NEW Bude head coach Steve Harris is targeting a league and cup double ahead of the new Counties Two Cornwall season which gets underway on Saturday with a home clash with St Austell Seconds (3pm).

The Seasiders finished third last year under Sam Parker who was relieved of his duties not long after, but the club are determined to go one better and secure the one promotion slot and return to Counties One Western West where they last were in the 2024/25 season.

Harris, who has moved to the area having left Staffordshire-based Burntwood after six successful years in the role, spent more than 30 years in the USA playing and coaching before heading back to the UK.

On taking the job, he said: “The opportunity to coach Bude gave me the chance to combine both ambitions — a new coaching challenge and a move to an area I’d wanted to live in.

“Pre-season has certainly provided that challenge. Coming into a new club means learning about a new group of players, understanding their strengths and weaknesses and, just as importantly, getting them to understand how I want us to play.

“We’ve been working hard on both sides of the ball, developing new attacking and defensive systems, as well as building an identity that belongs to this group.

“One of the most interesting parts has been creating our own language for the way we play. We’ve developed specific calls and terminology for our set-piece plays and attacking shapes. The idea is to create a common language that allows the players to communicate quickly and clearly on the pitch. Eventually, a simple word or call should tell the whole team exactly what shape we're looking to get into or what play we're trying to execute. It’s something that takes time to develop, but it’s been great to see the players embracing it.”

Bude were narrowly beaten 12-7 by one-league higher Saltash on Saturday and Harris felt their were positives.

He added: “We created a lot of opportunities in their red zone, but we didn’t capitalise as we left probably up to four tries out there. That will be a work on this week. But now, after all the hard work of pre-season, the league campaign gets underway on Saturday. That’s when the talking stops and the rugby begins.

“We’ve put a lot of work into building this team, developing our systems and creating our own identity. Now I'm looking forward to seeing how that translates when the points are on the line. There has been a dramatic transition in the last eight weeks and I can’t wait to see their full potential.

“Saturday will be my first experience of a league game at Bude, which I’m really looking forward to, but I also enjoy visiting new clubs and grounds and their culture. But if we are to achieve what we want to this season, then we need to be comfortable playing both home and away.”

Also this Saturday, Bude Seconds travel to Penryn to take on Camborne School of Mines in Counties Three Cornwall, while Bude Colts entertain their Okehampton counterparts in a friendly fixture prior to the start of their own league campaign in the Cornwall Colts League (1pm).

On Sunday, Bude Ladies host Truro Women in their seasonal opener in the Women’s NC2 South West (West) League (2.30pm).