Bodilly fulfilling ambition to play for Cornwall

Max Bodilly says he is living out one of his rugby ambitions by playing for Cornwall.

The former Exeter, Cornish Pirates and Ealing full-back made his debut for the Duchy in their County Championship warm-up game against an Exeter XV on Saturday.

The 31-year-old became player-coach at National League Two side London Welsh this season - and having stepped back from full-time professional rugby became eligible to play for his home county.

"It's always one of those things that I've wanted to do as a Cornishman," he told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"You can't do it when you're a full-time player, but a lot of my friends have done it, a lot of ex-players that I've played with have done it and the support that the county gets is huge.

"So it's definitely something that I had my eye on when I stepped away from full-time rugby, and you see the away following that we bring is huge."

Cornwall were beaten 36-33 at Sandy Park by an Exeter side made up mainly of academy players - although the likes of Ehren Painter and Lewis Pearson added some hardened top-flight experience for the hosts.

It was their only game before a two-legged play-off with reigning county champions Kent over the next two weekends to determine who will face Lancashire at Twickenham next month for the Bill Beaumont Cup.

As well as Bodilly, Cornwall have top-flight experience though captain Sam Matavesi and his brother Josh, as well as former Gloucester and Cornish Pirates back Kyle Moyle.

"We asked for a committed performance - we needed to stand up to them in the close contact area and the scrum and the line-out and to be fair our boys delivered," Cornwall head coach Graham Dawe told BBC Radio Cornwall.

"We have in mind the side we want to pick within reason, but definitely there's seven or eight boys there that have put their hand up to be included.

"They see this pitch on television every other weekend, and for them to grace it and to play on it, that would have lifted their game.

"You don't take days like this lightly. You play rugby to play on the big stages if you're really ambitious, and these guys are ambitious."