Helston RFC
Rugby union club, based in Cornwall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helston RFC is a rugby union club in Cornwall which has been in existence since 1965. They currently play in Counties 2 Cornwall, following relegation from Cornwall League 1 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 (alongside Mount's Bay RFC and the Cornish Pirates).
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| Full name | Helston Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Cornwall RFU | |
| Founded | 1965 | |
| Location | Helston, Cornwall, England | |
| Ground | King George V Playing Field (Capacity: 2,500 (no seating)) | |
| League | Counties 2 Cornwall | |
| 2024–25 | 2nd | |
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History
Helston RFC was formed in 1965, when a group of men within the town of Helston 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 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 (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 has been in use by the club since the club played its first match in 1965. It is owned by Cornwall Council. 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).[1] Current supporter capacity is approximately 2,500, all of which is standing.
Season summary
| Season | League | National Cup(s) | County Cup(s) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition/Level | Position | Points | Competition | Performance | Competition | Performance | ||||||||
| 1987–88 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 4th | 12 | Cornwall Junior Knockout Plate | Winners | |||||||||
| 1988–89 | Cornwall 1 (9) | Cornwall Junior Knockout Plate | Winners | |||||||||||
| 1989–90 | Cornwall 1 (9) | (relegated)[2] | ||||||||||||
| 1990–91 | Cornwall 2 (10) | 1st (promoted)[3] | Cornwall Junior Knockout Plate | Winners | ||||||||||
| 1991–92 | Cornwall 1 (9) | (relegated)[4] | ||||||||||||
| 1992–93 | Cornwall 2 (10) | 1st (promoted) | Cornwall Junior Knockout Plate | Runners up | ||||||||||
| 1993–94 | Cornwall 1 (9) | |||||||||||||
| 1994–95 | Cornwall 1 (9) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–96 | Cornwall 1 (9)[5] | Pilkington Shield | Runners up | Cornwall Junior Knockout Plate | Runners up | |||||||||
| 1996–97 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 3rd[6] | 20 | |||||||||||
| 1997–98 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 7th[7] | 12 | |||||||||||
| 1998–99 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 7th[8] | 10 | |||||||||||
| 1999–00 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 6th[9] | 12 | |||||||||||
| 2000–01 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 7th[10] | 7 | |||||||||||
| 2001–02 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 8th[11] | 10 | |||||||||||
| 2002–03 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 9th (relegated)[12] | 1 | Cornwall Clubs Cup | 2nd Round[13][14] | |||||||||
| 2003–04 | Cornwall 2 (10) | 1st (promoted)[15] | 25 | Powergen Junior Vase | [16] | |||||||||
| 2004–05 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 8th (relegated)[17] | 2 | Powergen Junior Vase | [18] | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | Cornwall 2 (10) | 1st (promoted)[19] | 25 | Powergen Junior Vase | [20] | |||||||||
| 2006–07 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 4th[21] | 13 | EDF Junior Vase | 4th Round[22][23] | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Quarter-finals[24][a 1] | |||||||
| 2007–08 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 2nd (lost promotion playoff) | 26 | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Semi-finals[26] | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 5th | 12 | EDF Junior Vase | 2nd Round[27] | |||||||||
| 2009–10 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 11th[a 2] | 9 | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Runners up | |||||||||
| 2010–11 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 3rd | 63[a 3] | |||||||||||
| 2011–12 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 2nd (lost promotion playoff) | 67 | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Semi-finals[28] | |||||||||
| 2012–13 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 6th[29] | 24 | |||||||||||
| 2013–14 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 6th[30] | 24 | RFU Junior Vase | 3rd Round[a 4][31] | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Semi-finals[31] | |||||||
| 2014–15 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 6th[32] | 21 | RFU Junior Vase | 1st Round[33] | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Quarter-finals[34] | |||||||
| 2015–16 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 6th[35] | 19 | RFU Junior Vase | 1st Round[36] | Cornwall Clubs Cup | Quarter-finals[37] | |||||||
| 2016–17 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 5th[38] | 25 | Cornwall Clubs Plate | Winners[39] | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | Cornwall 2 (10)[a 5] | 1st (promoted)[40] | 60 | |||||||||||
| 2018–19 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 8th (relegated)[41] | 15 | RFU Junior Vase | Group Stage[42] | |||||||||
| 2019–20 | Cornwall 2 (10) | 2nd (promoted) | 38 | |||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Cornwall 1 (9) | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season was cancelled. | ||||||||||||
| 2021–22 | Cornwall 1 (9) | 4th | ||||||||||||
| 2022–23 | Counties 2 Cornwall (8) | 8th | ||||||||||||
| 2023–24 | Counties 2 Cornwall (8) | 8th | ||||||||||||
| 2024–25 | Counties 2 Cornwall (8) | 2nd | ||||||||||||
| Green background stands for either league champions (with promotion) or cup winners. Blue background stands for promotion without winning league or losing cup finalists. Pink background stands for relegation. | ||||||||||||||
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 – started his career with the club before playing at a higher level with Worcester Warriors and Bath, with whom he won the Heineken Cup in 1998. Also achieved multiple caps for Cornwall.[45]
Notes
- Helston reached the semi-finals of the 2006–07 Cornwall Clubs Cup but were eliminated from the competition for fielding an unregistered player in a Cornwall 1 league game earlier in the season.[25]
- There was no relegation from Cornwall 1 at the end of the 2009–10 season.
- The 2010–11 season would see the introduction of bonus points into lower league English rugby union (tier 6 and below).
- The 3rd Round of the RFU Junior Cup for Cornish clubs was also known as the area semi-finals.
- The 2017–18 season saw teams in Cornwall 1 and Cornwall 2 start the season in a single division. Half way through the league would then split in two with the top 8 playing for the Cornwall 1 title and the bottom 7 playing for the Cornwall 2. This meant that Helston (who finished 12th during the first stage) played the second stage in Cornwall 2, despite having been in Cornwall 1 the previous season. The structure was not overly popular and would revert to single divisions the following season, with Helston once more in Cornwall 1.
