Helston RFC is a

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

which has been in existence since 1965. They currently play in

Counties 2 Cornwall Counties 2 Cornwall (sponsored by St Austell Brewery using the Tribute brand name) is an English level eight rugby union league for clubs based in Cornwall. The champions are promoted to Counties 1 Western West and two teams are relegated to C ...

, following relegation from

Cornwall League 1 Counties 2 Cornwall (sponsored by St Austell Brewery using the Tribute brand name) is an English level eight rugby union league for clubs based in Cornwall. The champions are promoted to Counties 1 Western West and two teams are relegated to ...

in 2018–19. In season 1995–96 side they reached 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 of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

(alongside

Mount's Bay RFC Mounts Bay RFC was a Cornish rugby club formed in December 1999 and based in Penzance, England, which folded in July 2009. Initially formed as an offshoot from Penzance & Newlyn RFC, the club operated as an independent club. Mounts Bay were pr ...

and the

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates () are a professional rugby union team who play in the RFU Championship, Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. The Cornish Pirates team are the 'First XV' o ...

History

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

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

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

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

Hornets. The club would go on to win several Junior Cups throughout the 1980s, with victories over 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 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 Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland league having been promoted from Durham/Northumberland 2 in the 2009-10 season. The ...

(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 A King George's Field is a public open space in the United Kingdom dedicated to the memory of George V, King George V (1865–1936). In 1936, after the king's death, Sir Vincent baronets, Percy Vincent, the then–Lord Mayor of the City of ...

has been in use by the club since the club played its first match in 1965. It is owned by

Cornwall Council Cornwall Council ( ), known between 1889 and 2009 as Cornwall County Council (), is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Cornwall in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary ...

. 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 Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Říčky, a village and part of Orlické Podhůří in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Ri ...

– started his career with the club before playing at a higher level with

Worcester Warriors Worcester Warriors are a professional rugby union club based in Worcester, England. They most recently played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby union, before being suspended by the Rugby Football Union, RFU in September 2 ...

and

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, with whom he won the

Heineken Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. Also achieved multiple caps for

Notes

References

External links

Medicals RFCHelston RFC
{{Rugby union in England Rugby union teams in Cornwall Rugby clubs established in 1965 Helston