Champ Rugby club counting the cost of Storm Goretti damage

Cornish Pirates are having to consider a temporary move after Storm Goretti caused hundreds of thousands of pounds to their Mennaye Field ground.

Gusts of up to 90mph ripped through Cornwall on Thursday night and the main grandstand roof now has sizeable holes in it, possing a health and a safety risk.

The Pirates, currently languising in 10th place in the Champ Rugby table, face a race against time to get the ground fit for purpose again, with their next home game against Ampthill only 15 days away.

“We’ve already reached out to local clubs, Redruth and Camborne, the people I’ve spoken to have been incredibly welcoming,” Pirates chief executive, Sally Pettipher, told the BBC.

“They’ve looked, they don’t have matches on our next home match, 24 January, so if we needed to move, they’re willing to host us.

“But it might be that the repair plan says we can clear the debris and potentially have that stand available, as long as everybody comes with an umbrella, it would be a stand without a roof.

“But as of this moment, we do not know.”