St Austell Brewery takes home the trophy in the battle of the breweries!

Two of Cornwall’s biggest breweries went head to head at a charity football match raising a substantial amount for Cornwall Air Ambulance.

On Sunday 10th November, at St Minver Football Club, St Austell Brewery and Sharps Brewery went head to head on the pitch to raise money for an excellent cause.

The match kicked off at 2.30pm, with the first half starting brightly for Sharp’s Brewery. Three well hit shots were saved impressively by the St Austell Brewery goalkeeper. As the half went on, St Austell settled into the game and opened the scoring with a well struck shot sending the ball in to the bottom corner. Sharp’s had plenty of chances but just could not convert to a goal sending them in one behind at the break.

Into the second half, both sides had their chances with the Sharp’s keeper pulling off exceptional saves keeping his team in the game. As the half went on, St Austell were able grab two more goals taking the game away from Sharp’s. Tired legs continued to battle to the very end and a consolation goal was finally managed by Sharp’s. After a tense, play-off, full time concluded at 3-1 with St Austell taking the title of champions.

After the presentation of the trophy and medals, both teams united with some much-deserved post-match food and beers at The Point at Polzeath (Bear Bar) where the raffle ticket winners were also announced.

Dan Cornford, brewing team leader at Sharp’s Brewery and football team captain said, “Every year, we really look forward to the battle of the breweries. It’s a bit of fun and it’s all for a great cause. It’s a charity that is really close to my heart as I personally survived a nasty road traffic accident in 2016 thanks to the Cornwall Air Ambulance’s vital service. We had a few new additions to the team this year and had done a little light training in preparation for the match which we haven’t done in previous years but unfortunately this still didn’t get us the result we wanted. Nevertheless, all involved enjoyed themselves and we raised money for a very worthwhile cause.”

Dean Kitley, cask racking and warehouse manager at St Austell Brewery and team captain said, “It was a fantastic match against Sharp’s Brewery and we were delighted to bring the trophy home for a third year running. It was great fun and we’re so pleased to have raised money for Cornwall Air Ambulance in the process. Bring on next year’s game!’

Sharp’s Brewery was recently announced as the first Major Appeal Sponsor of the Cornwall Air Ambulance’s New Heli Appeal. Therefore, it was a no-brainer to extend their support this cause through this fun charity match. Both teams nobly put aside any trade rivalry to come together and sell raffle tickets prior to the game as well as at the event itself.

James Nicholls, marketing controller at Sharp’s Brewery said, “It’s fantastic that the two breweries can come together on the pitch for such a valuable cause. It’s all good fun and something we look forward to year after year. It was our turn to host this year’s game at St Minver and we were delighted with the turnout. We look forward to taking St Austell Brewery on again next year and having another shot at sporting success.”