Alex Ducker (born ) is an English and Cornish professional rugby union & rugby league player who plays as a winger or full back. He is currently playing at Plymouth Albion having signed for the club in the summer of 2019 from Camborne. An extremely gifted try scorer who can also kick points, he is most comfortable on the wing but can also play at full back. During his career he has led a nomadic existence which has seen him play for all of the top club sides in Cornwall including a stint with the Cornish Pirates. Ducker has been capped by the Cornwall senior rugby union side and has played summer rugby league with the Cornish Rebels, as well as experiencing Premiership Rugby Sevens with the Exeter Chiefs.
Rugby union career
Early career
Ducker began his rugby career at Camborne at the age of 8. He played youth rugby for the club until 14 when he joined rivals Redruth to play for their colts. After a season with Redruth he returned to Camborne, where he would start his senior career. In October 2013 an injury crisis saw him called up in to the first team for a league game away to Chippenham, making his senior début for Town aged 17 in a close defeat by the team that would finish as Tribute South West 1 West champions. He would start the next game, a 27–10 over Cullompton, but would find appearances hard to come by for the rest of the season in a Camborne side that fought their way to a fifth-place finish. The 2011–12 season saw Ducker remain on the fringes of the Camborne first team as they improved their league ranking with a 4th-place finish. Although appearances were still limited, Ducker gave a glimpse of his potential by scoring a try in Camborne's 11–20 defeat by Redruth in the Rodda's Cup match on 26 December.
In the summer of 2012, with opportunities at Camborne limited, the young Ducker decided to try his luck with Pentyn, playing a division down in Tribute Western Counties West. With less competition for places, Ducker was able to become a first team regular at his new club, scoring multiple tries including braces against Truro, Devonport Services and Bideford as well as a hat-trick in the last game of the season, a 29–44 defeat by Ivybridge. As well as showing exceptional try scoring ability, Ducker also proved a reliable backup kicker in a Penryn side that finished a respectable 5th in the league.
The 2013–14 season saw Ducker continue to terrorise defences in Tribute Western Counties West, scoring back to back hat-tricks in the first two league games, as Penryn beat first St Ives, and then Tavistock. His try scoring form would continue that autumn, including another hat-trick in a victory over Bude, and this led to him coming to the attention of former club, Camborne, who had resigned him by November. He scored a try on his first game back with Town, a 23–17 victory over Chard RFC in the league, and despite moving back up a division, continued to play with confidence, contributing 24 tries in just 17 games as his side went on to finish 3rd in Tribute South West 1 West, just missing out on the promotion playoff spot to Chard. He would also grab a try in the impressive 35–26 victory over Redruth in the Rodda's Milk Cup over the festive period. The final highlight of the season would see Camborne win the Cornwall Cup but unfortunately for Ducker he was unable to take part in the victory, having already appeared in the competition with Penryn. Ducker's outstanding form with Camborne saw him called up by Cornwall, making his début in a 17–0 victory over Devon at Polson Bridge in Launceston, as Cornwall retained the Tamar Cup.
Pirates and Back Again
Ducker's prolific try scoring in the south-west regional leagues saw him come to the attention of RFU Championship side Cornish Pirates, and he signed for the club during the summer of 2014. Although he enjoyed a good pre-season, scoring 4 tries in 5 appearances, including 2 against the University of Bath he was unable to break into the Pirates first team and by October he was loaded to Launceston, who played two divisions down in National League 2 South. This loan move did not work out either, and by December Ducker returned to Camborne, scoring a try in his first game back as they beat Bideford 28–16 at home. He would go to feature in all of Town's remaining fixtures of the season, scoring 14 tries including hat-tricks against Cullompton and Avonmouth Old Boys. Although Camborne could only manage a 6th-place finish in the league they did retain the Cornwall Cup (for the third time in a row), Ducker getting the second try as his team went on to defeat St Austell 23–13 in a tough match at St Clements Hill in Truro which required extra time.