Preston Grasshoppers vs. Stourbridge, 26th October, 2.30pm
Stourbridge rugby club are the visitors to Lightfoot Green this coming weekend, bringing with them their usual loyal band of supporters who will be travelling up the M6 to Preston.
Hoppers season long list of injuries was extended even more up at Tynedale last Saturday with the game being held up for almost thirty minutes whilst Alex Hurst was attended to. Good news in that his injury isn’t as serious as initially feared and wish Alex a speedy recovery. The least said about the team’s performance and result the better! I’m sure the players would agree with this sentiment and only be looking forward.
The amount of injuries sustained since Oga left the field last season is of sizematic proportions, and a look at this season’s playing statistics shows that only four players have started in every game, with a further three either starting or appearing as a replacement.
This Saturday’s visitors are currently in the top half of the table in fourth position with four wins from seven outings to their name whilst Hoppers have slid down the table after losing their last three games.
Meetings last season between the two sides amassed a total of one hundred and forty four points with the game at Lightfoot Green being a nervous one for the home supporters as the Hoppers leading margin opened and closed throughout. A last minute Conor Trueman try giving a little more breathing space. The home side eventually hung onto a six point winning margin which gave them a double win over the Midlands side. Apart from the two victories over Stourbridge, Hoppers only other double successes last season came in the games against the three relegated sides.
The all time playing record between next Saturday’s opponents has Stourbridge having won eighteen matches to Hoppers fifteen and the League record tells a similar but rather closer story of fourteen victories to Hoppers and fifteen to Stourbridge. The overall record includes a forty four points to nineteen Powergen Cup victory to Stourbridge during the 1995/6 season at Lightfoot Green, which until a few seasons ago was their biggest winning margin over Hoppers whilst a thirty two points to three victory in their promotion season was the Hoppers best effort.
Match Sponsor
Marston’s Beer Company
Our history
Marston’s have been running pubs and brewing beer in one form or another for over 180 years. Now we’ve got around 14,300 people working for us and many more in partnership with us, and they all share our passion!
Our people; from the brewery teams, to the distribution fleet, to every single team member in our pubs, have helped us to become a thriving FTSE All Share listed company.
We have pubs that are traditional locals, family pub restaurants and fashionable town centre bars. While pubs may have changed a lot over the years, the reasons people use them hasn’t. The pub is where we go to socialise, celebrate, commiserate, relax, reflect, regroup or simply enjoy a cold beer or a bite to eat at the end of a long day.
We are now one of the country’s top pub businesses and the leading brewer of premium cask and bottled beers. We operate six breweries producing over 60 of the country’s best loved ales at our sites in: Burton on Trent (Marston’s), Oxfordshire (Wychwood & Brakspear), Cumbria (Jennings), Hampshire (Ringwood), Bedford (Eagle) and the West Midlands (Banks’s).
We’re rightly proud of our heritage – our people, our pubs and our beers. We work hard making sure that everything we do; from the beers we brew, to the pubs/clubs they are enjoyed in, and the people that serve them, are always the best that they can possibly be.
Why Hoppers?
We are a primary sponsor of Preston Grasshoppers with one of our key national brands, Wainwright Golden Beer as lead brand and also supply all other drinks products to the club’s bars.
We are extremely proud to have been associated with the club for over 20 years now, previously with Thwaites and now with Marston’s.
Marston’s brands have a long history of supporting sports teams and venues in the UK and paired with the love for our Wainwright brand in the local area, this makes Preston Grasshoppers 1st XV team an ideal fit for support and sponsorship.
Predictions for the game
I’m predicting a close game! We are also a primary sponsor at Stourbridge Rugby, who we have also been associated with for over 12 years now. Our Sales Director, Simon Barnes is an ex player and supporter of Stourbridge RFC and I am a supporter of Preston Grasshoppers and live in Preston, so my hope is a close game, with a narrow Preston Grasshoppers win! I’ll go for a win to Grasshoppers by 5-8 points.
Ben Nichols
Regional Sales Manager – North Lancs and Cumbria
Team News
1. John BLANCHARD
2. PJ MILLEA (C)
3. Ryan PURCELL
4. Adam HOWARD
5. Sam WALLBANK
6. Ryan CARLSON
7. Toby HARRISON
8. Matt LAMPREY
9. Jake SQUIRRELL
10. Joe PRIOR
11. Jacob BROWNE
12. Ben DORRINGTON
13. James FITZPATRICK
14. Scott JORDAN
15. Jordan DORRINGTON
REPLACEMENTS: 16. TAYLOR, 17. MADDEN, 18. PROCTER,, 19. STOTT, 20. DAVIDSON
