CORNISH All Blacks player/coach Ryan Westren has praised skipper Lloyd Duke after the openside-flanker made his 200th appearance for the club in Saturday’s 20-16 victory over Ivybridge at Polson Bridge.

Duke, 29, who only started playing the game as a 16-year-old, made his debut back in December 2009, became an automatic pick in the 2014/15 campaign, and hasn’t looked back, barely missing a game from there on in.

Since then his leadership qualities and all-round game, means he has become a firm favourite at the club, including becoming captain ahead of the 2016/17 season.

Talking before the Ivybridge fixture, which saw the All Blacks move seven points clear of the bottom two in the South West Premier, Westren said: “Lloyd, as everyone greatly appreciates, is a ‘proper’ club man, who also encapsulates everything that is great about rugby, caring as much off the field as he does on it.

“As captain, he leads by example, putting his body on the line week in week out, which at times has meant playing whilst injured — ‘okay’, you try telling him he’s not playing on a Saturday! 

“As someone who has fought hard to get where he is today, Lloyd is deservedly admired, having learnt his trade, bided his time, sought league rugby elsewhere to get exposure, and all with the goal of being a ‘Black’.

“He leads from the front and will deserve every bit of the recognition rightly bestowed on him today, although knowing the man he will accept it with politeness and modesty before quickly focusing on the next task in hand.”

Duke, received a tankard following the game, which was presented by chairman Paul Harrison.

Reflecting on the achievement, Duke said: “It’s obviously a massive honour to have got to the milestone. Genuinely every time I get to pull on this jersey I get the same buzz as I did for my first time doing so, but I felt that the time to reflect on that was going to be after the game.

“The result was the most important thing on the day and to get the win, against a good side who fought until the end, made the day a very special one for myself and all our supporters to remember.”