One of the iconic dates in the Cornish sporting calendar is the annual rugby match between Camborne and Redruth, held on Boxing Day. Sometimes, the two teams also met on Easter Monday to renew their competition. On occasion however, this resulted in more than friendly local rivalry between two neighbouring towns. Take this fixture from 1926.
Regrettable scenes were witnessed in the game between Camborne and Redruth at Camborne today, when the homesters won by one goal, one penalty goal, two tries (14 points), to a drop goal (4 points). The game, at times, was unnecessarily rough, and the referee ordered off Warren and Wakeham of Camborne and Triniman of Redruth. After the match, some of the spectators rushed around, and several visiting players were struck.
Cornishman
Cornish rugby was not for the fainthearted. At a meeting of the Cornwall Rugby Football Union a week or so after, J.Abraham, a player for North Country, was suspended for the remainder of the season for striking an opponent in the match between North Country and Four Lanes.
At the same meeting, the referee from a match at Penryn reported the whole Lanner team for unsportsmanlike conduct after they had left the field 14 minutes into the game alleging unfairness by that same referee.
Meanwhile, St Ives RFC had taken exception ‘to comments appearing in Redruth Club’s official programme, reflecting on the play of St Ives seen in the recent match with Redruth’. On behalf of Redruth, Mr W.G.Painter explained that this particular programme had ‘escaped censorship’ before going to the printer. An apology was offered and duly accepted.
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