Tynedale trip for 1st XV

Date: 19 October 2016

Tynedale vs. Preston Grasshoppers – Kick Off 3:00

Preston Grasshoppers head to the north east of England on Saturday to face Tynedale at their troubled Corbridge ground which just over a month after out visit there this time last season was up to it’s crossbars in flood water from the adjacent River Tyne.

Once the flooding had drained away from Tynedale Park, the Clubhouse and changing facilities were unsurprisingly found to be uninhabitable, and whilst the rugby team accepted Newcastle Falcons generous offer as hosts for the rest of their season’s fixtures, the Committee and it’s working party got on with the unenviable task of making the clubhouse and grounds fit for purpose once again.

After a great deal of hard work the Corbridge pitches and Clubhouse were all ready for activities to resume from the beginning of this season. Whilst the flood waters won’t have washed away Hoppers memories of a disappointing second half performance from last season and in particular the strange decision made by the officials which cost them seven points, they will go into this season’s contest in Northumberland full of confidence after the resounding victory over Hinckley last weekend.

Players, Supporters and Coaches were all delighted that last Saturday, Preston Grasshoppers turned in a performance that by the end of the game had completely blown the opposition away with a six try performance over a Hinckley side which current top of the table Caldy had found difficult to overcome just the previous week. In so doing they gained their inaugural victory on Number 2 Pitch after two unsuccessful attempts!

Passing the fifty point total for the first time since defeating doomed Huddersfield last April saw Olly Viney topping four hundred points for the club, Jack Harrison and Chris Roddy scoring their first tries for Hoppers and Cam Robinson making a very promising debut for the 1st’s.

Another notable Milestone on the horizon is with Lewis Allen, who is just a successful Penalty Kick away from equalling Chris Glynn’s League points scoring tally for Preston Grasshoppers which once achieved will move him up to third in Hoppers all-time-records chart. Lewis has already gone above Steve Kerry’s record earlier this season.

Tynedale first gained promotion to Level 4 in what was then National 3 North during the same season Hoppers were demoted from National 2 back in 2002. Preston Grasshoppers haven’t found Corbridge one of their more favourable venues over the years, recording just three victories from twelve contests. The last of these being back in January 2003 when the scoring was performed by Paul Bailey with a couple of tries, accompanied by one each from Owen McKenna and a young Oliver Viney, the extras coming from the boot of Sam Houston. This was the first League fixture between the two clubs and was played on the 18th of January 2003 when Hoppers gained their last, and only League victory at the Tynedale Park ground in convincing fashion by twenty six points to eight.

The first meeting between Preston Grasshoppers and Tynedale was at Corbridge on the 9th of February 1980 after a fixture the previous season at Lightfoot Green had been cancelled. The victors that day were the home side by twelve points to three.

All told there have been twenty four meetings between the two clubs plus a pre-season game at Lightfoot Green before the 2012/13 season, with a further five fixtures being cancelled including the proposed initial game. Currently Tynedale hold the upper hand with fourteen wins to Hoppers ten. Amongst these there are eight league wins to our opponents and just half that amount to Hoppers with the spoils of the pre-season game going to Hoppers.

Photo by kind permission of Mike Craig – Man-of-the-Match Billy Woof is congratulated on scoring his try last Saturday by Matt Garrod

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