GLORY DAYS: Cornwall's County Championship crown in 2016

CORNWALL celebrated back-to-back County Championship crowns in the summer of 2016, with a thrilling 35-13 win over Cheshire at Twickenham securing the Black and Gold’s fifth title.

Matt Shepherd was the hero for Cornwall, scoring 20 points for Graham Dawe’s side, including one of the four tries as the defending champions retained the trophy that they had reclaimed 12 months earlier.

Opening-day drama

Cornwall’s title defence had begun three weeks earlier with a dramatic 23-17 win at home to Gloucestershire in their opening Division 1 South pool game.

Shepherd scored Cornwall’s first points of the campaign, kicking two early penalties to put the hosts 6-0 up in Redruth, and while a converted try for the visitors had given them the lead, hooker Sam Matavesi’s unconverted try gave the home side a four-point lead at the break.

A strong start to the second half saw Gloucestershire bag an unconverted try and two penalties to lead by seven, only for Matavesi to go over again following an excellent driving maul, with Shepherd converting to bring the deficit to two.

The topsy-turvy nature of the tie continued as Shepherd’s penalty and replacement Greg Goodfellow’s try put Cornwall 26-20 in front with just 11 minutes left, only for the home side to relinquish the lead again when flanker Chris Rovery dotted down six minutes from time, with the conversion putting the visitors ahead by a single point.

Cornwall however, had other ideas, scoring with the last play of the game when relentless forward play enabled Rupert Freestone to drive the ball over the line in Hellfire Corner. Shepherd then converted with his fifth successful kick to bring the curtain down on an enthralling contest.

Two out of two

With the first match successfully negotiated, attention turned to Bishop’s Stortford a week later, where Cornwall would face Hertfordshire, whose bonus-point win at home to Surrey ensured they went into the game as pool leaders.

The Trelawny's Army at Twickenham. Pic: Simon Bryant/IktisPhoto

The Black and Gold began the game in great style, going 12-0 up inside the first quarter. Flanker Sam Matavesi scored Cornwall’s first try from a catch-and-drive and then No.8 Herbie Stupple barged his way over for Cornwall’s second try, which was converted by full back Matt Shepherd to the cheers of the travelling Cornish support.

Cornwall were then guilty of letting their opponents back into it, with Brett McNamee’s try and Josh Sharp’s penalty bringing them to within four points, before the hosts’ mounting pressure earned them a penalty try, which Sharp kicked to put the home side 15-12 up at the break.

Shepherd levelled with a penalty, but the visitors were soon down to 14 when centre Jake Murphy was sent to the bin.

But rather than hanging on to what they had, the Black and Gold regained the lead during this time as Shepherd kicked his second penalty, before the visitors made the game safe when Matavesi scored his fourth try in two games to set up an exciting finale at Camborne the following week, when Surrey were to make the trip down.

Party atmosphere

With two wins from two, Cornwall went into the game as pool leaders and in control of their destiny. But with Hertfordshire and Gloucestershire facing each other in the other match, the Black and Gold knew that defeat would open the door for the winner of the other game to swoop in and win the pool.

Surrey, meanwhile, were bottom of the pool with two defeats from two and one point to their name, but put up a good fight in both games and will have been desperate to end their campaign on a high.

But it was Cornwall who were to end the pool stage on a high, running in five tries on their way to a 32-14 victory. Young fly-half Billy Searle starred with a hat-trick, with his first-half brace, plus Nielson Webber’s try and Shepherd’s penalty and conversion helping the hosts to a 20-11 lead at the break.

Surrey closed the gap with a penalty, but Searle’s third try, converted by Shepherd, and Lewis Webb’s late effort ensured a party atmosphere at the Recreation Ground as Cornwall booked their place in the Twickenham showpiece.

Twickenham glory

Standing between them and a successful title defence were Cheshire, ensuring a repeat of the 1998 final that saw the north west county win 21-14 – their most recent triumph.

Cheshire had an identical record to Cornwall in their Division 1 North pool campaign, winning all three matches and claiming two try-scoring bonus points along the way, adding an extra element to an appetising encounter.

But it was Cornwall, backed by their loyal Trelawny’s Army, who had joined them on the trip to London, who raced out of the blocks with two tries in the first ten minutes to rock their opponents.

Robin Wedlake celebrates as Billy Searle goes over. Pic: Simon Bryant/IktisPhoto

Searle continued from where he left off against Surrey with another try, converted by Shepherd, before Matavesi went over for the fifth time in the competition to give the Black and Gold a 12-0 lead, and ensure his status as the tournament’s joint-leading try-scorer.

But a Jack Lavin penalty and a try from hooker Paul Millea, converted by Lavin, hauled Cheshire back to within two points, only for two Shepherd penalties to put Cornwall 18-10 up at the break.

Cheshire started brightly in the second half and Lavin’s penalty reduced the arrears, before a second effort shortly afterwards bounced off the crossbar, but then the Black and Gold took over.

Herbie Stupple had the final touch after a great break by Robin Wedlake had been held up close to the line and Shepherd converted to establish some daylight after 53 minutes.

Shepherd kicked another penalty and fittingly he rounded off the scoring with a try out wide in the dying moments, landing a tremendous conversion to underline the Duchy’s supremacy in the match and spark scenes of jubilation among the travelling Trelawny’s Army.