LAUNCESTON Rugby Club’s Minis and Juniors hosted the under 11 Cornwall Cup Festival at Polson Bridge on Sunday, March 5.

Organised by the parents of the under 11 team and the minis and juniors’ committee, over 300 players in 25 teams from 15 different clubs from around the Duchy travelled up to play in a round-robin competition.

They were split into five groups of five, including a local derby in Group 1 with Launceston (Black) taking on Bude as well as Redruth (Red), Newquay (Green) and St Ives.

Launceston (White) were paired with Perranporth, Newquay (White), St Agnes and Redruth (Green) on pitch two.

With the action getting underway at 11am, the teams had to be there by 9.30am to register with a coaches and referee briefing half an hour before the start.

Such as the rules of the festival, each team play 11-aside with the game being played into two seven-minute halves.

With the festival aimed at fun and participation, the scores and results weren’t counted.

However, due to the atrocious weather conditions and player welfare in mind, the decision was taken to abandon the festival at lunch, with teams having played two or three games.

Once everyone got cleaned up, a certificate presentation was made to all of the players as well as the 50/50 draw.

Throughout the day everybody chipped in with local businesses contributing food, drink and sweets amongst other things while the local Launceston Voluntary First-Aid service were on hand in case of any emergencies.

Launceston Rugby Club’s Minis and Juniors vice-chairman, Peter Sandercock, said that despite the weather, the day was a massive success.

Sandercock said: “Despite the conditions everyone did really well and it was a great day for us.

“The under 11 parents and helpers organised such a brilliant day, although it was a shame that the weather was so poor.

“In the end we decided to play up to lunch-time and assess things but by then the conditions were absolutely appalling. The boots weren’t making any impact in the mud so unfortunately we had to call it a day. However, up until then it was really well run and thankfully there were no serious injuries.

“I’d like to thank all of the parents of the under 11s, the coaches and trainers, the main rugby club for their support and to all of the other clubs for turning out in such good numbers.”