Rugby Reports

The under 14s entertained Wigan in a friendly fixture on Sunday. With a number of boys absent with the dreaded lurgy, Hoppers had only 16 players and were up against the leaders of the pool above them in the Junior Challenge. After a few words in the warm up the boys took to the field […]

Hoppers U16  46  Bury U16s  14 MATCH REPORT Anyone out there a fan of the good old English breakfast? I am. It is quite a varied term “English Breakfast”. To some it is the gentle crinkle of a crisp bowl of Kellogg’s with ice cold milk. To some of the more afflicted amongst us it […]

Lancs Under 12 Waterfall competition September 25th 2017 So the first week of fixtures for season finally came around and with it the under 12’s first tasting of Lancashire Cup rugby, with the first round of the season waterfall tournament. The double headed fixture brought Southport and Vale of Lune across to Hoppers, two very […]

Leigh U16s 0 Hoppers U16s 30* Lancs Cup Round 2 A once proclaimed ethic of the ancient tribe of the eco warrior “Reduce Reuse Recycle” was uttered with a vitriolic chorus at meetings of the bold and brave councils on our sheltered isle. Following a ultimately well earned and prestigious plate final for the Under […]

Champions Hoppers suffered their second defeat of the season against a determined Billingham side who capitalised on some lapses in defence and at times indifferent handling. Words by Ken Moore, photo by Mike Craig Head Coach, Paul Arnold, not included in the matchday squad reflected: “We made a few changes today which did not work […]

A ruthless second half performance, posting forty unanswered points, saw Hoppers celebrate in style before the North Premier Trophy was presented after the game. But it took some time for the champions to hit their straps and the first 20 minutes were pretty even. Words by Ken Moore, photo by Mike Craig In fact Morley […]

The annual Charity Match for the Brendan Hanavan Trophy took place before a large crowd on Good Friday as Hoppers ran out 47 – 21 winners. Words by Ken Moore, photo by Mike Craig Hoppers started well and two interception tries from No.10 Jobe Roxby who also converted put his side 14-nil up after just […]

Matt Lamprey crossing for the 30th time this season, breaking Michael Lough’s long standing record This proved to be the proverbial game of two halves with Hoppers coming back from what looked like an irretrievable deficit at half time. Relieved coach Paul Arnold said: “Today was all about the spirit of this side. It goes […]

Hoppers won this top of the table clash more comprehensively than the score line suggests, losing concentration in the closing minutes and conceding two tries to give Harrogate a losing bonus point. Words by Ken Moore, photo by Mike Craig Coach Paul Arnold said it was a bit of a ‘mixed bag’. “I am happier […]

“Mission accomplished” was the cry as Hoppers’ players celebrated at the final whistle after a game that certainly lived up to the pre-match hype as the bonus point win opened up an unassailable lead and secured the North Premier Championship with three games yet to play. The visitors from ‘over the hill’ never gave up […]