A brief look back at previous meetings with Cheshire


Games between Cornwall and Cheshire don’t come round that often: according to the records, this is only the sixth meeting between the two counties.

Cornwall lead 4-1, but that sole Cheshire win came in 1998 at the Tetley’s Bitter County Championship final on the 18th April, when the Northern side won 21-14.

Cornwall’s points that day were scored by Eddie Nancekivell , who came off the bench, with a try, and Danny Sloman’s three penalties.

Cornwall’s other wins were 20-3 in a friendly at Redruth  in 1981, 20-0 at New Brighton in 1983 and 9-6 again at Redruth, the last two games were in the Thorn EMI County Championship group stages.

It was a bitterly disappointing finale in 1998 to Dean Shipton’s Cornwall campaign, and for Tony Cook who made his 102nd and final appearance for Cornwall that day. Defeat drove Shipton and the rest of the Cornish lads on to greater things the following season, when they made up for that defeat with a win against Gloucestershire in the final 24-15.

In the semi-final at Redruth, played on the 8th of May,  Cornwall played their conquerors from the previous season in front of a packed Recreation Ground. Cornwall turned the tables, winning 35-16 and scoring five tries, with four scored by Penzance & Newlyn players Nat Saumi, Kevin Moseley, Jason Atkinson and Lee Mruk. Exeter’s Colin Laity scored the other try, with Redruth’s Steve Larkins adding a conversion and two penalties, whilst Saumi also added a conversion.

1998 Twickenham teams

Cornwall (Launceston unless stated): D Sloman, R Thirlby (Redruth), J Tucker, K Thomas (Truro), R Newton (Redruth), S Whitworth (Redruth), C Whitworth (Redruth); P Risdon, B Lucas, S Rush, G Hutchings, T Cook (Hayle), J Willcocks, M Addinall (Penryn), D Shipton (Capt).

Replacements: R Nancekivell, E Nancekivell, J Atkinson (St. Ives), L Murk (Penzance & Newlyn), R Tonkin, N Douch (Redruth).

Cornwall scores: Try E Nancekivell, Penalties, Sloman (3)

Cheshire: S Swindells (Manchester), M Blood (Manchester), C Ball (Widnes), R Hughes (New Brighton), M Hoskin (Manchester), A Guest (New Brighton), N Briers (London Irish); M Dorrington (New Brighton), L Hewson (Manchester), M Hill (Widnes), D Craddock (Manchester), M Kirke (Macclesfield),  G Jones (New Brighton), K Brookman (New Brighton, Capt), S Beeley (Widnes).

Replacements: A Yates (Lymm), S Dorrington (New Brighton), T Wasdell (Chester), S Wright (New Brighton), M King (Widnes), I Kennedy (New Brighton).

Cheshire scores: Tries, Briers, Blood, Conversion, Swindells, Penalties, Swindells (2), Drop-goal, Guest

Referee: Ashley Rowden (Berks Soc)

Posted in Bill's Blog

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