Launceston RC

We are really delighted to introduce our main Sponsors for this season. They are supporting the Club and Teams in many ways and we hope you in turn will support them. Below is a little more detail together with, of course, links to their sites so you can find out a little more about them.

Sharps Brewery 

As one of the biggest breweries in Cornwall and the South West, Launceston Rugby Club are delighted to receive continued support from Sharp’s Brewery.

Sharp’s Brewery, based in Rock, Cornwall, is the home of the UK’s number one cask and bottled beer, Doom Bar, and has grown to become the largest brewer of cask beer in the South West. 

Amongst other great causes, Sharp’s Brewery is hugely passionate about supporting Cornish rugby, so the sponsorship of Launceston Rugby Club has been welcomed with open arms by the club. 

Dan Frost, Sharp’s Brewery’s regional on-trade manager, knows just how important this support is. As a former rugby player himself, facilitating the Sharp’s Doom Bar sponsorship of Cornish rugby clubs like Launceston RFC is a dream part of the job!

He said: “As a team, we’re very proud of Sharp’s long-standing support of grassroots rugby in Cornwall. Personally, I grew up playing rugby in Cornwall and have played games at all of the clubs we sponsor over the years, including Launceston. To be able to offer support to rugby clubs means a great deal to me as I know how vital these clubs are to local communities - bringing people together through sport is a wonderful thing. 

“I speak for everyone at Sharp’s when I say we are delighted to be able to help Launceston RFC realise their potential and reach their goals. The club has a really inspiring team behind it, shown through the work of the volunteers during lockdown.”

Rocks Locks

Rocks Locks, a local key cutting and locksmiths company based in the centre of Launceston, has kindly sponsored Launceston Rugby Club on the pitchside board and kit shorts.

Run by Ian Rocks, Rocks Locks has been trading in Launceston since 2014. The business was based in Ian’s van to do call-outs, then progressed to Ian acquiring a small shop on Madford Lane. In 2016, Rocks Locks moved to 4 Southgate Street, where they remain today.

In the shop, the team offers instant key cutting of all types of keys for home and business, as well as car keys, watch batteries and strap replacement. They supply and install intruder alarms, CCTV systems and service and maintain fire alarms and fire extinguishers. The in-house locksmiths attend all emergency repairs and routine works.

Not only does Rocks Locks offer locks, safes and home security products, it also stocks a full range of items for the home, including kitchenware, glasses, china, pots and pans, cleaning products, champagne buckets and so much more.

Ian has been involved with Launceston Rugby Club since his son Jack joined the club, starting in the mini juniors in 2009 and now in his second year in the Colts team.

Attending most of the home games and some of the away games since his son joined the club, Ian takes his camera along to capture fantastic action shots during the games, plus often partakes in a beer after the match.

Having sponsored them for over five years now, Ian feels proud to support his local club. He said: “I love the club immensely and it’s great to see the pitch in use once again and, of course, the clubhouse open! Rocks Locks will continue to proudly sponsor the club and to be on the pitch with the players for the foreseeable future.”

The Cornish Biltong Co, run by Rupert Freestone, is one of the main kit sponsors for Launceston Rugby Club, and is also advertising in the club programme and fixtures booklet.

Cornish All Blacks player Rupert set up the business in 2016/17 with his fellow CABs player Levent (Fred) Bulut, starting as a hobby until 2019 when things started to get a little more serious. With Fred leaving the business to focus on his teaching career, Rupert took the reins and started driving the business forward, with an emphasis on building the brand.

In May 2021, Rupert decided to focus on the business full-time, and the Cornish Biltong Co now supplies a number of local retailers such as delis, farm shops, bars, gyms and cafes, as well as having a successful e-commerce platform 

Rupert’s aim for 2022 is to extend this to major retail listings and to continue building the Biltong empire.

Rupert said: “I’m immensely proud to be supporting the club both from a playing perspective, and from a sponsorship one. I played all of my age group rugby at Launceston, and had dreamed of playing for the 1^st XV from a young age. But when I finished school I got the opportunity to play professionally with Plymouth which was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I then moved to Bristol and spent a year with Bristol Rugby - now the Bears of course - before ending up in London with Championship side Richmond.

“After 10 years of playing professionally my fiancée and I decided to return to Cornwall and by chance have ended up back in Launceston – knowing so many of the boys and the coaches, it was a lure too strong and so here I am putting the boots on again. Naturally it made sense to get involved on the sponsorship side of things too so here we are!”

M&M Plant (Devon & Cornwall) Ltd is giving back to its community by sponsoring Launceston Rugby Club.

M&M Plant has been part of the Launceston community and trading since 2006 and its Sales and Engineering teams have over 40 years’ experience. They are main dealers for Case Construction and Wacker Neuson, offering a full line of equipment including excavators, dozers, loaders, hammers, dumpers, rollers and compaction equipment, with an extensive portfolio of self-drive hire machinery.

In December 2017 M&M Plant moved into their purpose-built depot beside the A30 at Kennards House. The premises have full workshop facilities for service and repair for all makes of machinery and the Parts department can supply spares for most makes of machinery, genuine and non-genuine. Both new and used machines are in stock at all times and they export used machinery overseas.

The team have extensive experience in the construction machinery industry and offer customers a one stop shop from purchase of a new or used machine and full aftercare with its team of Service Engineers and Parts Department.

Sponsoring Launceston Rugby Club has been a way of giving back to the community. A spokesperson from M&M Plant said: “As a company being able to support Launceston Rugby Club as a sponsor is a local business giving something back to the community and those who support local business. We wish the team a huge success for the season ahead.”

You can catch M&M Plant on team shirts, the club calendar, programme, fixtures book and board.

The Arundell is based in Lifton, Devon, and was once a coaching inn, situated conveniently on the old A30 to accommodate coaches travelling through Devon and Cornwall.

It has provided a resting and ‘refuelling’ place for travellers for more than 200 years, and over that period has grown from being an 8-room coaching inn to now offering superb country accommodation with 25 rooms.

The Arundell is also conveniently situated in the Tamar and Lyd valley, which are host to some of the best wild fishing in England during the summer months, and game shooting in the winter months. The hotel specialises in offering these sports directly to its clients, and is a centre of knowledge for anyone wanting to learn to fish or shoot having taught thousands to do so over the last 60 years. 

With a strong clientele of locals, plus sportsmen and visitors from all across the UK and internationally, the Arundell has also developed a reputation as an establishment that offers some of the finest food in the South West. The hotel is host to incredibly talented chefs, who source local produce and deliver seasonal dishes of the highest level with superb beers and wines to match.

The staff at the hotel and in the field sports team are all locals, which is a key criteria in the Arundell’s whole philosophy, to ‘source local’. It is this local focus that has prompted the Arundell to sponsor the Launceston RFC. In fact Simon Village from the Arundell attended Camborne School of Mines and between 1986-1990 used to play against the Launceston rugby team, taking away some wonderful memories of playing at Launceston and also enjoying the good times after the matches.

The decision to sponsor the Mini-Juniors is based on the Arundell being passionate about supporting the club in being able to continue to nurture young, community players who gain so much from engaging in the sport.

Simon Village said: “The Arundell is proud to sponsor the Launceston Rugby Club, and wishes Andy the Chairman, his committee, and all the teams the very best for the season ahead.”

Claire Hayter Financial Planning is looking forward to the rugby season ahead, as she sponsors Launceston Rugby Club’s ladies’ kit, pitchside board, programme and calendar.

In 2017, following a number of years spent working at one of the local high street banks,      ‘Claire Hayter Financial Planning’ was established in the heart of Launceston town centre.

As our lives continue to grow ever complex, the need for quality financial planning from a trusted adviser has never been so important. And so, to be able to offer a personable, reliable and friendly service matters greatly to Claire, as does being able to give something back to her local community- in both a professional and personal capacity.

Claire said: “Sponsorship of the Rugby Club and specifically the Ladies’ own individual team sponsorship.

“Best of luck to all for the coming season. Come on you Guys and Girls!”