Hoppers make the short trip to Mint Bridge this coming Saturday, a trek which the club has been making to the Cumbrian Town for well over a century, but there’s a different venue to visit on this occasion as our hosts have given us the great privilege in being their first ever opponents at their new ground.
By Mike Forshaw, picture by Mike Craig.
Selection
The first time Preston Grasshoppers played in Kendal was back in 1872, albeit not to the current incumbents of the Kendal Rugby Club title. Fixtures against this weekends opponents commencing in their inaugural season back in 1906 with a three-all-draw at our Riverside Ground. The return fixture at Maude’s Meadow resulted in a victory to the home team from the only score of the game. This weekend’s game at Mint Bridge will be the 106th between the two old clubs and the 51st in Kendal.
Hoppers have found victories on their travels to this particular part of Cumbria hard to come by and with a new ground to christen, this Saturday’s challenge promises to be no different. If successful, it would be only their tenth success although it has to be said that victories have been more frequent in recent years, the last being when Kendal were relegated from National 2 North back in 2012.
With this being Kendal’s first home game this season they will be keen to get things off to a good start and with both sides clocking up sixty points last Saturday the afternoon promises to be a cracking occasion.
Hoppers extended their undefeated season last Saturday with a comfortable victory over a spirited Birkenhead Park and in so doing scored ten tries in a league match for the first time since scoring eleven against Westoe at Lightfoot Green on the fourth of May 2013. The sixty points tally was also the highest since that day when their total reached sixty seven.
The 1869 Club have a poster on the noticeboard for a trip with the usual lunch stop en-route to Kendal’s new ground next Saturday. As usual, everyone’s welcome with the fare £15 and accompanied juniors travelling for free. The coach departs at 11:15 and will leave Kendal around an hour after the final whistle.
