Local consortium takes over at Cornish Pirates

New Cornish Pirates owners include Anthony Whyte (left), Phillip Champ (centre) and Lee Miles

A consortium of four local businessmen has taken over Championship side Cornish Pirates.

The group have taken control of the club from long-serving benefactor Sir Richard 'Dicky' Evans, who has been at the helm for much of the past 30 years.

Evans announced in March 2022 that he would stop funding Pirates at the end of 2024, and the club said in December that they would have the finances to keep going until the end of the current season.

The new ownership group is led by current board member Martin Hudson, who is associated with the horticulture business that was founded by Evans.

He will be joined in the consortium by Philip Champ, Anthony Whyte and Lee Miles.

Champ is a sponsor and shareholder of the club and runs a medical supply firm, Whyte's scaffolding firm also sponsors the club, while Miles runs a hospitality and farming business that supplies the club.

Paul Durkin will stay on as chairman and Sally Pettipher will continue to act as the club's chief executive.

"It's nice to be able to give some good news," Durkin told BBC Sport.

"It's nice to be able to say we've found a group of fans who are really passionate, who want this club to continue to thrive.

"Rugby is in a difficult situation. We know we were in a difficult situation.

"We needed to find a future, and luckily these guys have stepped up to the plate and that's what's important."

Cornish Pirates are sixth in the Championship, having finished second last season

While the new owners will not be pumping in millions of pounds, they say they will give some financials support.

But they hope that their experience in business will support the club as Pirates look to improve their home at the Mennaye Field and increase their off-field income.

"From our perspective we believe that we can build the commercial side of this club significantly beyond what it is today," Champ told BBC Sport.

"Therefore we don't see ourselves as being that benefactor-driven business like a lot of clubs are.

"There are also a lot of those same clubs talking publicly that the model doesn't work, that the benefactor's had enough.

"Myself and my colleagues here now who are investing, we're not investing those huge sums, what we are investing though - as well as some money - is time, business experience and passion and drive.

"We're rugby fans, we're Pirates fans, and I think with that we can do a huge amount and just maybe that becomes the model of the future - not someone putting in millions who then one day gets fed up of putting in millions or their family get fed up of them putting in millions."

Joint-head coach Alan Paver helped lead the side to a club-best second place in the Championship last season.

Injuries and a number of key pre-season departures have seen Pirates' fortunes fall back this term - they are currently in sixth place - but Paver says he and fellow coach Gavin Cattle feel the future looks promising.

"Myself and Gav are really excited about the future and we are looking at how we're going to build that squad," said Paver.

"We're talking about infrastructure and how we can improve the Mennaye.

"So we're focused on the now, of course, but it's getting exciting because we can start planning for the future and that's important for this club.

"No matter what this club needs to move forward, it's got to be here.

"It's massive for the community, it's massive for Cornwall and it gives inspiration to all those young men and women who aspire to play at the top level of sport, and I think we are the shining light of that in the county."

Former Cornish Pirates owner Dicky Evans received his knighthood from the King last summer after being included in the 2024 New Year Honours