independent Cornish news and comment

Penzance Ladies are football champions

Penzance will be playing South West Combination football for the first time in 2008-9, after being crowned South West League champions on Sunday.


The Magpies had an agonising five-week wait to discover whether they had done enough to take the title, a time period that had been extended by three county cup postponements for challengers Cheltenham Town.

Managers Bert Lawrence and Christian Lett had seen their side get off to a flier, not only with hefty pre-season victories and nine straight league wins but with a free-scoring flair that had topped one hundred goals by mid-October.

A telling point had been the FA Women's Cup clash at Cullompton, where Penzance won through on penalties, having played an hour with the team reduced to ten through injury. The level of fitness achieved by the squad continued to pay dividends through the season.

But the blip in the season began when a crucial 2-0 lead was let slip at second-placed Cullompton and successive defeats to Cheltenham blew the title race wide open. With all sorts of permutations now possible, Penzance kept themselves in with a decent chance of the championship, as they returned to form for their last game, defeating Cullompton 2-0. Teenage-striker Rose Knuckey came off the bench to score both goals, finishing as the team's top scorer in her first season of regional league football.

With Penzance having done all they could, the position at the top was that the title would be coming to West Cornwall, unless Cheltenham could not just win their last three games but add thirteen to their goal-difference in the process.

Desipte the frustration, the delays in Cheltenham playing could well have worked in the leaders favour. When finally the Gloucestershire side's cup tie with Filton College was played, they were thrashed 8-0, then the following week held 1-1 by local rivals Gloucester City.

Celebrations could at last begin for Penzance and plans for next season, plus fund-raising for the long-distance trips and inevitable overnight stays. Penzance will be only the third Cornish side to play in the combination leagues, after Saltash Pilgrims (now Plymouth Argyle) and Newquay, although they had the option to be founder members in their days as Truro City Ladies.

A best season to date for the club, has also seen their reserves complete a divisional league and cup double and the Under-12 girls win their league at the first attempt. In the forthcoming campaign, the Magpies hope to field sides at under-8 through to under-16, in addition to the two senior sides.

Any players interested in attending summer trials for the senior sides, or joining the junior section, click here to e-mail us, or visit the club website here.