By David Wilkinson
Redruth Rugby Club, the bastion of Cornwall, Hell Fire Corner, the antithesis of a friendly crowd; intimidation has been their meat-and-drink since the food wars of the nineteenth century. Today the Club launches the arrival of their new book: ‘Hellfire-Awaits-150 Years of Redruth RFC’. It’s an intimidation that every visiting club expects, including Macclesfield in times-a-yore. But the hyperbole doesn’t necessarily adversely affect the players, they can turn the game-time hullaballoo to their advantage, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of extra adrenaline!
This will be the last of the ridiculously long journeys in 2024, that the players have been forced to make. The boys in blue are minimising the traffic fatigue by travelling most of the way on Friday evening, but there is no denying this is another big trip. Tuesday night’s training will have had a big focus on what went wrong in the second half against Hinckley, with the emphasis on changing things that are going wrong, it is a problem that has not been resolved so far this season, but the boys will have been receptive to sorting this out. Billy Birkett and Harry Blackwell are injured, and Ollie Longmore cannot travel after the arrival of his extended family member; Ryan Barratt, is on debut after joining from Sandbach, and recovering from injury. The team is: 1.Dan Percival, 2.Carl Droy, 3.Theo Hulbert, 4.Ben Blackburn, 5.Harry Harding, 6.George Boughey, 7.Harry Hughes, 8. James Oliver (Captain), 9.Mason Winterburn, 10.Tom Farrell, 11.Jamie Harrison, 12.Harry Oliver, 13. Sam Adu, 14. Ryan (Ray) Barratt, 15.Dan Leake, 16.Ted Broadley, 17.Andrew Darlington, 18.Elliot Alston, 19.Phil Laing, 20.Danny Martin.
