Helston RFC is a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

which has been in existence since 1965. They currently play in Cornwall League 2, following relegation from Cornwall League 1 in 2018–19. They are famous for the 1995–96 side that managed to reach the final of the RFU Pilkington Shield, and are one of only three Cornish club sides to have played in a competitive final at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

(alongside Mount's Bay RFC and the

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates ( kw, An Vorladron Gernewek) are a professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn ...

History

Helston RFC was formed in 1965, when a group of men within the town of

Helston Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map she ...

decided that rugby had a place within the local community. Their first ever game took place against Penryn 2nd XV, which resulted in a 14–9 loss. However, their first victory would occur a few games later against the

Newquay Newquay ( ; kw, Tewynblustri) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of ...

Hornets. The club would go on to win several junior cups throughout the 1980s, with victories over such sides as Bodmin, Liskeard-Looe, St. Agnes and Bude, and have also won the Cornwall 2 league title on four occasions, more than any other club. In 1995–96 season, the club would achieve an incredible feat. They reached the final of the Pilkington Shield (now the Powergen Vase), which is some achievement for a small club as it was the largest club rugby competition in the world, with 501 teams competing. They eventually lost at Twickenham on the 4 May 1996, against

Medicals RFC Medicals RFC is a rugby union club in Newcastle Upon Tyne who have been in existence since 1898. They currently play in the Durham/Northumberland 1 league having been promoted from Durham/Northumberland 2 in the 2009-10 season. Medicals RFC are ...

(16–6) from Newcastle. Following on from their previous successes in cup competitions, and despite a difficult season on the field, Helston made the final of the CRFU Skinners Junior Cup in season 2009–10 against Roseland. The final score was 23–19 to Roseland but Helston held their heads up high.

King George V Playing Field

The King George V Playing Field has been in use by the club since the club played its first match in 1965. It is owned by

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( kw, Konsel Kernow) is the unitary authority for Cornwall in the United Kingdom, not including the Isles of Scilly, which has its own unitary council. The council, and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, has a tradition ...

. Until recently, the facilities at the site were extremely poor by any standards. However, on the 20 April 2006, a new clubhouse was opened which included two top quality changing rooms and a brand new bar facility. It is also the venue for an annual road race ''An Resek Helys'' (The Race for Helston). Current supporter capacity is approximately 2,500, all of which is standing.

Season summary

Honours

* Cornwall Clubs Cup winners (6): 1980–81, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91 * Cornwall 2 champions (5): 1990–91, 1992–93, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2017–18 *Pilkington Shield runners up: 1995-96 * CRFU Cornwall Club Plate winners: 2016-17

Notable former players

* Ricky Pellow - started his career with the club before playing at a higher level with

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union club, based in Worcester, England, that is currently in administration and which has been suspended and will be relegated from Premiership Rugby, the top division of domestic ...

and Bath, who he won the Heineken Cup with in 1998. Also achieved multiple caps for

Notes

References

External links

Medicals RFC

Helston RFC

Trelawney's Army, Cornish rugby website {{Rugby union in England Cornish rugby union teams English rugby union teams Rugby clubs established in 1965 Sports clubs in Cornwall Helston