Mark Nelson expects amazing atmosphere for county showdown at Twickenham

Fylde and Lancashire's Mark Nelson is relishing a raucous atmosphere at Twickenham a week on Saturday, when the Red Rose rugby union side will most probably face Cornwall in the County Championship final.

It's only 'half-time' in the second semi-final but Cornwall's 73-14 win in their first leg means that Kent's three-year hold on the Bill Beaumont Trophy is surely over, even before this weekend's rematch in Greenwich.

It means a Lancashire side coached by Fylde's Alex Loney can plan early for their first Allianz Stadium visit since 2023 with a fairly strong idea of who they will be up against.

And the likely final certainly appeals to Fylde chairman of rugby and Lancashire co-ordinator Nelson, who told The Gazette: “Kent have a massive mountain to climb and I can't see them pulling it back, even if they load the team with Blackheath players.

“But having Cornwall at Twickenham will give the occasion an additional boost. The old cliché is that whenever they qualify for the final the last one out of Cornwall has to turn off the light, so I'm sure it will be a great atmosphere.”

Lancashire won their semi-final against Yorkshire 58-40 on aggregate, the foundations laid with a 20-point win in the opening game at Fylde.

Nelson added: “I think we set the tone at the Woodlands, but we knew it would still be tough in Hull and they made 12 changes.

“We had to keep them at arm's length but we approached the game positively. And although they scored first, we showed maturity under pressure to see the game out.”

The double-header semi-finals were an exciting innovation in the Senior Men's County Championship, even if critics could point to a further downsizing of the competition.

Nelson felt it a change for the better and explained: “They have two-leg ties in football all the time and it did whet the appetite.

“From our point of view, it was a refreshing change and certainly better than having Somerset in our group (which was the case for the past two years).

“But from the competition's point of view, it isn't great to have only four teams involved. But you can only play in the competition that's put in front of you.”

Nelson also reflects positively on Fylde's campaign in National Two North, adding: “We finished sixth and had a good season overall.

“We didn't lose away until January and there were a lot of positives, particularly the emergence of talented young homegrown players.

“We are a go-to club for young players who want to progress their careers but we are also very focused on keeping the pressure on at the top end of the table.”

The make-up of next season's N2N is yet to be finalised. “I'm not sure how they are going to do it but it will be an interesting league with (Halifax club) Heath and Huddersfield coming up,” added Nelson, who also revealed that Fylde have pencilled in a pre-season match against Borders club Kelso.

But for now his focus is on Twickenham, dusting down his trusty England Counties blazer and maybe hoping for a drop in recent temperatures.

“But the players get water breaks these days and will tell you they'd rather play in that sort of heat than in the rain,” he added.

READ MORE: Fylde boss Loney looks ahead to county final