St Ives RFC (Cornwall)

In October 1883 young men of the town were trying to establish a football club, although some years previous the town had cricket and football clubs which, was said, to have gained a good reputation.[3] On Easter Monday, 1885, a team from St Ives played the Pirates of Penzance at Penzance in a match watched by hundreds of spectators. In a ″well-contested game″, Penzance won by three tries and a goal.[4] During the 1880s the game was played by a number of sides including the St Ives Midgets. These local sides ultimately merged towards the end of the decade, and on 12 October 1889, St Ives Rugby Football Club was officially formed.

Early games were played at Lower Carnstabba and then Hellesvean before the club moved to its first proper ground at Higher Tregenna in 1899. Initially, St Ives were seen as a junior club, becoming Cornish junior champions in 1901–02. This changed around 1903–04 when the Cornwall RFU elevated them to senior club status. In the period prior to World War I the club supplied a number of players to the Cornwall county side, with one of these, scrum-half Thomas Wedge, capped several times by England.[5] In 1925 the club left Higher Tregenna to move to the Recreation Ground, off Alexandra Road, where they remain to this day.[6]

In the years following World War II, St Ives went from strength to strength. The 1949–50 season was a very notable one as the club finished as Cornish Merit Table leaders, going unbeaten in 36 games, with Jimmy Fleming setting a club record of 46 tries. This season also saw St Ives purchase the Recreation Ground from Borough Council (prior to this the ground had been leased). During this period the club continued to produce quality players such as Harold Stevens who went on to captain Cornwall as well as represent the Barbarians.[7] The re-introduction of the Cornwall Cup in the late 1960s saw St Ives continue to be one of the most dominant clubs in the county, appearing in six successive finals between 1969–74, winning three of them (including one shared).[8] In 1971–72 the club once more finished as Cornwall Merit Table champions. A year later the club became the first Cornish side to score more than 1,000 points over a single year, while in the same season Jimmy Cocking set a club record of 368 points, including another record of 30 points in a single game. Also of note was the performances of Peter Hendy, who was included in the 1973 England rugby union tour of Fiji and New Zealand. While Hendy never gained a full England cap, he played multiple games for the England under-23 side and England 'A', as well as captaining Cornwall and appearing for the Barbarians.[9]

The years 1979 through to 1986 saw the club enter another period of dominance, winning four more Cornwall Cup titles in this time.[8] They also did well in national competition, first reaching the 3rd round in 1981–82 (losing to Bristol at home in what was first televised game at the club), before going on to become the first Cornish side to reach the quarter-finals of the John Player Cup during the 1982–83 season, eventually being knocked out by Nottingham. The club also saw the emergence of players such as Martin Haag who was capped by England under-19s while at St Ives, before going on to play for Bath and England.[6]

The advent of the leagues in 1987 saw St Ives placed in South West Division One, a league ranked at tier 5 of the English rugby union system. They remained in this division for the next decade, with highlights during this period being a fourth-place finish in 1992–93, James Perkin setting a club record with an incredible 11 tries in one game against Falmouth during the 1993–94 season, and two more (losing) appearances in the Cornwall Cup final. By the end of the 1990s, however, the club were in decline and they were relegated at the end of the 1997–98 season having finished in 11th place, although Mark Rowe did manage did manage to break the club record set by Jimmy Cocking by scoring 34 points in a single game (a feat Billy Peters equaled the following year).[10] Things got even worse the following season as St Ives could only manage 1 win from 22 league games in South West 2 West, finishing bottom of the table and suffered a second successive relegation.[11] St Ives dreadful form continued into the 1999–00 season when they finished bottom of Western Counties West with 0 wins and 18 defeats – only surviving relegation because of RFU restructuring of the league system.[12] The next year the club once more finished bottom of the league table and this time they were relegated.[13]

Having suffered relegation in three out of the last four seasons, falling from tier 5 to 8, St Ives deserved a bit of a break. They did this during 2001–02 by making an instant return to Western Counties West by finishing as runner-up in Tribute Cornwall/Devon behind champions Paignton, dead level on points but ultimately losing out due to the Devon club's superior for/against record.[14] St Ives avoided relegation the following season and by 2004–05 they had achieved another promotion, when they won a promotion play-off 27–5 against Thornbury at home, having initially finished as runner-up to Mounts Bay.[15][16] The 2004–05 season was also notable due to the coverage of the club by BBC television, following the five sets of brothers who all featured for St Ives in a league game against Crediton during the 2004–05 campaign (a record). The next season was a mirror image of the previous, as St Ives once more finished second in the league behind Mounts Bay, and once more achieved promotion via the play-off, this time beating Swanage & Wareham 26–10 away.[17][18] The joy of a second promotion in a row was however tinged with sadness, as first team manager Peter Burgin died following a league match against Taunton earlier in the season.[19] The dug out at the Recreation Ground has since been named the 'Peter Burgin Dug Out' in his memory.

The 2007–08 season saw St Ives back in tier 5 for the first time since 1999, having experienced three relegations and three promotions during this period. Unfortunately this yo-yo existence continued as the club had a dreadful campaign in South West 1, finishing in bottom spot with just 1 win and a draw from 22 games.[20] The next year St Ives avoided a further drop and even won their first Cornwall Cup since 1986 (eighth overall), defeating Camborne 10–3 in the final held at Tregorrick Park in St Austell.[21] The following season the club once more reached the final of the Cornwall Cup, this time losing 16–21 to Wadebridge Camels at the Recreation Ground, Camborne, in what was something of an upset.[22]

After a period of success, St Ives once more returned to their yo-yo ways. The 2010–11 season saw the club involved in a relegation dog-fight, eventually going down in 12th place from Tribute South West 1 West despite winning their last match 54–15 away to Ivybridge, as 11th placed Chosen Hill managed a losing bonus point their last game to stay up by just 1 point.[23] Another relegation followed the next year as St Ives finished well adrift at the bottom of Tribute Western Counties West to drop down all the way to tier 8.[24] The club bounced back quickly by finishing as runner-up in Tribute Cornwall/Devon behind Teignmouth in 2012–13, only to drop back down to this division at the end of 2014–15.[25][26] In 2015–16 St Ives were promoted from Tribute Devon/Cornwall for the third time in the club's history, once more as a runner-up, this time behind champions Bude.[27]

The 2017–18 season proved to be an excellent one for St Ives as they won a league and cup double. First they stormed their way to the Tribute Western Counties West title, finishing 19 points clear of second place Devonport Services to book a return to tier 6 after an absence of six years.[28] Remarkably it was the first league title the club had won since the leagues began back in 1987, despite a number of promotions. Then at the end of April they claimed the Cornwall Cup for the ninth time, with a hard-fought 20–19 win against Wadebridge Camels at the Recreation Ground in Camborne – leaving them just one behind record holders Camborne and Redruth.[29] Following an exodus of players during the summer and a 14–89 defeat on the opening day of the season (2019–20), at Chew Valley, St Ives withdrew from South West One West and will play friendly fixtures for the rest of the season.[30]

After maintaining a list of friendly fixtures and honouring the Cornwall Cup matches for the remainder of the season, St Ives RFC were granted a place in the lowest level of the Cornish league structure for the 2020–21. During this season the club rebuilt a team with many local players returning, leaving the club in a good position to maintain competitive rugby for the foreseeable future. When league fixtures began again in season 2021-22 St Ives were placed at the lowest level in Cornwall Tribute 2, which they won undefeated. In the second half of the season they played in Cornwall Kernow League 1, one of several leagues set up to keep fixtures, competition and player interest during this time. St Ives were undefeated champions. On 16th April they lifted the Cornish Clubs Plate, defeating Lankelly-Fowey in the final 48:10.