Match Preview

Traumatic month comes to an end with long trip to Somerset .

It has been an emotional rollercoaster since the tragic news of the sudden passing of former Club Captain Robert “Guppy” Pollard. Guppy was known and loved by everyone at St Austell RFC so the sense of shock and grief every player and supporter remains palpable. At times like these life is put into true perspective and it would have been no surprise and entirely understandable if the heart-breaking loss would derail the Saints and Sinners in their promotion quests. The reality has been the coaches and players took inspiration from the incredible fortitude and bravery of Guppy’s wife Sue and the fabulous Guppettes Charlotte and Lowenna who have been unstinting in their support of the Saints throughout this period. Over a thousand people attended Guppy’s funeral at Truro Cathedral on Friday which underlines just how loved he was and how much he will be missed. Tregorrick will never quite be the same without Guppy under the balcony or holding court in the bar.

At the start of 2023 we looked at the remaining fixtures and sliced them into three blocks of games that would decide if the Saints would achieve their target of promotion. The first block contained the four games that would take us to the free Saturday on 4th February 2023. After securing three bonus points against Sidmouth, Truro and Wadebridge Camels, the Saints now face the long trip to Somerset to complete the first block.

On paper the game against Bridgwater & Albion was the easiest of the quartet of fixtures, they are currently bottom of the Regional 2 SW with just 3 wins in the 16 games played to date. However rugby is not played on paper and the Saints will not be taking anything for granted when they board the bus to Somerset on Saturday.

All three of their victories have come at College Way and the high point was a 16-15 win over Sidmouth in November demonstrating they remain as competitive as ever on home turf. The Saints will need no reminding of the 30-26 defeat suffered at the hands of Bridge in March 2022 during the run-in of the 2021-22 season. The Somerset strugglers put in an inspired performance that day putting a massive dent into the Saints promotion hopes who paid the price for a below-par display. The Saints are determined not to make the same mistake again!

Sinners scale new heights as they make it six in a row!

The race for second place in Counties 2 Cornwall continues to keep people on the edge of their seats. The Sinners secured their sixth win on the trot beating a competitive Illogan Park 62-5 on Truro College’s All-Weather Surface. With Saltash being held to a 23-23 draw at Redruth IIs it was enough to allow the Sinners to grab second spot for the first time and they will be doing all they can to stay there with just five games remaining. The Sinners are on 69 points with third placed Veor just one point behind, the Ashes are lurking in menacingly in fourth on 66 points but with two games in hand.

The Saturday the Sinners host seventh placed Liskeard-Looe at Tregorrick. The Lions have had a mixed season with some good results interspersed with heavy defeats and conceding walkovers. They will be buoyed by last week’s victory in the mid-Cornwall derby when they beat Bodmin 10-8 at Lux Park.

The Sinners will be full of confidence as they looking to extend their winning streak to a magnificent seven (28/01/2023 KO 2:30pm).

The Spartans enjoy the comforts of home at last!

After eight consecutive away games the Spartans finally got to play at home again when they hosted Falmouth IIs at Tregorrick. It was a tighter game than the 48-0 would suggest but the Spartans proved to be ruthlessly efficient when in sight of the try line. Eight tries in all spread across the team with Hugh Noott, Matt Trahair, Adam Whitehead, Luke Ripley, Tom Spry, Zak Chenoweth, Tom Hinks and Henry Hutchinson. Tom Spry weighed in four conversions and full-back Ryan Mace delivered a man of the match performance.

This Saturday the Spartans are at home again when they welcome Helston IIs to Tregorrick for the second time this season (28/01/2023 KO 2:00pm). It was a 42-5 win for the Spartans back in October 2022, but it was a much closer game a month later down on the Lizard when the home side eventually went down 29-7. Will the Spartans make it three from three??

Yours in Rugby
Haysey
 
In Other News

Pre-match lunches for 2023 – ALL SOLD OUT!

The last two remaining games on sale are now sold out ( 11/02/2023 Chard and 04/03/2023 Newton Abbott).

Watch out for future events and book early to avoid disappointment!

No Smoking or Vaping in the Stands or on the Balcony – A Gentle Reminder

Please remember that smoking or vaping is not permitted in the stands and the balcony (and under it) on game days.

When you want to smoke or vape, please go to either end of the stands (the other side of the end walls) where receptacles are provided for the butts. Thanks in advance!

Volunteers

We never have enough of them, and we value immensely the ones that do step up. Al Cummins is the Supporters Club Director and volunteer coordinator, and he has done a magnificent job in recruiting the Saints Volunteers that help the match day run smoothly. For those with time to spare during the week there is the Saints Chain Gang that help with maintenance.

Want to get involved, make new friends and be part of something? Contact Al on 07902 216417 or email at alancummins@live.co.uk.