“We want to bring the trophy back north”: Lancashire get set for Twickenham final against Cornwall

Alex Loney is relishing the prospect ahead as Lancashire look to claim county honours this weekend.

Fylde’s joint-head coach leads the Red Rose to Twickenham on Saturday, when they face Cornwall in the Bill Beaumont County Championship final (5pm).

Lancashire booked their place after beating Yorkshire 58-40 over two legs on May 9 and 16.

Cornwall ended Kent’s three-year hold on the trophy in more emphatic fashion, winning by an aggregate of 129-33 in their games on May 23 and 30.

With Lancashire having had three weeks off to rest up and Cornwall match-sharp after consecutive weekends, it begs the question as to who has the advantage in terms of being better prepared.

“I’m guessing we’ll know at about 7pm on Saturday,” Loney said.

“When you have weeks off or you play games back to back, you can look at it as if we’re well refreshed and any niggles or bumps won’t be there.

“On the other hand, Cornwall will be sharp after two games in two weeks so you can look at it either way: when we play and when Cornwall play is out of our hands really.

“You’ve got two teams who haven’t been in the final for a few years but I’m really excited for the game.

“They’ll be bringing a lot of people, so the atmosphere will be special but, beyond that, we’re just focusing on ourselves really.

“Whether it was Kent or Cornwall, you’re never going to know too much about them, but we’re just going to manage ourselves and make sure we have the best possible preparation.”

That preparation involved a training session on Thursday before heading south on matchday.

Lancashire’s management have taken that decision, feeling it would be better for players to sleep in their own beds on the Friday rather than taking time off work that day, travelling down and then having time to kill before the 5pm start.

The hope is that decision pays off with a first county title since beating Hertfordshire in 2018.

A win would extend Lancashire’s record tally of 25, eight clear of Gloucestershire, while Cornwall are seeking their eighth title and a first since defeating Cheshire four years ago.

Loney added: “First and foremost, we’ve selected a really good group of people.

“There’s definite evidence our lads are putting in serious effort for the cause and for their fellow players.

“Some of the ways we’ve moved the ball, we’ve shown plenty of threat and managed momentum really well.

“There have been times where we’ve been under the cosh and had to manage that, while our set-piece detail has been pleasing as well.

“There are lots of elements we want to be better at but we’ve got a way we want to play, we’ve got some good patterns and some structures that will benefit us.

“We were in the final a few years ago and got on the wrong side of a tight game (2023’s 39-37 loss to Kent) but we’ve said it to the players, we’ve got the acknowledgement of getting to Twickenham but we want to win the game.

“We want to bring the trophy back north, though we know it’s going to be a tough game.”