Kirkby Lonsdale vs. Preston Grasshoppers, 13th November
Preston Grasshoppers travel north to Kirkby Lonsdale rugby union club for their next League fixture after a weeks break, for what will be just the second League meeting in Cumbria between the two clubs.
Hoppers will be hoping to lay the ghost of their last meeting at Underley Park when they went down to their first defeat of the season in a game they never looked like winning to be fair! The memory of which still lingers with Arnie, who made mention of the fact after our last home game. A fact from that game he didn’t mention, was the try he scored in an effort to maintain the unbeaten season’s run!
Last Saturday’s big win over Lymm confounded many from both camps when most thought a tight game which could go either way was on the cards. It was obvious that the Hoppers squad were of a different mind set, as the game was effectively over as a contest when Matt Lamprey scored their bonus point try after just twenty one minutes. A try which took his tally level with Michael Lough and Matt Hughes.
That touch down along with Sam Stott’s double sees the pair tying for second spot in the League try scoring table with eight apiece and talking of tries, the Penalty Try was Hoppers fiftieth in League games. Ben Pearson’s nineteen points haul in the same game took him up to seventy seven for the season and third place in the League points scoring chart.
Special mention for Harry Holden who made his first start against Lymm after just a couple of appearances as a replacement a few seasons back. Harry was deservedly handed the Hoppers Man-of-the-Match prize and hopefully he took better care of it than the Lymm scrum half who had a bit of a disaster with his when the call came to leave for home!
Our hosts from Cumbria have made the journey into this league from the opposite direction to Hoppers by means of finishing the 2016/17 season as undefeated Champions of the North West 1 League. Kirkby Lonsdale have consistantly finished mid-table since then, but appear to be struggling somewhat this term and currenly lie next to bottom with just a single victory to their name over bottom side Northwich
First Fifteen games between the two clubs have been few and far between, so before the first League meetings during 2017/18 you need to go back as far as the 1999/2000 season to see when the two last met. Hoppers ran out winners that day by some considerable margin, adding to their four earlier successes. The first meeting took place at Lightfoot Green on the 11th of March 1995 when the visitors took the place of Tynedale who were due to visit.
There are already a goodly number of names down for the trip to Cumbria next Saturday so come along and join in with the 1869 Club for what promises to be another memorable day out. Transport leaves Hoppers at 10:45am with the usual arrangements.I’m sure the players and coaches would be delighted to witness the 1869 Club travellers making the trip to Kirkby Lonsdale, so please add your names to the notice in the club foyer.
