ONE of the oldest sports trophies in the country, and certainly one of the most unusual, whas been brought back to Cornwall by a victorious Camborne School of Mines (CSM).

The historic Bottle is now back in Cornwall for the first time since 1996.

CSM beat London-based Royal School of Mines (RSM) 5-3 in a rugby match known as the "Bottle Match", held on Saturday in West London. Though the Bottle was awarded for the men's rugby, CSM also won several other events, including the golf, ladies and men's hockey (5-1 and 5-1), football (6-1) and women's rugby (15-5).

"It was an emotional, exciting and rewarding victory," said CSM sports chair and student Mark Musgrave. "Every team member put in 100 per cent and the RSM teams were very strong. It feels great to be bringing the Bottle back to Cornwall."

Now part of the University of Exeter and based at the Tremough Campus, Penryn, CSM has faced RSM in this annual sporting fixture every year since 1902. 2007 marks the 105th anniversary of the event, which now also includes golf, squash, hockey and football. 150 male and female students from Tremough travelled to London to compete in the two-day event.

This event adopted its strange name after the unusual prize given to the winning rugby team. The trophy, which first appeared in 1946, is a large tin bottle apparently acquired by RSM students from a Bass-Charington beer lorry.