Cornish Rugby League boost the forward ranks

Cornwall RLFC have signed forward Ieuan Badham for the 2023 Betfred League 1 season.

The Welshman, 21, spent last season at the now defunct West Wales Raiders as the Llanelli based outfit finished bottom of the standings.

However, Badham, along with twin brother Ewan, who joined Cornwall’s divisional rivals Rochdale Hornets in December, were bright sparks in a dismal last campaign for the Raiders.

Badham becomes the second Raider from 2022 to join the Choughs for this current season, following in the footsteps of fellow front rower Harry Boots.

Along with his time at Stebonheath Park, Badham also spent time with Super League giants Hull FC and regularly turned out for the Airlie Birds’ second string.

He linked up with the Choughs in January of this year and after fully recovering from a concussion injury, has been given the all-clear to play by Cornwall’s medical team Dr John Garman and Ellie France.

“Bads has been itching to get going and we’re over the moon that he’s had the all clear to play,” head coach Mike Abbott told cornwallrlfc.co.uk.

“He has trained the house down without really being able to do any ball work but now he’s fit and raring to go. I can’t wait to see what he can do in this division and fair play to him because he’s had to be patient and go through all the correct return to play protocols.

“The club has supported Bads every step of the way and if selected, he will be someone we will be looking at to make a huge impact against Doncaster on Saturday.

“We have some real good options up front now and I think you saw that from our middles’ performance against London Skolars that whoever did the hard yards, be it starting props or interchanges, made a real difference to our go forward.”