Michael Lough has named his squad for tomorrow’s Good Friday game against Fylde in honour of Brendan Hanavan who passed away in 2013 after a battle with cancer. Kick off is at 2.30pm at the Woodlands Ground in Lytham with admission to the game charged at £8.
Funds raised from the event will go to the Oral Cancer Foundation, a charity which supported Brendan in the two years he battled with cancer until his passed away in September 2013. The idea behind the match was originated by Michael Bailey, chairman of rugby at Preston Grasshoppers and Andy Hiles, Fylde RFC’s chairman.
Andy Hiles commented: “Brendan was a fantastic player and this is a fitting tribute by pitting fierce rivals against each other to have the honour of lifting a trophy in his name. He was a great player and well-liked by anyone who came into contact with him.”
Michael Bailey added: “Brendan was a great servant to the game and was a true gent. This annual game is a fine way to remember him and his contribution to rugby, while raising funds for a very worthwhile cause.”
The two team managers for this fixture, Michael Lough for ‘Hoppers and Ian Cosh for Fylde have selected mixed squads of current players with a few former players in the mix too. Hoppers squad will be skippered by 2nd XV captain Richard Wardell.
Hoppers squad is as follows:
Forwards: Danny Burns, Brad Tuff, Richie Sands, Tom McGuiness, Matt Lambert, Bill Bailey, Richard Wardell, Luke Proctor, Stephen Lightfoot, Luke Clitheroe, Jack Edwards, Dom Aspinall, Neil Ashton, Tony Callaghan
Backs: Harrison Moulding, Josh Todd, Andy Hulme, Alex Ward, Jacob Browne, Niall Crossley, Cam Berry, Sam Kendall, Ryan Marshall, Mark Murray, Tom Peterson
Fylde’s provisional squad is:
Forwards: Dan Birchall, Alex Loney, Nick Smith, Rick Frith, Ollie Trippier, Ross Andrews, Liam Launders, Matt Garrod, Carlos Davies, Karl Capstick, Tom Burtonwood, Ben Vernon, Wilf Whittle & Mark Goodman
Backs: Greg Nicholls, Rich Whiteside, Tom Perrin, Richard Kenyon, Mark Evans, Charles Hough, Zag Yabia, Tom Forster, Gareth Johnson & Warren Spragg
It would be great to see a large travelling contingent from Preston to support the team as they look to defend the Brendan Hanavan Cup which they won in last year’s inaugural game.
