Sport in Cornwall

Sport in Cornwall includes two sports not found elsewhere in the world, except in areas influenced by Cornish culture i.e. the Cornish forms of wrestling and hurling. The sports otherwise most closely associated with Cornwall are rugby union football and surfing.

Planning and politics

;Infrastructure and facilities
Currently the major hurdle for Cornish sports is the lack of infrastructure and facilities compared to other areas of the UK. There is no stadium suitable for professional sport, although facilities have started to develop.

;Commonwealth Games
In 2005 campaigners formed the Cornwall Commonwealth Games Association claiming that Cornwall should be recognised with a place in the 2006 Commonwealth Games citing the fact that Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are allowed to compete separately. However, according to a BBC News report, the application was refused by the Commonwealth Games Federation whose chief executive said that Cornwall is no more than an English county and had no chance. The campaign lapsed, was restarted, then lapsed again in 2010. It has not been revived.

Combat sports

Cornwall has its own unique form of wrestling related to Breton wrestling. This has encouraged tournaments between the two nations. Cornish wrestling (also known as Wrasslin') is a regional, folk style of grappling or martial arts.Harvey, David (2002) ''Celtic Geographies: Old Culture, New Times''. London: Routledge Cornish wrestling spread through the UK, with London tournaments offering huge prizes from the late middle ages. The sport then spread through the world with regular competitions and titles being held in the US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. There are even records of a tournament in Japan in 1872. The Cornwall County Wrestling Association was formed in 1923, to standardise the rules of the sport and to promote Cornish wrestling throughout Cornwall and the world. Together with Cornish hurling (a localised form of medieval football), Wrasslin' has been promoted as a distinctly Celtic game, tied closely with Cornish identity.

Helston-born boxer Bob Fitzsimmons (26 May 1863 – 22 October 1917), who moved to New Zealand as a child, was the first ever boxer to become Heavyweight, Light-Heavyweight and Middleweight World Champion. Len Harvey was another notable boxer from Cornwall.

As its population is comparatively small, and largely rural, Cornwall's contribution to British national sport in the United Kingdom has been limited; the county's greatest successes have come in fencing. In 2014, half of the men's GB team fenced for Truro Fencing Club, and 3 Truro fencers appeared at the 2012 Olympics.

Hurling

Cornwall's other national sport is hurling, a kind of medieval football played with a silver ball. Hurling is distinct from Irish Hurling. The sport now takes place in St Columb Major, St Ives and Bodmin only.

Shinty

Cornwall is one of the few places outside of Scotland to play the ancient sport of Shinty, which has similar roots to Hurling, but is played more on the ground. There is a 6-a-side league that runs in Cornwall (and now Devon) with the larger Cornwall Shinty Club competing in competitions in both England and Scotland. Within Cornwall Shinty is mainly concentrated in Falmouth and Penryn, the latter being the English Shinty Association base, in association with the combined Universities, who field teams competitively as well.

Rugby football

Rugby union has a large following in Cornwall. The followers of the county side are dubbed Trelawny's Army. In 1999 Cornwall made the County Championships finals, played at Twickenham Stadium, with Cornwall beating Gloucestershire to win the cup.

Cornish rugby has produced many fine rugby players who have played at international level. Such players as Phil Vickery and Trevor Woodman won 2003 Rugby World Cup winners medals with England, Stack Stevens (England and British and Irish Lions), Graham Dawe (England), along with Andy Reed who has represented Scotland and the Lions, and many others.

Also, the Cornish rugby team can boast an Olympic silver medal. In 1908, they won the County Championship for the first time, and the prize was to represent Great Britain at rugby in the 1908 Olympic Games. They lost to Australia 32–3 in the final, and to this day remain the only county side to represent Great Britain at rugby in the Olympics (See Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics for more details and the teams).

In rugby league, amateur club Cornish Rebels were initially the only team in the county. In 2021, this changed when semi-professional club Cornwall R.L.F.C. joined the third tier of the professional league system, RFL League 1.

Association football

Association football and cricket are played in most villages and towns. While rugby is widely held to be the most popular sport in Cornwall, association football has increased in popularity. Truro City have the largest following; and currently play in the Southern League Premier South Division. Truro City became the first ever Cornish football club to win a national competition when in 2007 they won the FA Vase, defeating AFC Totton 3–1 in the final. There are no professional clubs in the county, so most of Cornwall's football fans follow Plymouth Argyle who are in Devon.

The Cornish Football Association was founded in 1889. John Gilbert "Jack" Cock DCM MM (14 November 1893 – 19 April 1966) was a Cornish footballer who played for various English club sides as a striker. He also had the distinction of being the first Cornishman to play, and score, for the England national team. He was a decorated World War I soldier, and an actor. Chris Morris represented the Republic of Ireland at the 1990 World Cup & the 1988 European Championships. In 1901 Cornish miners founded the first football team in Mexico, Club de Futbol Pachuca. Originally, they practised only as a pastime during their free time they had while working at the mines. From 1917 to 1920, Pachuca was champion of the league under Cornish born coach Alfred C. Crowle. In 1966, Cornishman Mike Trebilcock scored two goals for Everton in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.

Cricket

One of the earliest references to cricket in Cornwall is 1816 and Sir William Pratt Call of Whiteford House in Stoke Climsland, organised a match against the Plymouth Garrison, and noted:- ''tea and a meal in a marquee at 6 o'clock''. Cornwall County Cricket Club competes in the Minor Counties Championship, the second tier National County structure. There is also a Cornwall Cricket League.

Notable Cornish cricketers include the following:

* Jack Crapp, England cricketer
* Malcolm Dunstan, former First Class cricketer with Gloucestershire CCC (began at Troon Cricket Club)
* Neil Edwards, First Class cricketer with Somerset CCC
* Carl Gazzard, First Class cricketer with Somerset CCC
* Pasty Harris, First Class cricketer
* Michael Munday, First Class cricketer with Somerset CCC
* Anthony Penberthy, former First Class cricketer with Northamptonshire CCC
* Jack Richards, England cricketer
* Charlie Shreck, First Class cricketer with Nottinghamshire CCC
* Marcus Trescothick

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases