Anyone have news on the squad for the upcoming games?.Surely Bay will provide at least five or six!.

Training tonight at Redruth, we will probably know the team by Wednesday/thursday. Hear that Paver is one of the coaches along with Morgs.

3rd May Cornwall v Oxfordshire Redruth 3pm k/o anyone going up?

I will be there

Are we offering the live update service Saturday?.

Paves and Joe Beardshaw doing the forwards and Lee Jarvis coaching the backs with Morgs.

Surprised to see Nick Burnett and Jon Marlin named in the Devon squad for saturday.

They obviously wanted some class in their team.

How does John Marlin qualify for Devon??

Good news that Bay /Pirates boys are helping out on the coaching front; another Twickenham trip beckons perhaps?

John Marlin lives in Plymouth.

Jon & Nick playing for Devon, pleased that Cornwall doesn't have to play Devon then.

We are going, do you need petrol payers PZ01?

You can pay my petrol if you like NB!.

NB happy to give you a lift, what time?

Say where and when, will meet you there

OK, NB, how's Redruth RFC @ 3pm for you?  

 



CORNWALL CONFIDENT FOR SHIELD OPENER
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09:00 - 01 May 2008



Cornwall are in confident mood going into their County Shield opener against Oxfordshire at Redruth on Saturday (3pm).

After two pretty disappointing seasons, optimism is high again, with a place in the Shield final at Twickenham on June 1 the target.

A new coaching team is in place, led by Dave 'Benji' Thomas, who led Cornwall to County Championship glory in 1991, and the Duchy's top sides have given their support by making players available.



With one or two injury worries still surrounding the squad, the county selectors are keeping their exact line-up under wraps until later today.

But Cornish Pirates duo, flanker Sam Betty and utility back Sam Parsons, are among those included, together with Cornish All Blacks flanker Josh Lord. The rest of the squad will be made up of players from the All Blacks, Redruth and Mounts Bay.

The selectors were also set to include Pirates prop Sam Heard, until he answered an SOS call from London Wasps, who have been hit by a shortage of tight-head props as they embark on the final month of the Guinness Premiership season.

Cornwall secretary Alan Mitchell said: "We have been rather overtaken by events, but we are delighted for Sam and we hope he does well.

"The Pirates had made three players available to us, and we appreciate that greatly."

Mitchell said he was looking forward to the campaign, with Cornwall having the luxury of playing two of their three group matches at home.

"I am a lot happier going into the tournament than I was last year," he said.

"Dave Thomas is a great character and good to work with."

The Cornwall squad had a get-together at the Tregenna Castle Hotel in St Ives on Sunday, and were meeting for training at Redruth last night, and tomorrow, where Thomas was being helped with the coaching duties by Alan Paver, Ian Morgan and Richard Lamb.

Cornwall drew 22-22 with Oxfordshire when the two sides met at Chinnor last April.

Oxfordshire are expecting to name many of those who figured last year, with head coach John Brodley basing his squad largely on players from new South West One champions Chinnor and Oxford Harlequins, together with a sprinkling of faces from Newbury and Henley.

Brodley said: "A year ago we drew, but we're hoping, through the consistency of the last couple of years, and through players coming up through the Under-20 ranks, that this time we will have the edge."

 Reader comments  
The rugby County Championship campaign looks very encouraging this year after two poor seasons.I will as always be in hellfire corner at redruth saturday with flag and battledress, which will i hope be the start of Cornwall regaining their proper status in the championship.
glen laity, penzance




Why can't the Pirates tell us about Sam??? Surely its good news and they should be honoured!
Simon Mathews, Up North



http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/

Richard Carroll was at training tonight.

He still has a ban to serve so must be getting his pre-season training underway.

Team as per this mornings WMN;

15. Jamie Semmens (Mount's Bay), 14. Lewis Vinnicombe (Redruth), 13. Ryan Westren (CAB's), 12. Simon Peters (Redruth), 11. Sam Parsons (Cornish Pirates), 10. Mark Scrivener (CAB's), 9. Mark Richards (Redruth); 1. Darren Jacques (Redruth), 2. Jamie Salter (Mount's Bay), 3. Paul Andrew (Mount's Bay), 4. John Griffiths (Mount's Bay), 5. Ben Hilton (Mount's Bay), 6. Josh Lord (CAB's, capt), 7. Chris. Fuca (Redruth), 8. Sam Hocking (CAB's).

Reps: Marek Churcher, Ricky Pellow, Darren Semmens, Andy Nicholls, (all Mount's Bay, Jason Bolt, Bryn Jenkins (both CAB's), AN Other?