It was 50 years ago this month that the Pirates of Penzance & Newlyn RFC won the Cornwall KO Cup for the first time. A prestigious competition back then, they beat Redruth 4-3 in a pulsating final played at Camborne, with wing ‘Nobby’ Roberts’ memorable try proving all-important.

There are ten surviving members of the Pirates team who will meet up at the clubhouse this coming Saturday lunchtime for a special reunion ahead of the present-day team’s Regional 2 South West league match in the afternoon against Crediton.

The ten are full-back Malcolm Nicholls, wings Nobby Roberts and Neil Care, centre Jeremy Gilbert, backrowers Colin Dymond (captain), John White and Phil Westren, second-row Alan Reynolds, hooker Chris Thomas, and prop Brian Michael. Although five team members have sadly passed, they will rightly be remembered. The five are centre Mick James, halfbacks Roger Pascoe and Graham Michell, second row Graham ‘Granite’ Waters, and prop Brian ‘Stack’ Stevens.

It promises to be a nostalgic gathering, remembering that following their historic victory back in 1976, the Pirates, who had lost to Falmouth in the 1975 final, did not win it again until 1999. They beat Launceston in that final, as they did again in 2000, which was their last such victory.

(Images displayed include the team pictured after their win and skipper Colin with try-scorer Nobby)