The year 2019 was a wonderful one for sport in West Cornwall, with several teams winning league and cup titles, while many sportsmen and women earned terrific individual honours.
Packet Sport has rounded up the biggest moments from an excellent year of sport.
January & February
THE year began with victory Down Under for Longdowns golfer Emily Toy, who won the women’s New South Wales 36-hole championship.
Emily, who was one of six players to represent England on a month-long tour of Australia, was four-under for the two rounds, finishing a shot clear of her closest rivals.
The newly-established Kernow Football Alliance enjoyed a winning debut, defeating a Foxhole Stars XI 3-2 at St Austell’s Poltair Park.
Harry Clarke, Olly Brokenshire and Liam Eddy scored for the Cornish representative team, which became a member of CONIFA at the end of 2018.
Plans for a restructure of grassroots football in Cornwall gathered pace with the news that Wendron United and Porthleven were likely to receive promotion to a new South West Peninsula League Premier West, joining Falmouth Town and Helston Athletic.
The Cornwall FA also announced that its new Cornish league at Step 7 of the National League System was to be called the St. Piran Football League.
It would go on to house the majority of the existing Combination League and East Cornwall Premier League clubs in one regionalised league, comprising two divisions.
Emily Toy won the biggest prize in European amateur golf
That news on their likely promotion formed part of a mixed start to 2019 for Wendron, who defeated local rivals Porthleven 3-1 in February to reach the Cornwall Senior Cup semi-finals for the first time ever.
The result was quickly forgotten when club chairman Kevin Williamson collapsed shortly after the final whistle. He was flown to Treliske Hospital by the Cornwall Air Ambulance but died the next day.
The following weekend’s game at home to Liskeard Athletic went ahead, with the club paying an emotional tribute to Kevin. Wendron lost 1-0 in the Cornwall Charity Cup tie, but the result was secondary.
Liskeard played a part in Porthleven’s faltering SWPL Division 1 West title bid, with the Blues winning 2-1 in the top-of-the-table clash at Gala Parc to extend their lead at the top of the division.
March & April
PENRYN RFC capped off a fantastic season with promotion from the Tribute Cornwall/Devon League at the start of April, before securing the title on the final day of the season a week later.
The promotion ensured a return to Tribute Western Counties West at the third time of asking, joining local rivals Falmouth.
Falmouth Town were also celebrating as they ended a 22-year wait to lift the Cornwall Senior Cup. Goals from Joe Cooper and James Ward secured a comeback win for Town over defending champions Saltash United at Bodmin Town’s Priory Park.
Falmouth Hockey Club’s ladies first team finished off their debut season in West Clubs Women’s Hockey League Premier Division 2B - the fifth tier of national hockey - with a fifth-placed finish in the ten-team league, winning nine of their 18 matches.
They went on to lose to Newquay in the County Cup final, but the second team won the second-tier County Plate.
Penryn RFC celebrate promotion back to Tribute Western Counties West
Camborne winger Alex Ducker completed a record-breaking season with the Cherry & Whites, scoring 42 tries to set a club record for tries in a single season.
A disappointing season for Truro City saw the Cornish side relegated from Vanarama National League South. Tyler Harvey’s 22 goals could not spare the White Tigers from the drop, as they won just nine of 42 games to finish 20th.
May & June
MAY was memorable for former Penryn College pupil Cody Cooke, who scored his first professional hat-trick in a 3-2 win for his Scottish club St Mirren.
With his side a goal down to Dundee, Cooke came off the bench and scored a blistering second-half hat-trick to turn the match on its head and rescue victory for the Saints.
It was good news for Wendron United, who secured their highest-ever league finish of sixth in the SWPL Division 1 West.
But it was bad news for Falmouth Town, who could not do a cup double, losing 1-0 to Saltash United in the Walter C Parson League Cup final.
Falmouth Town are crowned Cornwall Senior Cup winners. Picture by Colin Higgs
Penryn Athletic took the Combination League title down to the wire, but ended up falling just two points shy of Perranporth.
It was better news for Athletic striker Ryan Reeve, with his 40 goals eventually landing him the golden boot, which he finally received in November.
The 2019 World Pilot Gig Championships took centre stage in May, with Falmouth Gig Club’s ladies winning the title for the first time in five years and Coverack men’s crew clinching their first ever podium position.
In the men’s final Looe retained their Championship crown. Porthleven ladies reached their first final, as did their men’s supervets. Falmouth were victorious in the latter, while Helford River Gig Club took the bronze.
Helston Athletic were making waves of their own in June, with the ambitious side announcing the eyebrow-raising signing of St Austell quartet Olly Brokenshire, Liam Eddy, Mark Goldsworthy and Neil Slateford.
The Blues also brought goalkeeper Jason Robertson back to the club, and signed exciting young winger Cameron Wheat from Wendron United.
The former St Austell quartet were all involved in Kernow FA’s first-ever ‘international’ fixture, with the newly-formed representative side beating Barawa 5-0 at Bodmin Town.
Cornwall celebrates at Bill Beaumont Cup County Championship. Picture: ©Simon Bryant/Iktis Photo
Golfer Emily Toy won the Women’s British Amateur title at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland in June – the highest honour in the European amateur game.
An 18th-place finish after two rounds saw her comfortably qualify inside the top 64 for the match play stages, in which she won six matches to seal the title.
Fellow Cornish golfer Rhys Enoch had a US Open debut to remember, overcoming glandular fever to shoot a stunning five-under round to make the cut at Pebble Beach in California, finishing 71st overall.
Cornwall’s rugby team bounced back from an awful 2018 County Championship campaign in style, winning each of their four matches in 2019 to win the trophy.
The Black and Gold beat Kent, Hertfordshire and Devon to set up a trip to Twickenham for the showpiece match against Cheshire, whom they beat 14-12.
July & August
IT was something of a breakthrough year for golfer Rhys Enoch, who sealed his maiden Challenge Tour title in July.
Truro-born Enoch shot a four-under-par final round in the D+D REAL Slovakia Challenge at the Penati Golf Resort to finish 18-under-par across the four rounds and win by one stroke, earning the biggest payday of his career in the process.
Stuart Sawyer’s J/122 Black Dog crew from Falmouth won the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 2019 IRC National Championship. The crew finished top of the 22-boat IRC Two fleet, securing victory in the final of the eight races to win the overall championship by 15 points from second place.
It was all change at Truro City following the shock departure of manager Paul Wilkinson, who made the move to crisis club Bury.
Plymouth Argyle legend and former assistant manager Paul Wotton took over at Treyew Road for his first managerial role, guiding his new side to a 1-0 pre-season victory over his former club and a goalless draw over Exeter City.
Penzance CC with the Vinter Cup, one of four trophies the team won in 2019. Picture by Colin Higgs
Pre-season was a big one for a new-look Porthleven side, with new co-managers Graham Blake and Jamie Thomson joining from Helston Athletic’s reserves in place of Alan Carey, who left to re-join Bodmin Town.
Blake and Thomson made a raft of new signings, and the new-look Fishermen earned their first silverware when they won the annual Dave Gardner Memorial Tournament.
That acted as a final pre-season flourish before the new campaign got underway the following week.
Porthleven and Wendron United both began with draws before landing their first-ever wins at SWPL Premier West level, with Port beating Wadebridge and the Dron winning at Launceston.
Helston started with a win at Newquay but lost their second game at home to Liskeard, before putting 11 goals past Penzance. Falmouth Town had a slow start to the season, winning just one of their first five games.
Falmouth’s cricketers were in the midst of a difficult season in the Cornwall Premier League, languishing at the bottom of the table. But they did have a Vinter Cup final to shout about, losing to eventual quadruple winners Penzance by 65 runs.
September & October
HELSTON Athletic’s under-18s created Cornish football history, becoming the first team from the Duchy to reach the national first round proper of the FA Youth Cup.
Victories over Longwell Green Sports, Street, Brislington and Brockenhurst earned the young Blues a trip to English Football League Two side Forest Green Rovers, who are ranked some six divisions above them, with the EFL side winning 5-0.
Falmouth & Penryn Amateur Boxing Club’s Kaiden Symons created history in September, becoming the first boxer from Falmouth to be crowned Western Counties champion in more than 20 years. Symons defeated Barton Hill’s Terrell Morris to win the cruiserweight title in the Western Counties finals of the national championships.
Falmouth CC’s ever-present stay in the Cornwall Premier League came to an end, with the club suffering relegation to County Division 1 for the first time since the Premier League began in 2001.
It was better news for Penzance, who won the Premier League for the first time, capping off a quadruple-winning season in which they won the league, Vinter Cup, WT Edwards Cup and the Tribute T20 Kernow Crash.
Falmouth boxer Kaiden Symons won the Western Counties cruiserweight title
Penryn RFC began life back in Western Counties West with three defeats from their first four games, but a couple of bonus-point wins steered the Borough back on track.
Falmouth also began the campaign slowly, losing six of their first eight matches.
Things looked better for our football sides, with Penryn winning their first nine games in the new St Piran League West before finally losing at home to Perranporth.
Helston Athletic bounced back from an early defeat at home to Liskeard by winning every South West Peninsula League game since, with an 8-0 win at home to Sticker securing a new club record 12 consecutive league wins.
In fact, their only defeat during that run came in the FA Vase first round proper, when local rivals Falmouth Town fought back from a goal down to win 5-1 at Kellaway Park in front of 689 supporters.
Helston Athletic under-18s on the pitch prior to their FA Youth Cup tie at Forest Green Rovers
November & December
FALMOUTH enjoyed another stunning result in the second round of the Vase, when they battled back from 2-0 down in the 90th minute of their tie at home to Gloucestershire side Longlevens.
They scored twice in the dying minutes to send the game to extra-time, before Luke Brabyn scored the winner from the spot in the additional 30 minutes. Town went on to lose 2-1 at Dorset club Christchurch in the third round proper at the end of November.
They also managed to inflict a second defeat on Helston in the third round of the Cornwall Senior Cup, coming from a goal down to win 3-2 at Bickland Park.
Those two defeats to Town aside, Helston continued to win game after game, extending their winning run in the league to 15 matches and moving to within one point of leaders St Austell.
Their run has been helped by returning striker Mark Goldsworthy, who took his goal tally to 32 in all competitions.
Falmouth Town celebrate their dramatic injury-time equaliser in their FA Vase tie at home to Longlevens
Penryn RFC hit top form towards the end of the year, winning five games in a row to propel the Borough up to fifth in Western Counties West, despite head coach Ian Morgan stepping down from his role.
The second win in that run was a 31-17 win in the local derby at Falmouth, in which Josh Chambers scored a hat-trick of tries for Penryn.
It was part of a disappointing end to the year for the Eagles, who lost six of their last seven and hover above the relegation zone.
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