Pirates Unveil Latest Signings - 21/02/07

Report by Mark Stevens

THE current season may have plenty of life left in it, but Cornish Pirates coach Jim McKay is continuing his forward-thinking by re-signing another three of his current first team squad.

Forwards Alan Paver, Sam Betty and Matt Evans have all agreed new deals with the ambitious National One club, who have already tied down the services of Chris Cracknell, Sam Heard, Rhodri McAtee, James Moore, Heino Senekal and Adryan Winnan for next season.

Pirates officials are hopeful there will be yet more announcements to be made in the not to distant future, but for now the focus is on Messrs Paver, Betty and Evans - all of whom have helped the Cornish club to third in the table, as well as the quarter-finals of this season's EDF Energy National Trophy quarter-finals.

Sam Betty - Alan Paver - Matt Evans

Paver is currently in his fifth season with the Pirates, having joined in August 2002 from local rivals Plymouth Albion, while South African No.8 Evans is into his third campaign, his first however being cruelly wiped out by an horrific injury sustained against Nottingham. Academy graduate Betty, meanwhile, is another who has blossomed over the past two years under the guidance of McKay and fellow coaches Mark Hewitt and Robin Cowling.

Speaking after agreeing their new deals with the club, all three admitted they were "delighted" to have prolonged their spell with the Pirates, who this weekend make the short trek up the A38 to tackle Devon neighbours Exeter Chiefs.

"I'm chuffed to be here for another year," admitted Evans, who along with McAtee, Jon Hylton and Duncan Roke have all joined the Pirates from Premiership side Worcester. "The Pirates, the club and the supporters are fantastic and it's great to be a part of all that. They are also very ambitious and I want to share in that ambition and hopefully take them onto another level." He added: "Cornwall is not only a great place to play rugby, but it's a great place to live as well. The support for rugby, especially the Pirates, is just awesome. I perhaps didn't fully appreciate it when I first came down. It was not until my injury and my time out that I realised just how fanatical some of the people are about the sport and the club down here. "For me, it's the closest thing to home. As I said, I'm delighted to have signed on again and I want to play a big part in helping the club move on further."

Matt Evans

Indeed, a similar train of thought is applied by both Betty and Paver, the latter of whom admitted he did have other offers to weigh up, but in the end was happy to commit to the Cornishman's cause.

"I'll admit I had decisions to make, but in the end the ambition of the Pirates matched that of what I want to do in my rugby career. I have ambitions to play at the very top, but so do the club as well, so we were thinking along the same lines, which is a good thing." Paver added: "I have been here for several years now and each year the club is progressing. Each season we seem to be making huge strides and this year is no different. I'm sure next season they will look to do the same and push on again. "It's good that quite a few of us have already signed on for next season. It means we don't have to worry over this final quarter about our futures, it means we can fully focus on these last few games, which are going to be very important to us."

Alan Paver

Highly-rated youngster Betty is also glad to have signed on the dotted line. "I'm very happy to be staying with the Pirates," he said. "I am really enjoying myself at the club and my game is improving all the time. Being a Cornish lad, it means a great deal to me to be playing for the Pirates. They are moving forward and hopefully so am I."