Kieron Lewitt (born 1985) is an English former

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 ...

footballer who played at full back or on the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

. Nicknamed Chewy, he is a former England youth international who has Premiership experience with

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 ...

, but is best known for his two spells with Launceston, where he became club captain. An excellent points kicker, he was one of the most prolific scorers of all-time in

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, N ...

with over 1,000 points, and his performances have seen him representing

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, ...

in the county championships. Since being forced to retire due to injury in 2015, Keiron had spell at Launceston as backs coach.

Career

Early career

Born in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, Devon, Keiron started playing youth rugby in Cornwall for his local side, Launceston. At 16 he left Cornwall to attend Colston's Collegiate in Bristol, where he was part of the school rugby team that were named by

Rugby World Magazine ''Rugby World'' is a monthly rugby union magazine running since October 1960. It is published monthly by Future plc and edited by Joe Robinson. Long-standing editor Paul Morgan left in January 2012. Morgan was long considered a leader in the in ...

as ''Team of the Year'' in 2003, counting the likes of

Tom Varndell Tom Varndell (born 16 September 1985) is an English rugby union player who plays on the wing as a player-coach for Bury St Edmunds. Varndell also has caps for England and England Sevens, as well as having represented other Premiership Rugby si ...

as his teammates. His performances in school rugby would see signed by

for their academy and he would also gain caps for England at under-16, under-18 and under-19 levels, culminating in him going to the 2005 Under 19 Rugby World Championship where England made the semi-finals. Keiron made his Premiership debut with Bath in September 2004 away to Harlequins, where he scored a try with his first touch of the ball, as his side went on to win 18–10. Despite scoring on his debut against Quins, he would only make one more Premiership appearance with Bath before going on loan back at boyhood club Launceston in January 2005, then playing in National 2. He spent a year at Launceston, being part of the side that won the 2005 Cornwall Cup before leaving in 2007 to play rugby in the United States. After a brief spell in the States, Keiron returned to England and signed with

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, playing in National Division 3 South and helping them to win the Kent Cup in 2008.

Second Spell with Launceston

For the 2009–10 season, Keiron returned to Cornwall to sign terms with Launceston in what was his third spell with the All-Blacks, having also played for them as a boy. Keiron had a good season, making 20 league appearances and scoring 11 tries, as his side finished 3rd in what was a very competitive

National League 1 National One, up until 2023 known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Lea ...

. While his first season back with the club had been a positive season, the next season would be a nightmare for both Keiron and Launceston, as first his club were docked 20 points due to going into liquidation, and then Keiron broke his leg in a league game in September. Keiron returned from injury during the latter half of the season but could not help his club overturn the points deduction as they ended up being relegated from the division. Despite the disappointment of relegation to

, the 2011–12 season would see Keiron have the best scoring season of his career, ending up as the 2nd highest scorer in the league with 310 points, in a Launceston side that finished 7th in the league. He would also be called up for 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 ...

British and Irish Cup The British and Irish Cup was an annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs and the reserves or developing teams from professional clubs from Great Britain and Ireland. It took place for the first time in the 2009� ...

squad, although he only made one appearance for the Championship side. The 2012–13 season would see Keiron continue his good form as he once again finished 2nd in the league scoring charts with 262 points in a mid-table Launceston side, and was awarded club ''Player of the Year'' and the ''Supporters' Player of the Year''. Keiron's consistency with the boot continued into the 2013–14 season, as he finished 4th on the division scoring charts with 251 points, helping his club win the

Cornwall Super Cup The Cornwall Super Cup is an annual English Rugby Union club competition founded in 2007, organized by the Cornwall Rugby Football Union and was last sponsored by Tribute Ales. Previously the competition was competed for by the top three Cor ...

, and earning him a call-up to the Cornish county rugby side for the 2014 Bill Beaumont Cup – making his county debut in the traditional Tamar Cup against Devon – which Cornwall won 17 – 0 with Keiron kicking 3 penalties. At the county championships, Keiron played in all four of Cornwall's games, scoring 47 points, as they finished eventual runners up to

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

who they lost to 26 – 36 in the 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 ...

. The 2014–15 season would see Keiron appointed as captain of the club. Although he had a good personal tally of 257 league points and his side looked to be one of the most talented for several years, Launceston failed to club break into the top 6 in the league, finishing 10th, a point behind rivals

Redruth Redruth ( , ) is a town and civil parishes in Cornwall, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. According to the 2011 census, the population of Redruth was 14,018 In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, ...

. This season would also be Keiron's last as he suffered damage to his knee ligaments during the final home game of the season against Taunton Titans. Initially, it had been hoped that he might take part in the 2015–16 season but unfortunately his recovery was not successful. Keiron would continue at the club as a backs coach.

Season-by-season playing stats

Club

County/Representative

Honours and records

Launceston * Cornwall Cup winner: 2004–05 *Player of the Year: 2012–13 *Supporters’ Player of the Year: 2012–13 *

winner: 2013–14 Canterbury *Kent Cup winner: 2007–08 Cornwall * Bill Beaumont Cup runner up: 2014 International *Represented England at under-16, under-18 and under-19 levels

References

External links

Launceston Rugby ClubCornwall RFU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewitt, Kieron 1985 births Living people English rugby union players Cornish Pirates players Canterbury rugby union players Rugby union players from Plymouth, Devon Bath Rugby players Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union wings