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Unofficial Cornish Pirates Fans Forum

How I Became A Pirates Fan
Discussion started by Unofficial Pirates , 31 December, 2011 13:35
How I Became A Pirates Fan
Unofficial Pirates 31 December, 2011 13:35
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Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
Cowship Pirate 31 December, 2011 14:46
Mine was very simple--father took me down to the mennaye when I was 7 or 8---late 40's----been hooked ever since.

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
Caradon Pirate 31 December, 2011 16:11
Born in Sennen, mother's family from Penzance so when i became interested in rugby in my early 20's ( as i was an avid wendyball fan / player up till then) it was only natural i became a Pirates fan even though i lived in Bodmin then Liskeard.

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
Sawtry Pirate 31 December, 2011 17:01
Back in the mid 90`s, stayed in one of the B&B`s right opposite the Mennaye. Ever since then, and at the time a wendy ball follower, have followed the progress of the Pirates. Moreso in recent years, an avid follower. No interest in the round ball anymore. What a fantastic team and supporters we have!

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
old prop steve 31 December, 2011 20:08
When I was seven the dear old nuns at St.Josephs Infants School in Hayle thought I was getting rather too rough and 'he really ought to go to a boys school'.

Dad sent me to St.Erbyns where you could work out all your aggression on something called.... rugby.

I immediately thought it was the best thing that had ever been invented and nearly 60 years later I still do.

Going to follow the Pirates was then the most natural thing in the world. We didnt have a TV set and all we had at home was soppy ponies. Even then I was a bit too grumpy for the Pony Club.

My first heroes were Alvin Williams, Graham Paul and Geoff Vingoe. They seemed like Gods to me then and I know its daft but am still in awe of them even now.

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
ascloseasthis 31 December, 2011 20:21
My first game was in 1966 or 67. I remember Alvin Williams who seemed a colossus. Owen Barnes played at full back I think. I also seem to remember a Royal Marine band playing sometime during the day. Anyone else there?

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
*Stalwart 31 December, 2011 21:03
I was there, Rob! Can't remember which game, but remember the band.
I always associate Marching Band music with The Mennaye and The Pirates - it was always on the tannoy before the game - and sometimes an actual band would play, like that day.

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
ascloseasthis 01 January, 2012 17:52
I was 10, you must have been 23 Dave!!!!!!

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
Sennen Lad 01 January, 2012 18:06
For me it was easy, parents are from St. Just, even though I was born 'up country, and now live in West Sussex. But needless to say I fell head over heels in love with West Cornwall from a very early age, and met my future wife on the beach at Sennen Cove when I was young. On our first holiday together back in the early 90's we stayed in a B&B opposite the Mennaye, and the hotel where we stayed on our honeymoon was in Alexandra Road. We now take our son down every single year to enjoy the best part of the world for himself when we stay in Ludgvan,

Of course, Penzance & Newlyn RFC were always on our doorstep, so who better to support from those early days!!

Re: How I Became A Pirates Fan
KarlMarx 02 January, 2012 22:11
For those who didn't see my article in the most recent CPSC Newsletter, below is the story of how I became a Pirate. Suffice to say that I was a huge wendyball supporter (love is blind!) for many years, but supporting this wonderful club helped in no small part in eventually turning me away completely from the dark side......


A conversation with a fellow Pirates supporter or opposition fan at a game, that I have not spoken to before, is usually interjected with (once they have heard my distinct West London accent), ‘So how come you support the Pirates?’ Do you have family there?’, and my reply is normally a quite sheepish, ‘Erm, no’.
Having been born just around the corner from Rosslyn Park and brought up virtually in the shadow of Twickenham, it’s fair to assume that I should be supporting one of the many clubs in that area, but having first visited Cornwall ten years ago, subsequently falling in love with it’s beauty and culture (West Cornwall in particular), and coming back on a regular basis, I became interested in Penzance & Newlyn (as the first team was still known as at the time), by reading about the club in the local press. I wanted to get a chance to watch the Pirates, but they were never playing at home whenever I was down in the Duchy, and due to other sporting commitments at the time, I missed the club when they were playing up country closer to home. I even had a Pirates shirt that I proudly wore, but had never seen them play.....
Eventually my opportunity came when the Pirates had reached the EDF Trophy Final. Now I must admit a little embarrassment to this fact, as it makes me sound like a glory chaser, but anyone who knows my football supporting history (now a former life!), will understand that this is far from the truth. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was an amazing day, but most of all I came to see what friendly supporters the Pirates had and what a special club it was, and with a trip back down the Great Western Railway already planned for the following weekend, my first home game came against Birmingham & Solihull, and then came a trip the Saturday after to Coventry. By now, I had signed up to the forum (an essential tool for any exile to keep in touch with the goings on hundreds of miles away). I was well and truly hooked, and couldn’t wait for my first full season.
The most overwhelming thing for me, as being a non Cornishman with no links to the Duchy, is how welcome I have been made by all of the supporters I have met, and now have a good few that I proudly call my friends. Due to the cost of travel and accommodation, I may only make two or three home games a season, but I attend around 90% of away games, and my enthusiasm to making my next game never diminishes, as I look forward catching up with everyone again, and of course cheering on the Pirates, often joining in with the now famous (or is that infamous?) ‘Give us a P.........................’




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I may have been born a Londoner, and it may have taken me thirty six years to discover my destiny, but one thing is certain - I was born to be a Pirate! (Sm109)


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