Redruth 45 Taunton Titans 40

Redruth and Taunton served up veritable try-fest for the spectators at the Recreation Ground reports Bill Hooper.

Redruth's win sees them finish fourth in the National League 2 South table, whilst the two points that Taunton secured sees them safe for another season at this level.
Taunton started the game brightly taking an early lead with a try scored by scrum-half Michael Pope, which full back Gary Kingdom converted the first of five successful conversions.

Redruth got back into it with a try from their scrum-half as Greg Goodfellow, back from suspension, twisted and turned to force his way over the line for an unconverted try.

The Titans again made the most of some slack tackling by the Reds as winger Tom Popham finished off an arcing run with Kingdom adding the extras.

Former Launceston and Cornwall U.20 player, now with Exeter Chiefs but on loan at Taunton, Aron Struminski was another who caught the eye for Somerset club.  

Redruth were next to score as a counter attack from their own twenty-two saw forwards and backs combine with winger Nick Simmons rounding off the flowing move.

Goodfellow bagged his second try of the game selling a dummy and breaking upfield to out- pace the cover and score a fine individual try in the Piggy lane corner.

The bonus point try arrived for the Reds when flanker and current Cornwall U.20 skipper Neil Broadbank crossed just after the half-hour mark. Thirlby was on the money with all three conversions.

Taunton kept in touch on the scoreboard with their third try scored by prop George Cooper in the scoreboard corner to leave the half-time score 26-19 to the Reds.

The second half was barely a minute old when Taunton scored their fourth try of the afternoon as centre Alex Wilcockson crossed under the sticks, Kingdom's conversion tying the scores.

It was still nip and tuck as Redruth's man-of-the-match prop Craig Williams scored his side's fifth try, only for Kingdom to reply in kind for the visitors and then put his side ahead with the conversion.

Further good running from Struminski led to Wilcockson getting his second try of the game and Kingdom's extras gave the Titans a nine point lead with half an hour remaining.

Redruth put on the pressure and a series of scrums up in the scoreboard corner finally saw referee Jonathan Healey run under the sticks to signal a penalty-try, Thirlby's conversion cut the deficit to just two points.

Thirlby then rounded off the scoring with the winning try and conversion to leave the Reds 45-40 victors of an enthralling and spectacular finale to the season, which should keep the faithful happy during the summer recess!        

Redruth 45 pts

Tries – Goodfellow (2), Simmons, Broadbank, Williams, Penalty-try, Thirlby

Conversions – Thirlby (5)

Taunton Titans 40 pts

Tries – Pope, Popham, Cooper, Wilcockson (2), Kingdom

Conversions – Kingdom (5) 

Redruth: T Notman, L Vinnicombe (B Drew 40), C Bonds (A Hosking 68), S Evans (M Westren 54), N Simmons, P Thirlby  G Goodfellow; D Jacques, R Brown (N Turner 54), C Williams (J Drew 68), D Cook, L Collins, N Broadbank, O Hambly, C Fuca (Capt)

Taunton Titans: G Kingdom (Capt), T Popham, A Wilcockson, L Plummer, A Struminski, J Forrester, J Conway; G Cooper, G Cooper, M Manton (D Morgan 45), D Lee, B Turner (S Prior 60), T Lee, J Childs, B Harvey

Replacements (not used): K Brooking, D Webber, T Yapp

Referee: Jonathan Healey (RFU)

Crowd: 823

Redruth-man-of-the-match: Craig Williams  

A toddler had to be freed by the fire service after it got its head stuck in a toilet seat.

Firefighters had to use a hacksaw to get the two-year-old free.

The child became stuck in the toilet seat at Penrice Hospital in St Austell.

A fire crew from St Austell was called to deal with the incident shortly after 8pm tonight.

A pensioner who has tended one of Cornwall's loveliest gardens for 20 years has been included in a list celebrating people who make the UK a happier place.

George Mannell, 80, is one of 100 unsung heroes celebrated in the Independent on Sunday Happy List, which aims to be an alternative to the Sunday Times Rich List.

George first started looking after Chegwyn Gardens, St Agnes, in 1993. Since then he has introduced about 200 roses and thousands of daffodils, attracting visitors and raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Four others from Devon and Cornwall are also included on the list, published yesterday.

One is Richard Baber who for seven years has volunteered at Paignton Zoo crafting toys for the animals, including footballs for elephants and hammocks for baboons.

Leanne Grose, an amputee from Truro, was celebrated for designing a fitness DVD for others who have lost limbs, the elderly and overweight.

Leanne, 32, who lost her left leg to a rare form of bone cancer, has also written an autobiography and given birth to the child she was told she would never have.

The shop of Margaret Fitter, 74, of Helston, Cancer Funding for Cornwall, raised about £1 million in 12 years.

Tony Lea set up Bufferzone, an independent advocacy service, in Cornwall six years ago. It helps people with benefits, medical assessments, education, training and employment.

Relegated Truro City signed off from the Blue Square Bet South with a 3-2 defeat at Tonbridge Angels – before chairman Peter Masters issued a post-match statement clarifying the waiting game the Cornish club must now play.

In his statement, Masters – who rescued the White Tigers from collapse earlier in the season – revealed that the Football Conference's June 8 annual general meeting is now a key date for the club.

Masters' official statement said: "Whilst clearly it is a big disappointment for the club to have been relegated from the Conference South, it remains a fantastic achievement for the club to have survived the administration, which was assisted by the players' agreement to waive their arrears back in November 2012.

"If Truro City Football Club Limited (in Administration) is able to pass an approved Company Voluntary Arrangement, then it is understood that the club would just be relegated (due to its league position) to the Southern League Premier Division.

"If not, then it is understood that the club is likely to be playing in either Southern League Division One South and West or the Western League. We understand from the FA that this decision cannot be made until at least after the Football Conference's AGM, which is scheduled for June 8, 2013.

"In the circumstances, it is clearly impossible for us to make too many plans until the situation in relation to the CVA is finalised and the FA have clarified the club's league position.

"This is frustrating for all involved, but, given the state the club was in when we took over, we all knew it was not going to be easy.

"We perhaps did not know that it was going to be so hard, but the fact remains that the club has survived against the odds and, worst case, will remain the highest-placed football club in the county. I will release a further statement once the League position has been clarified.

"Once again, thanks for your effort and commitment to the club and, hopefully, next season we can look forward to stability off the pitch and success on it."

Veteran striker Barry Hayles scored twice for Truro at Tonbridge, where City were reduced to ten men with the score at 3-2.

Lee Hodges' City side trailed Angels 1-0 to Aaron Gayle's second-minute opener, which former Plymouth Argyle ace Hayles cancelled out on 13 minutes.

Frannie Collins' 15th and 42nd minute goals put Angels 3-1 ahead at half-time before Hayles' claimed his second goal of the game in the 51st minute and former Torquay and Plymouth midfielder Joe Broad saw red for a foul.

City player-boss Hodges said: "We should have taken something from the game.

"Joe's tackle was not even a booking and we could have had a couple of penalties."

Changes to the way police deal with low-level youth crime could see more Westcountry youngsters forced to face up to their victims rather than go to court.

New laws which came into force this month will scrap the "escalator" scheme under which offenders moved from reprimand to final warning then court.

Lesser punishments can now be dished out even after a court conviction, if thought more appropriate.

Officers will have far more flexibility in how they deal with young people and can now resort to whatever punishment they deem appropriate for non-serious offences – whether that be restorative disposal, caution, conditional caution or charge.

Devon and Cornwall Police have opted to consult with social workers and probation officers via youth offending teams (YOT) when an offender requires a second punishment.

The force insists it is not being "soft" on crime, nor is it "massaging the figures" as crime will continue to be recorded as before.

Inspector Brent Davison, force youth issues manager, said the old system was seen by some people to be "confusing and perhaps not fair".

"The new system is more flexible, but with that flexibility comes a responsibility to get it right," he added.

"That's why we will be consulting with the YOT to ensure consistent decisions are made in line with national guidance.

"It's far more demanding and challenging for a young person to face up to offending behaviour and their victims rather than go to court, which is an alien environment they don't understand.

"It is not being soft on crime or young people – surely the priority is to reduce re-offending and getting the right outcome – early intervention is far more effective than court."

The new legislation (under the Legal Aid and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012) came into force on April 8.

All of the disposals for young offenders are available at any stage of offending with appropriate consultation with the YOT.

The system is not escalatory so a young offender who has previously been to court will not necessarily go back to court for another offence.

There is a new requirement for consultation between the police and the YOT from the second or subsequent disposal which will ensure young offenders are dealt with robustly, fairly and consistently.

Inspector Davison said the views of victims would be given greater prominence with more examples of restorative justice.

Torbay Council's head of family services, Nigel Denning, said: "The new system will allow young people to be dealt with in a more adaptable way.

"It will enable good decision making to be made between the police and youth offending teams so young people's offending has a co-ordinated, appropriate response that addresses the needs of both the offender and victim.

"This new process will allow more young people and their victims to be dealt with in a restorative manner whilst allowing the court process to deal with more serious matters."

Three members of a staunch Labour family – including the 85-year-old widow of a former Cabinet minister – are set to stand for The UK Independence Party (UKIP) in West Cornwall.

Liz Shore, who was married to Peter Shore, an anti-federalist MP who served in Harold Wilson's Government, her daughter Tacy and her husband Bob are all up for election to Cornwall Council.

Mrs Shore, who lives in St Ives, will square up to Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in the Penzance Promenade ward.

Meanwhile her daughter has been busy campaigning for election in Newlyn and Mousehole, while her son-in-law has hit the campaign trail in Ludgvan.

Mrs Shore also lines up alongside Independent Jim McKenna, well known locally as the former chief executive of Penwith District Council, who pledged to give away his redundancy after losing his job when the unitary authority was created.

History shows that voters in the constituency are not afraid to side-line the main parties and elect an independent, having previously put former post mistress and anti-closures campaigner Sue Pass in County Hall.

"I have been against the Common Market since day one and voted against it in the referendum in 1975 – but this is for county not for country," Mrs Shore said.

"I am appalled by what I have seen at County Hall – the unitary authority doesn't seem to know what it is doing.

"If elected I will take my seat – though I don't much fancy the travelling – I would like to start grabbing back powers from the officials who have behaved quite shamefully."

Bob Smith, a psychologist who lives at Newmill, near Penzance, and finished fifth as UKIP's candidate for the police and crime commissioner role, was a member of the group that founded UKIP in the early 1990s.

Mr Smith, 60, said the whole family had a strong belief in parliamentary government.

"I started UKIP with Nigel Farage and eight others in 1993," he added.

"I have always said we have got no chance and it is simply a matter of principle – but this time the tide seems to be changing and I think we will do well.

"We have got this crazy thing where it is seen to be on the Right going against the European Union but it has always been the Left that has been against it.

"Heath took us in, Thatcher signed the Single European Act and Major signed the Maastricht Treaty."

UKIP has targeted the Duchy in the local elections, fielding 76 candidates out of 123 available seats.

There was a bumper turnout for a day celebrating the rich industrial history of a Cornish town.

Trevithick Day, named after Camborne's most famous son, saw thousands line the streets to see a gala parade of steam engines, vintage vehicles, entertainers, bands and choirs.

Among the highlights of the day is the traditional Bal-maidens and Miners dance which sees almost 250 local schoolchildren following a route thought the town centre.

Mel Martin, manager of the Camborne Business Improvement District, said it had been a truly memorable event which spoke volumes about the future of the town.

"It was a great celebration of Camborne's history and of its future," she said.

"There were thousands and thousands of people at Trevithick Day.

"It was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"It was certainly the best Trevithick Day I have seen."

Mrs Martin said the legion of volunteers had helped make the day special.

Richard Trevithick was born in 1771 at a cottage in near Dolcoath Mine, where his father was a mine captain.

The young man grew up to become a giant of the Industrial Revolution, pioneer of the high-pressure steam engine and is now widely acknowledged an all-round genius.

He is buried in an unmarked grave at Dartford in Kent, where he was working when he died in 1833.

The first Trevithick Day was conceived in 1984, with the aim of breathing new pride into an area badly hit by the effects of the closure of industries and increased unemployment.

A murder enquiry launched following the death of a man in Newquay has been scaled down to a major crime investigation.

In a statement, Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Following an assessment of the circumstances, this is now not a murder enquiry.

"The investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the male will continue and will be conducted by officers from our Major Crime Team."

Police were called to the scene outside Sailors nightclub on Fore Street in Newquay at 3am on Saturday.

A 49-year-old man was found unconscious and not breathing. Police and staff from the club attempted to resuscitate the man until ambulance crews arrived.

He was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The man has not been officially identified, but social media websites have named him as Mick Kearns, a keen angler from Birmingham who owned a caravan at White Acres holiday park near Newquay.

It is understood that Mr Kearns was celebrating the end of the popular Milo Fishing Festival, which is held at the holiday park.

A police spokesman said four people arrested on Saturday had been interviewed and released on police bail until July. CCTV footage of the area is being examined by police who have also issued a further appeal for witnesses.

""Police are continuing with their investigations in particular reviewing CCTV of the area, interviewing witnesses and contacting all persons who were in the nightclub at the time of the incident," said the spokesman. "The police have received assistance in their enquiries from both the Sailors nightclub and the local Newquay community following this tragic incident."

Plans for two huge wind turbines in Cornwall, which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said could mask enemy jets entering British airspace, will be no bigger than those on a neighbouring site, according to the firm acting on behalf of its applicants.

It has been suggested by officials at the MoD that the 115ft turbines proposed for neighbouring farms at St Ewe near St Austell are so tall they could look like planes on monitoring equipment.

However, Mi-Grid, acting on behalf of applicants Ian and Richard Lobb, have said the towers, which they say are classed as small scale wind turbines by Cornwall Council, are on the same scale as the nearby Gorran wind turbines which are operational.

They also added after a consultation with the neighbouring community they have dropped one of the two proposed turbines, at High Kestle Farm, and submitted a request to Cornwall Council to amend the application.

A spokeswoman for Mi-Grid said: "The Gorran wind turbines do not cause any risk to MoD operations and we are in consultation with the MoD to ensure that the proposal does not cause any adverse risk to national security.

"If the MoD do consider that there would be a substantial risk to national security then planning permission will not be granted"

It was reported earlier this week that the initial application for the two turbines had prompted a written objection from the MoD which warned the installation would cause "unacceptable interference" to an air traffic control (ATC) radar 30 miles away in Wembury, near Plymouth.

Radar operators have to treat any unidentified object as a genuine threat – and could even have to scramble fighter jets to investigate. The objection said: "Wind turbines have been shown to have detrimental effects on the performance of MoD ATC radars.

"These effects include the desensitisation of radar in the vicinity of the turbines, and the creation of 'false' aircraft returns which air traffic controllers must treat as real.

"The desensitisation of radar could result in aircraft not being detected by the radar and therefore not presented to air traffic controllers."

Graham Chaplin, who owns a smallholding near the proposed site, has collected signatures of 109 villagers calling on Cornwall Council to reject the plan. He said: "The turbine will really be right on top of us."

A ground-breaking scheme which gives jobless young people a helping hand to set up their own business has delivered a social value boost totalling nearly £1 million in Devon and Cornwall.

The Prince's Trust Enterprise programme supported more than 370 unemployed young people in the South West in just one year – including 111 in Devon and Cornwall – giving them the skills and confidence to start-up in business or find work.

Dermot Finch, Prince's Trust regional director for the south of England, said the scheme had helped young people "completely turn their lives around."

"Our Enterprise programme is proven to boost the economy despite the recession as well as transforming thousands of young lives," he said.

"We want to help more jobless young people in Devon and Cornwall.

"So many young people are exceptionally entrepreneurial, but need support and mentoring to get their business ideas off the ground."

A study, which marks 30 years since The Prince's Trust first started helping young people set up in business, estimates that the scheme generated more than £3.1 million in value to the wider South West and £950,000 in Devon and Cornwall alone, in the last year.

The analysis also highlights the social value of fewer people being on benefits or in trouble with the law as a result of the programme, helping to divert state funding to others in need.

The figures, based on the value of helping young people into work or self-employment, show that for every pound invested in the scheme, more than four pounds is generated in social value.

Since its formation, The Prince's Trust has helped more than 80,000 young people become their own boss across the UK.

The youth charity is now urging more of Devon and Cornwall's jobless young people to sign up to the scheme, giving them the skills and confidence to become their own boss or find jobs.

The call comes as it was revealed that in Devon and Cornwall, the number of young people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance for more than 12 months has hit a 16-year-high – increasing 18 times since before the recession.

Haydn Thomas, regional managing director of business banking at NatWest, part of the RBS Group, which is a major supporter of the Princes Trust, said it had made a "massive difference" to the young people involved.

"If we supported more young people into business, it would represent a significant injection to the UK economy, as well as regenerating communities."

For more information see www.princes-trust.org.uk or call 0800 842 842.