Preston Grasshoppers host Wharfedale this Saturday with both sides coming into the game off the back of impressive wins last weekend.
Hoppers beat sixth placed Otley with a convincing 25-10 victory at Lightfoot Green but Wharfedale’s victory was far more attention grabbing as they beat league leaders Hull Ionians 24-12 with a 4-try bonus point at The Avenue. The result is made even more impressive when you consider that Wharfedale spent most of the game with 14 men after Matty Houghton was sent off.
The league leaders will have breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that both of their closest rivals for promotion, Fylde and Chester had both been beaten on the road, but they will surely have one eye on Huddersfield who leap frogged Fylde into third following another victory and now sit just 8 points adrift with a game in hand. The closing weeks of the season will surely provide more twists and turns as the National 2 North promotion race hots up.
Hoppers and Wharfedale have met in League action on just eleven occasions in the past with the Yorkshire side leading the way with seven wins against Hoppers four. Before the two clubs met each other in League action, there were four Club Games, the first of these taking place at Lightfoot Green back on the 1stof April 1991 when our opponents went under the name of Upper Wharfedale in the fixture book and whilst Hoppers were competing in National 3 North, our opponents league fixtures took place two levels below in North 2. A sign of things to come from the Yorkshire club came with the visitors achieving a narrow victory on the day by ten points to four. In the return fixture the following season in Yorkshire, Hoppers recorded their first victory at that venue by eighteen points to twelve.
Hoppers supporters who made the trip to Wharfedale earlier in the season will be hoping there is no repeat of the outcome that afternoon which saw Wharfedale run out comfortable 39-22 winners. With victories last weekend both Hoppers and Wharfedale ended runs of three consecutive defeats for both clubs. Both teams will be hoping to put together back to back victories this week which for Hoppers would be just the second time it has happened this season.
TEAM NEWS
1. Oga MABAYA
2. PJ MILLEA (C)
3. Peter ALTHAM
4. Adam HOWARD
5. Ally MURRAY
6. Ryan CARLSON
7. Teddy LEATHERBARROW
8. Matt LAMPREY
9. James GOUGH
10. Thomas DAVIDSON
11. Scott JORDAN
12. James FITZPATRICK
13. Alex HURST
14. Tyler SPENCE
15. Nathan POPE
16. O. TRIPPIER
17. N. MILLER
18. L. PROCTER
19. P. ARNOLD
20. S. STOTT
