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| Cornwall's role in the Olympics |
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Page 1 of 5 FETHY PO FYLIEL AN GWARRY HA TRA NAHEN! (Win or Lose, The Game and Nothing Else) Britain may well have done well in the Olympics this summer but in 1908, it was Cornwall who took to the world stage. Story by Brian Faulkner Cornwall has always rightly been proud of its rugby heritage and never more so than a 100 years ago when, in October 1908, the Duchy became the only region ever to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games. We’re jumping ahead of ourselves slightly because, before the main event, there was the little matter of the County Championship to take care of. The quest for glory began with the first of three Group matches on a dull, overcast afternoon in November 1907. In front of 3,000 diehards at Taunton a dominating display by Cornwall’s forwards and five converted tries saw Cornwall run out fairly easy winners, 25-6. Over the border in Devonport a couple of weeks later, it was a different story. Despite appalling weather, 8,000 people turned up to witness a well below par Cornish team well and truly beaten 17-8. The forwards, so potent at Taunton, never got going and, with no ball to speak of, the three quarters were redundant for most of the match.  The Cornwall 'County' Championship team 1908. Picture courtesy of Cornwall RFU. January 1908 saw some bitterly cold weather and a frozen Redruth pitch saw the ‘must-win’ match against Gloucestershire put off by two weeks. Four thousand people eventually braved the elements to watch a game that twisted this way and that. A tight tussle saw the visitors edging ahead, 10-5 at the break but the second half was a different story. The Cornish forwards gradually started to rule the roost, giving the backs the perfect platform from which they treated the crowd to a seven-try bonanza and a hard fought 34-10 victory. With Cornwall, Devon and Gloucestershire level on 4 points at the end of the Group stage, a play off was needed to decide the one semi final place. Devon provided the opposition for the first match, this time on home territory. The Cornishmen more than made up for their earlier lapse by running out 21-3 winners. Bert Solomon, who seemed to be able to conjure up tries at any time scored, what’s considered to be one of the classic tries of all time. |
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