Leonard Cup campaign ends for under-20s
Town join Helston and Mousehole in the Southern League
CORNWALL will have three clubs competing in the Southern League next season after Helston Athletic and Falmouth Town joined Mousehole when they won promotion from the Western League this season.
Helston won the Premier Division title under manager Matt Cusack, while Falmouth’s 2-0 win against Clevedon Town in the play-off final on Saturday saw Andrew Westgarth’s team join them in Division One South.
However, there was disappointment for Mousehole when Jake Ash’s team were beaten 3-0 at Frome Town in the Division One South play-offs to be denied a place in the Premier South.
Still, with Truro City managing to stay in the National League South and returning to the Duchy next season, these are good times for the county’s football. Truro have said work is going well on their new ground at Langarth.
Meanwhile, St Austell won promotion from the South West Peninsula League to join Torpoint Athletic, Saltash United and St Blazey in the Western Premier next season, just beating Liskeard Athletic to the title.
Millbrook were relegated from the Western Premier back to the Peninsula League.
Cusack, the Helston manager, said: “In terms of infrastructure at the ground there is a bit to do, we have got to put in turnstiles and stuff like that, but in terms of player infrastructure, the wraparound provision, we haven’t got to do a great deal.
“We have already been operating at the level above our level. We will obviously need to recruit a couple of signings, there’s no doubt about that, that always happens when you go up a level of football, and there might be one or two who decide that it’s the end of the journey for them due to familial reasons and increased travelling.
“So I will need to speak with the players, but I do believe that we can go and challenge again.
“We can compete at that level, for sure. It is doable to go and compete again and that’s what we want to do. We want to have another crack.
“I am really proud, really proud of the players, it’s an immense feeling.”
While Helston averaged a home crowd of 207 at Kellaway Park, Falmouth’s Bickland Park average over the season was 464. And both were the only teams to have crowds of more than 1,000 with Helston’s top gate being 1,179 and Falmouth’s a brilliant 1,845.
So the fans are up for the journey as much as the managers and the players.
For Falmouth, they also won the Cornwall Senior Cup at Blaise Park before seeing off Barnstaple Town 3-1 in the semi-finals of the playoffs. The two goalscorers against Clevedon on Saturday were Oscar Massey and Luke Barner.
Westgarth said: “Falmouth’s a big club really. We are not a village club, but we just lost our way for a while.
“To get that magic back is great and it is a great time to be involved in the club at the minute.
“I am not going to go out and make any bold statements like we are going to win it, all that sort of rubbish, that’s ridiculous.
“We understand we are playing against proper clubs, proper teams, proper players and you are dealing with a lot more ex-pros now.
“Everything is up a notch. The grounds will be better – though I actually think the travelling won’t be as bad because there are a lot more Devon sides.” »»DEFEAT at Stow on the Wold brought an end to Cornwall’s under-20s Leonard Cup campaign for the season.
It was a bitter pill to swallow as the young players led 27-19 with less than seven minutes to play – but two late converted tries by the home side turned the game on its head.
Cornwall can certainly take plenty of positives from their display, with some outstanding performances from many of the young players, some of which may yet get a call up for the South West trials.
Play was scrappy early on with both sides making multiple errors. However, it was Gloucestershire who got on the scoreboard with a converted try after five minutes. But a break by centre Fin Deavin set up prop Angus Williams before hooker Pete Harris powered over of the first of his tries – with Jack Statton adding the extras.
Having been held up over the line, Cornwall eventually got their second try courtesy of Harris, from a quickly-taken tap penalty which caught Gloucestershire napping. Statton’s late penalty at the end of the half gave Cornwall a 15-7 advantage.
Gloucestershire again started strongly with a converted try to bring the gap back to just one point. Cornwall responded with an unconverted try scored in the corner by wing Jack Keogh following a quick tap. The home side replied moments later when their winger went in at the corner.
Cornish pressure eventually paid off when skipper Will Perkin took a quick tap five meters out to send Harris over for his third try, which Statton converted.
Despite being reduced to 14 men through a yellow card, Cornwall held out until the final moments – and Gloucestershire’s late double score which took the game.
Devon U20s sealed top place and a South West play-off with a 50-7 win at Somerset U20s.