, in what is the world's longest enduring rugby fixture.[2]
Many original players were involved in thelocal tin mining industry especially at Camborne'sDolcoath mine which at that time was the deepest mine inBritain, and many were employed at the local machine tool manufacturer atHolman Brothers producing mining equipment. The first Camborne RFC game was played againstPenzance in front of some 600 spectators in November 1877. At the start of the 1880–81 season the ground was a field near Camborne Consols (described as an ″old mine″), adjoining Holman Brothers' stone yard.[3]
In 1909–10 Camborne was the top Cornish team and in the following season no Cornish side managed to score a try against "Town" as they were then known. When thetin mining recession hit Cornwall in the late 19th-century many Camborne men and their successors were forced to emigrate to places such asSouth Africa,Australia andNorth andSouth America and along with their mining skills they also helped establish the game of rugby in these areas.
After theFirst World War in the early 1920s, rugby established a huge following in Camborne. Teams would change at a local hotel and march to the ground behind the Town band. In1924 a crowd of 19,000 people gathered at Camborne to watch Cornwall, with no less than seven Camborne players, take on theNew Zealand All Blacks, and matches against local rivals,Redruth, invariably pulled in crowds of around 6,000.Captain Crawshays Welsh Touring XV started to include Camborne on their fixture list in 1923. Crawshays teams were chosen from the leading clubs inWales, and consisted of seasoned internationals and up and coming players who would usually go on to be internationals. In 1926–27, Camborne, also known as the Cherry and Whites were the top club in Cornwall and had their first win over a Crawshay side.
With the end of theSecond World War the club was back in business andJohn Collins made his debut for the reserves team in 1946–47 and was selected to play at full back forEngland in 1952. The 1950s and 60's saw many more successful teams, and Camborne became the first Cornish side in 1968 to beatEbbw Vale in eighteen Cornish tours.
The team became the most consistent and successful side in Cornwall in the 1970s, winning the Cornish league and cup in 1977–78, the league for the next four years running until 1982, again league champions 84–85 and 85–86, were the highest placed Cornish national league club 87–88 and 88–89, and achieved further Cornwall Cup wins in 1985, 1987, 1990 and 1992. Giant lockAndy Reed joined the Cherry and Whites in 1987, who was later to play for the all-conqueringBath Rugby team of the nineties and representScotland and theBritish and Irish Lions. In 1989 Cornwall reached the final of the County Championship atTwickenham againstDurham and were represented by nine Camborne players out of the twenty-one man squad.
More recently youth development productsJosh Matavesi and younger brother Sam have gone on to representFiji at International level. They are the sons of Camborne and Cornwall legend Serelli Matavesi.
Camborne is one of the grounds used by theCornish rugby team and has hosted many notable international sides including theNew Zealand All Blacks in 1905, 1924 and 1953,Australia in 1908, 1947 and 1967,South Africa 1960,United States 1977 and numerous other touring sides such as theSouth African Barbarians andCanterbury (NZ).
In 2006 it was agreed to ground share the Recreation Ground withRFU Championship team theCornish Pirates and the ground underwent a major refurbishment including a new stand for the 2007–08 season.[4] This arrangement has now ceased and the Pirates returned to play at theMennaye,Penzance in 2010. The first stand was built in 1901 with a £400 loan from thelocal order of Oddfellows.[5]
The capacity of the Recreation Ground has varied over the decades. Up until the 1980s it was one of the largest rugby grounds inEngland with an official capacity of 18,582.[6] The current capacity (2018) is much reduced on this due to much tighter safety measures, being approximately 7,000, which includes 780 seated in the grandstand.[7] The Cornish Pirates came close to achieving a capacity crowd at the ground with a club-record attendance of 6,487 watching the Pirates playNorthampton Saints on 9 September 2007.[8]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camborne | 23 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 941 | 565 | +376 | 20 | 0 | 98 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Clifton | 23 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 803 | 545 | +258 | 20 | 3 | 97 | |
| 3 | Taunton Titans | 23 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 714 | 616 | +98 | 15 | 2 | 77 | |
| 4 | Cinderford | 23 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 655 | 597 | +58 | 12 | 5 | 71 | |
| 5 | Loughborough Students | 23 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 794 | 711 | +83 | 21 | 4 | 71 | |
| 6 | Hornets | 23 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 686 | 725 | −39 | 17 | 5 | 68 | |
| 7 | Luctonians | 23 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 634 | 511 | +123 | 12 | 4 | 66 | |
| 8 | Redruth | 23 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 618 | 561 | +57 | 13 | 3 | 66 | |
| 9 | Hinckley | 23 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 786 | 694 | +92 | 13 | 4 | 65 | |
| 10 | Old Redcliffians | 23 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 639 | 706 | −67 | 15 | 5 | 62 | |
| 11 | Exeter University | 23 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 669 | 726 | −57 | 11 | 2 | 47 | |
| 12 | Macclesfield | 23 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 591 | 855 | −264 | 14 | 5 | 45 | |
| 13 | Bournville | 23 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 514 | 797 | −283 | 8 | 6 | 34 | Relegation place |
| 14 | Devonport Services | 23 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 480 | 915 | −435 | 11 | 3 | 30 |
F S Jackson –1908 British Lions tour to New Zealand and AustraliaJohn Collins – 1952 England international
Josh Matavesi – played junior rugby at the club, went on to play for a number of professional clubs includingRacing 92, and has gained multiple international caps forFiji as well as representing theBarbarians.
Andy Reed –British and Irish Lion and Scotland internationalSam Matavesi -Northampton Saints &Fiji international
