Cornish Rebels 38 Exeter Centurions 26

The Keltek-sponsored Cornish Rebels, the county's only Rugby League team, have retained the South West Challenge Cup after beating Exeter Centurions 38 – 26 at Polson Bridge on Saturday. 

Two weeks ago the Rebels won the league showdown at Exeter with a comfortable 32 point cushion on the day, but with some new names on the team sheet, Exeter were different proposition.

 The opening ten minutes was end to end, and it was first blood to the Rebels as Dan Briskham got over the line following a big break from loose forward Martyn Lawrance. 

Ed Power responded for Exeter a few minutes later with asprint for the line, but both opening conversions went wide for a 4-4 game. 

 Both teams missed glaring opportunities in the second quarter , Alex Stevens first missed a penalty from 20 yards for Exeter, while Shaun Buzza was held up over the try line for the Rebels.

 It was Rebels who got a nose out in front to go into the break 10- 6 when Matt Shepherd broke through for his first try at Polson since signing for the Cornish All Blacks last week. 

 After a first-half wake up call the Rebels started the second period much brighter but Exeter scored first, again though the conversion went begging and a few minutes later Briskham bounced off a few defenders to touch down after a tidy 25-yard run,  and with the kick missed the Rebels still led  14-10. 

 The Rebels then  got off lightly as an Exeter dropped the  ball beyond the try-line, and the Rebels responded when a Matt Ballard run ended in a score for the second-row and this time there was no mistaking the conversion from Rebels captain Grant Thirlby who added the extras to give the Rebels an ounce of breathing space and a 10 point margin with 25 to go. 

 The last quarter saw the drama kick up a gear as two Centurions tries levelled the game off after another failed conversion, but following the re-start a neat kick from player-coach Jonny Platt started a move which saw Ethan Pattison cross the line for the Rebels and shortly after Martyn Lawrance ran the width of the field to nick in the opposite corner after a scrum-down. 

 The last minute of the game saw an Exeter try converted to set things up for stoppage time with only one try the difference. 

The Centurions battled, but deep into added time Rebels prop Ethan Pattison wriggled over the line and as the referee signalled the try,  and Thirlby added the extras to complete the scoring.

 The Cup is the second piece of silverware for the 2014 season after their victory at the South West 9s saw them lift the Steve Prescott MBE Cup at Redruth in May. 

If the Rebels can keep up their league form and remain top of the South West Premier League then they will qualify automatically for the League Grand Final in August.

A PUSH which caused no injuries was still enough to land a 28-year-old Redruth man before Truro magistrates charged with assaulting his partner of ten years.

Tony Richard Pengelly, of East Park, Redruth, pleaded guilty to assaulting Emily Harvey-Johnson at Camborne on June 21 and to breaching a court-ordered conditional discharge.

Anita Kennett, for the prosecution, said the couple lived with their two boys as a family. They argued when they were out drinking, the victim admitting she sometimes drank to excess. That evening they had been arguing and making-up over several hours, ending with Pengelly pushing his partner outside the Waggoners pub in Camborne. Ms Kennett said the victim supported him and they were continuing their relationship. He had previous convictions.

His solicitor, Jeremy Leaning, said usually relations were good between the two, but they would become argumentative when drinking. This evening, in response to his partner flicking him around the head, Pengelly had pushed her, not causing any injury.

He worked as a part-time driver for her mother. Pengelly was given a conditional discharge for three years and told to pay £100 costs and surcharge.

Labour claimed the figures showed that money was being diverted from state primary schools to fund Michael Gove's free school programme.

The party also pointed out that before the last election David Cameron promised "small schools with smaller class sizes".

But the Government blamed demographic changes for the rise and has pointed out that the free primary schools are also eligible for funding.

A limit on infant school class sizes was introduced by Labour in the late 1990s, stating that no more than 30 youngsters should be in a class.

Under the rules, there are certain circumstances in which schools can legally waive the limit, for example if a parent wins an appeal for a place.

Recent changes have also meant that classes can be made larger to take in twins, or the children of those serving in the armed forces.

The latest figures, published by the Department for Education as part of a snapshot of the make-up of England's schools, show that as of January 5,625 children were being taught in infant classes of more than 30 pupils.

Some 840 are being taught in classes "unlawfully" over the limit.

The most common reason for a class being lawfully expanded was for pupils moving into the area outside of normal admissions for a school and for whom there was no other school place within a reasonable distance.

In Cornwall, 282 infant pupils are being taught in over-sized classes, up 157 or 126% since 2010.

Andrew Wallis, Cornwall Council cabinet member for children and young people, said: "In rare and exceptional circumstances, infant class sizes have been allowed to exceed 30 when a place is required for a child in care, for example, and where it is in the best interests of the child to be placed at a particular school."

A DfE spokeswoman said the rise was the result of demographic trends over the last decade.

"That is why we are giving local authorities £5bn to spend on new school places over this parliament – double the amount allocated by the previous government over an equivalent period," she said.

Police recorded 50 cases of children complaining of abuse by under-18s in a year across the two counties.

One child protection expert has said that young people's minds are being "warped" by easy access to hardcore pornography.

But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said its service in the city was helping to turn around harmful sexual behaviour in children and support victims of abuse.

The charity issued Freedom of Information requests to forces across the country.

Devon and Cornwall Police recorded 50 complaints of under-18s committing sexual offences against other children in the financial year 2013 to 14.

Their youngest perpetrator was aged 11 and the youngest victim just four years old, with crimes including serious sexual assaults and rape.

The figure is up from 43 cases over the previous 12 months.

The charity said that most victims knew the suspect, often with teenage boys offending against female acquaintances.

But the NSPCC said its local service "Turn the Page", was showing great success in getting offenders change their behaviour.

The charity's service manager Jacky Moon said: "It's deeply concerning that thousands of children are committing sexual offences including serious assaults and rape.

"For young children in particular we have to question the environment in which they are growing up that has led to them behaving in this way.

"Prevention has to be the key and that is recognising warning signs early and taking swift action. It could be that they have seen sexual activity that they are just too young to understand and are copying what they have seen.

"We also know that pornography for many older children is now part of life. Easy access to hard core, degrading and often violent videos on the internet are warping views of what is normal or acceptable behaviour."

Any adult worried about a child or in need of help and advice can contact the NSPCC's helpline on 0808 800 5000. Children and young people can contact ChildLine on 0800 1111.

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REDRUTH School will be welcoming a new deputy head teacher next term. 

 Sally Miners, who has lived in Cornwall for 25 years, will make the move from Helston Community College in September. 

 She said: "I have been in Helston for 25 years and I am very excited for a new start and a new challenge. 

 "One of my aims is to build up the aspirations of the children so they leave the school not only with excellent results but having had first class experiences too. 

 "I will also be forging lots of new relationships with pupils and staff, because that is how I like to work. 

 "When visiting the school I was struck by how well behaved the pupils were and how respectful and genuinely interested they were in what the teachers had to say - this was definitely one of the attractions. 

 "I am very much looking forward to getting stuck in." 

 While at Helston Community College, Mrs Miners worked her way from a PE and Maths teacher, through to head of year, faculty leader and finally assistant head teacher. 

 Craig Martin, head teacher at Redruth School, said: "I am delighted to welcome Sally Miners to Redruth School as the new deputy head teacher. 

 "Sally brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the post and will be joining a team of staff who are highly ambitious and determined for all students." 

 Mrs Miners will take over from current deputy head Wayne Randle who has been appointed head teacher of Mullion School.

A WRITER has had his first novel published in paperback.

Rupert Wallis from Feock has just had his debut novel The Dark Inside published in paperback after a successful launch in hardback earlier this year.

The novel, which is aimed at the young adult audience, follows a teenager who finds himself forming an unlikely partnership with a homeless man and going on a road trip.

Rupert, who also writes screenplays for television and film, said he wrote the novel shortly after the death of his father.

He said: "My Dad died five years ago and it has been quite cathartic. The book has themes of grief and overcoming a death so it has inspired by that really."

For Rupert, writing a novel was a new experience and different from his normal writing.

He said: "It is quite a weird experience – you are with your book for such a long time when you are writing it and trying to get it published and then suddenly it is out there and anybody can read it."

Rupert, 43, has a vivid writing style in the book and uses short passages to keep up a pace and keep the reader interested. Having previously written poetry that has clearly had an influence on the style in which the novel has been written.

He said: "It is a young adult novel, but I didn't start out to purposefully write a young adult book.

"It is an area that is growing though and with books like The Hunger Games, there is an expanding audience for these books.

"I have found that adults also like it as much as young people so it does have quite wide appeal."

Rupert says he writes at his home in Feock and says that the peace and quiet of his garden has helped him.

The book has already been shortlisted for an Italian book award and Rupert said there has been interest in turning it into a TV series or film.

With his background in screenplays is that something he would want to do? "People often say that you shouldn't adapt your own work and I think that is because you can be too attached to it," he said. "But it would be really nice to see that happen – whether I get to adapt it or not.

"My family have been really supportive about the book and I think they are more excited about it than I am. I just wish my dad could have been here to see it."

* The Dark Inside is out now, published by Simon And Schuster. The paperback and e-book cost £6.99 and are available from bookshops and online retailers.

The study of 2,000 women examined what makes today's man a 'gentleman', which included fixing his computers and returning shop purchases her rather than pulling out a chair in a restaurant.

A true gent will also avoid disturbing the woman in his life by sleeping in the spare room after a night out, and will watch the football on his laptop during a match so as not to hog the TV.

A spokeswoman for SerenataFlowers.com, which commissioned the study, said: "The definition of a gentleman has definitely evolved over time.

"But the results are proof that showing consideration even in the smallest way is now seen as gentlemanly and has a positive effect on women and relationships."

The list of modern gentlemanly traits described how women would expect a husband or partner to behave, as well as a first date or just a man encountered on the street.

According to the poll, a modern gentleman would allow a woman to pull in front of him in a queue of traffic, offer his newspaper on a train and make conversation with his partner's friends.

He'll also 'like' his other half's Facebook photos, insist on driving her somewhere if it's raining and will notice her new hairstyle almost immediately.

But it seemed women today feel deprived of these small gestures as a massive sixty per cent said not enough men demonstrate gentlemanly behaviour; whilst an unfortunate three in ten claimed they don't know a single person they would deem a gentleman.

Half said acting like a gentleman is just common courtesy, whilst a similar amount said acting in a respectful manner instantly makes a man more attractive.

Despite the unanimous vote that respectable habits are attractive, the poll showed a number of women presumed men aren't gentlemanly to avoid coming across as 'weak' or 'old-fashioned', whilst others believed they worry too much about what their mates think.

Though most said they received their first bunch of flowers between the ages of 17 and 21, a disgruntled one in three confessed they are yet to be presented with blooms from a love interest.

And it's apparently in a man's best interests to brush up on his act, as 46 per cent of women said they would be considerably put off a first date if he didn't display any gentlemanly habits - whilst almost one in ten would find it a deal breaker.

Only a miniscule one per cent said they would be bored by a man acting like a gentleman.

The spokeswoman said; "Men should give the tips a go - it's unanimous that the lady in his life will definitely notice."

TOP 30 SIGNS OF A GENTLEMAN

MODERN

• Carries you home from a night out when your shoes are hurting your feet 
• Calls you in the morning to make sure you've got up on time 
• Tells you if your skirt is tucked into your knickers 
• Lets you have the last sweet/crisp in the bag
•  Takes your car for an MOT or checks your engine
•  Allows you to pull in front of them in traffic
•  Fixes your computer or laptop for you
•  Quickly notices your new haircut
•  Offers their phone when your battery has ran out
•  Will watch rom-coms with you without complaining
•  Records your favourite shows 
• Sleeps in another room when coming home late so as not to wake you 
• Returns a purchase to the shop for you 
• Watches the football on their laptop so as not to hog the TV
•  Gives you their copy of the newspaper
• Likes pictures of you on Facebook

A WITNESS "winced and braced" himself as he watched a motorcyclist pull a "stupid and dangerous" wheelie at nearly twice the speed limit before he crashed and died, an inquest has heard. 

 Car dealer Antony Underwood died of multiple head, chest and back injuries at the scene after his bike collided with a car driven by Andzeilika Dapkevicine on February 16 last year a Truro inquest was told today. 

The 40 year-old from Portreath was said to be doing at least 54mph in a 30mph zone seconds after he pulled away from traffic lights on Chyandour Cliff Road, Penzance, while Ms Dapkevicine was turning on to Lannoweth Road in her blue-green Audi A6. 

Andrew Biggs, a walker who witnessed the collision, said: "I heard a roar to my right side and a motorcycle flew past me so quickly I could not see the colour of the bike. I was amazed to see the motorcyclist was pulling a wheelie with the front wheel off the ground. 

 "There was a car that has just started to turn right. As soon as I saw that I realised that it was inevitable that the motorbike was going to hit the vehicle – I actually winced and braced myself for the impact. 

 "There was a bang as the bike struck the car. It wasn't as loud as I expected, I also can't remember hearing any noises such as skidding or breaking. 

"The manner of his riding was stupid and dangerous due to his excessive speed and pulling a wheelie." 

The court also heard evidence Marius Simankis, who was travelling with his partner, Agne Plikaityte, and Ms Dapkevicine daughter, Karolina, in the Audi car at the time of the crash. 

He said: "We were going home in the car from Hayle. "When Andzeilika started turning in to the side road I automatically turned my head and looked towards the road, I saw a motorcycle very far away. 

 "I had no thoughts or doubts that the motorcycle would approach so quickly, it was very far away from us. 

 "Everything happened in seconds, I heard the scream of Agne and I banged my head on the window and the car seat. Everything happened very rapidly. 

 "When I got out of the car I saw a smashed motorcycle, but first of all I took the girls further from the accident so they couldn't see that the motorcyclist was lying on his back and his eyes were open. 

"It seemed to me that he was not breathing already and blood was coming out of his ears." 

Marcus Rowe, a collision investigator, told the court that it took Mr Underwood seven seconds to travel the 170 metres from where he was stationary at the traffic lights to where the collision took place. 

 Mr Rowe was unable to give the exact speed Mr Underwood was travelling at the time of the collision but he was "confident" that it exceeded 54 mph. 

He added that he would have expected Ms Dapkevicine to have seen the motorcyclist while making her turning manoeuvre. 

Mr Underwood, who was originally from Romford, Essex, was known to be a heavy drinker, but toxicology reports and a forensic post-mortem found no evidence of drink or drugs in his system after the crash. 

 Two mobile phones and £4,000 in cash were found in the 40 year-old's rucksack at the scene. 

Assistant Cornwall Coroner Andrew Cox said: "This collision, like so many others, is multifactorial. 

 "The conclusion I return is that I find that Antony Underwood has died as a result of a road traffic collision."

SEVEN years since smoking was banned in pubs, new figures show more than one in five Cornwall smokers use illegal tobacco.

The figures, which show a total of 21.7 per cent of people in Cornwall use black market products, compared to a national average of 16 per cent, have been published to mark the launch of a campaign by Smokefree South West to stamp out illegal tobacco in the region. 

The campaign, which includes radio and billboard advertising, starts today - seven years since smoke free legislation came into force on 1 July 2007. 

The statistics, from the Tackling Illegal Tobacco for Better Health programme, show the number of people in Cornwall uncomfortable with illegal tobacco in their community has increased from 31% in 2010 to 41% in 2013. Eight out of ten (82%) of the people surveyed also felt that illegal tobacco was a danger to children. 

The initiative to stamp out illegal tobacco, which is known to be a key route to young people taking up smoking and to bring criminals into communities, is being led by Smokefree South West alongside HMRC, Trading Standards, the Police, Crimestoppers, Cornwall Council and other local authorities across the region. 

Felicity Owen, Director of Public Health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "This is a serious problem and one that the Council is tackling on an ongoing basis. This campaign is about helping the public understand and help us by providing information that will help us target the criminals who damage our community and people's health. 

"Illegal tobacco is often sold at pocket money prices that encourage young people to take up smoking and make it easier for people to stay hooked on tobacco, so removing it from the market is key to protecting residents' health."

Fiona Andrews, director of Smokefree South West, said: "All tobacco is harmful, but illegal tobacco poses an additional threat to our children and communities, because it is sold at pocket money prices by criminals who are not interested in asking for proof of age. 

"We are calling on members of the public to keep their eyes open and if they have any knowledge of illegal tobacco being sold then report it. Illegal tobacco can be most easily recognised if it's cheap. An £8 packet for less than half the price, or a pack or pouch with foreign health warnings is illegal. 

"Anyone who will sell that won't ask questions about age, and might well have even more dangerous things to sell. If you see it, please report it, this isn't about some 'harmless bootlegging', it's about keeping criminals out of your neighbourhood and children and young people safe from harm and a potentially deadly habit." 

The sale of illegal tobacco is a criminal offence. Anyone wishing to report the selling of illegal tobacco can report anonymously online to Trading Standards at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk or call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. 

THE manager of a McDonald's restaurant who stole nearly £6,000 from the business said stress from pressure at work and home drove him to contemplate suicide.

Charles Graham Middlemass, 40, of Chi an Bobel, Pool, pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates' Court to stealing £5,815.24 from the Threemilestone outlet between May 24 and 27.

Anita Kennett, for the CPS, said Middlemass was duty manager and his theft was discovered after police had been called to what was thought to be a break-in at the restaurant.

But CCTV showed Middlemass counting takings and float money and putting it in his backpack before leaving.

He told the police he was in a bad place at the time, contemplating suicide and struggling with stress in the job and in his home life.

He had previous convictions.

Richard Cogar, for the defence, said Middlemass had been working very long hours and was considerably stressed, not knowing how to deal with it. He had since been referred for investigation into his mental health.

The magistrates sent the case to Truro Crown Court on July 17 for sentencing.

TOUGH action has been promised to clampdown on people leaving bin bags out in Helston – which are then ripped apart by the seagulls.

When rubbish is left out on Wednesday mornings, some streets are left littered with food waste and scraps after the flimsy plastic bags are torn up by the birds.

Helston Town Council is now threatening to call in Cornwall Council environmental health enforcement officers.

The councillors said the rubbish remained the responsibility of the householder until the bin men arrived. Black bags should be protected, either in a plastic dustbin, a seagull-proof cloth bag from Cornwall Council, or by throwing a blanket over the top.

Judith Carroll, who lives in Wendron Street, called on the town council to take action after the street was left littered once again. She said: "On a Wednesday morning, I walk out of my front door and I have rubbish on the right, rubbish across from me and rubbish down the street from me.

"I can't understand how people can be so uncivilised. I am ashamed to be part of this street that looks such a mess."

She said the bin men did a great job under the circumstances. Her comments were echoed by the town council, including Councillor Jonathan Radford-Gaby, who, as mayor last year, vowed to punish offenders. He said: "During my time as mayor, this was something quite high on my agenda."

He said he was appalled to watch the bin men on their hands and knees scooping up rubbish from burst bin bags.

"Bin bags left for the seagulls to split open is intensely antisocial. It's not hard to cover over rubbish with a blanket," he said. "To fling it out into the street with gay abandon, it's nothing short of disgraceful."

He added: "We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in this town."

Councillor Martine Knight said: "I think we've done our bit with leafleting and the time is upon us to contact Cornwall Council to take some swift action.

Councillor Ronnie Williams added: "The enforcement officers will not take this lightly. They will take the bag and go through it and find out where it came from."

The council agreed to write to Cornwall Council. Seagull-proof cloth bags are available to buy from Cornwall Council's Isaac House office.

The footage was captured by the Norman Lockyer Observatory in Sidmouth, Devon.

Experts heard reports that a massive shooting star had been spotted streaking across the sky in the early hours, and rewound the observatory's two fixed cameras - and were thrilled to find a perfect clip of a flaming meteor arcing across the sky at 2:04am before disappearing behind clouds.

Dave Jones of the Sidmouth Radio Astronomy Group said: "We have two cameras that watch for meteors during darkness, so upon hearing the news I logged in to check our data and see if we had captured anything.

"Fortunately the meteor passed in front of both of our cameras so we ended up with two videos of the same event.

"Due to cloud and raindrops on the camera lenses the image was not as clear as we would like, however the sheer size and brightness of this object burning up in our atmosphere almost overwhelmed our cameras as it was so bright."