Helston RFC is a rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 club in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 which has been in existence since 1965. They currently play in Tribute Cornwall 1, following promotion from Cornwall 2 in 2005-06.

They are famous for the 1995-96 side that managed to reach 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

Mount's Bay RFC

Mounts Bay RFC were a Cornish rugby club formed in December 1999 based in Penzance, UK and folded in July 2009. Initially formed as an offshoot from Penzance and Newlyn RFC the club operated as an independent club. Mounts Bay were promoted at the end of the 2007-08 season and competed in National...

 and the Cornish Pirates

Cornish Pirates

The Cornish Pirates are an English professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn Pirates, the Cornish Pirates play their home games and train at their...

).

History

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

Helston

Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...

 decided that Rugby had a place within the local community. Their first ever game took place against Penryn 2nd XV, which resulted in a 14-9 loss. However, their first victory would occur a few games later against the Newquay

Newquay

Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....

 Hornets. The club would go on to win several junior cups throughout the 1980s, with victories over such sides as Bodmin, Liskeard-Looe, St. Agnes and Bude and have won the Cornwall 2 league on four occasions, more than any other club.

In 1995-96 season, the club would achieve an incredible feat. They 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 4th May 1996, against Medicals RFC

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 Durham & Northumberland 1 league, they were promoted from Durham & Northumberland 2 in the 2009-10 season....

 (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.

Current Season

In 2011-12, Helston will play in Tribute Cornwall 1, the Cornwall Clubs Knockout Cup and the EDF Energy Junior Vase.

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 20th 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)

See also

• Cornish rugby
  Cornish rugby
  Rugby union in Cornwall is one of the Duchy's most popular sports.-CRFU:The Cornwall Rugby Football Union was formed in 1883. It is a union of 39 rugby union clubs which includes every rugby union club in Cornwall, the open age Cornwall representative side and representative teams at various age...
  
  
• Cornish Pirates
  Cornish Pirates
  The Cornish Pirates are an English professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn Pirates, the Cornish Pirates play their home games and train at their...
  
  
• Redruth RFC
• Camborne RFC
  Camborne RFC
  Camborne RFC were established in 1878, and are one of the most famous rugby union clubs in Cornwall. They currently play in the Western Counties West division and their club colours are Cherry and White...
  
  
• Mount's Bay RFC
  Mount's Bay RFC
  Mounts Bay RFC were a Cornish rugby club formed in December 1999 based in Penzance, UK and folded in July 2009. Initially formed as an offshoot from Penzance and Newlyn RFC the club operated as an independent club. Mounts Bay were promoted at the end of the 2007-08 season and competed in National...
  
  
• Launceston RFC
• Helston
  Helston
  Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
  
  

External links

• http://www.medicalsrugby.co.uk/ Medicals RFC
• http://clubs.rfu.com/Clubs/portals/HelstonRFC/ Helston RFC
• http://www.trelawnysarmy.org.uk/ta/tascf.html Trelawney's Army, Cornish rugby website