THE Cornish Pirates have bolstered their squad options by confirming the signing of two young Cornish forwards.

Back-row Barnaby Elderkin, 19, together with hooker Matt Pritchard, 22, have both signed for the Championship club for the remainder of the season.

Elderkin, who is young brother to current Pirates' centre, Joe Elderkin, was educated at Truro School and Truro College - and has in the past attended England camps at both Under-17 and Under-18 level.

He has previously played for Truro, Redruth and for the Exeter Chiefs Academy, as well as guesting for the Pirates in two friendly fixtures.

Pritchard, meanwhile, heads to the Mennaye Field from National League outfit, Redruth.

Like Elderkin, he too was educated at both Truro School and Truro College and has previously featured for Helston, Truro, Falmouth and the Exeter Chiefs Academy.

He was also a member of the Cornwall Under-20s side, which lifted the Jason Leonard Cup against their Kent counterparts in 2022, as well as featuring for South West England Counties.

Commenting on the arrival of both players, Pirates' joint head coach, Gavin Cattle, said: "Barnaby has done a couple of pre-seasons with us and we have seen him develop into a fine, young rugby player. He's now decided to concentrate more on his rugby, so it's a logical option that we get him on board.

"Watching Matt for a couple of seasons, we've seen how powerful he is when he plays. He's good minutes playing in the National League with Redruth and his set-piece play and his contact work are both very good.

"We're delighted to welcome both of them into the squad."