Ex-Welsh international No 10, Colin Stephens, together with his impressive pack, beat Fylde at the last gasp on Saturday at the Woodlands. A dropped goal, his second of the match, with 5 minutes remaining brought the Manchester club an important and somewhat lucky 22-19 win. Fylde were never behind until then, and by outscoring their visitors by two backline tries to one had played most of the open rugby on a beautiful winters day. It was easy to feel for the downhearted Fylde players who trouped off the field at the end of the game.
Excellent first half unconverted tries by winger Ben Godfrey and fly-half Martin Wallwork, plus two Godfrey penalties, gave Fylde a 16-9 halftime lead. It would and should have been greater but for missed penalty kicks and indiscipline by the Fylde forwards. Stephens' kicking was exemplary all afternoon and punished the home side's indiscretions in the most clinical way. The forward battle was even in the first half but Park dominated the second period. Fylde's usable possession dried up and with it the threat from their backline. Park scored a converted try plus a penalty and concluding dropped goal. Click here for Steve Simpson's report of the match in the Evening Gazette.
Jon Taylor struggled with a foot injury throughout but bravely battled on for all 80 minutes. What a selfless player he has been for the Club over 13 years. Once again, young backrowers Brent Wilson and Chris Jones had strong games and Dave Baldwin was impressive throughout. The front row was subdued and, given their early season performances, struggled to hold their own in the tight. The Fylde lineout was also faulty on a number of occasions including, critically, the final lineout at which they lost possession and Stephens eventually dropped the goal.
Phil Hassan, returning to the side after injury, once again was influential in the centre, but he retired with a reoccurance of his knee injury at halftime. David Wiseman, out of position in the centre in the absence of Gareth Davies and Stuart Connell, played well and made Godfrey's try with a smart pick up and pass. The Fylde halfbacks, Lawrence Condon and Martin Wallwork, had very sound games, using good judgement on when best to move the ball wide to their three quarters. They are becoming increasingly effective as a partnership. Richard Kenyon at fullback looked dangerous throughout with the ball in hand.
Sedgley Park were somewhat disappointing overall. The limit of their ambitions seemed to be a powerful pack, Stephens (albeit effective) kicking and the bludgening play of their huge centre pairing, Carlos Hassan and John Scales. Subtle it was not. If they do achieve promotion, then their three quarter line is one aspect of their play which will need serious attention. The mecurial talents of New Zealander Rob Moon at fullback were not utilised. On this showing, Orrell look more likely promotion contenders, particularly considering that their playing resources are being continually strengthened. (For instance, GB rugby league international stalwart Gary Connolly is likely to make his debut in the next week or so.)
In the Clubhouse afterwards, Sedgley members were critical of Stephens' play and tactics. But, given his extraordinary kicking (including one penalty from the halfway line) and his neat second half try, Park would have struggled without him and his 22 points.
This defeat has effectively meant that Fylde will be playing for mid-table position at the season's end. There is little doubt that they have the talent to avoid any serious worries of relegation, as long at the guys keep their heads up following unlucky reverses such as this one.
On the same theme, Fylde Wanderers played their best rugby of the season before going down 25-20 at Sedgley Park. Click here for some action photos of the match. Given the weakened squads that the Wanderers have been forced to field this season, this was an excellent performance. Well done guys!
Elsewhere in National Two, the biggest shock of the day (and the season to date) was Wharfedale's 28-20 defeat of league leaders Plymouth Albion. Thus the Devonians wonderful record of 41 successive league wins is over. Apart from a stupendous performace by the Yorshiremen (they scored four tries to Plymouth's three), perhaps the continual travelling from Devon played a part. This was the third successive Saturday that they have played in the North. Surely, the fixture organisers must be taken to task for such ridiculous planning. However, its good to see the 'Greens' uphold the reputation of Northern rugby. Wharfedale visit the Woodlands in two weeks for another very tough match for the home side.
Other notable results saw Harrogate win easily by 39-21 at Stourbridge and Waterloo and Rosslyn Park sharing the points at the bottom of the table with a 25-25 draw. Stephen McCormack's National Two Week 12 report is available as a Word document by clicking here.
Newbury
23-22 Kendal
Orrell
41-7 Esher
Preston
G. 25-27 Nottingham
Stourbridge
21-39 Harrogate
Waterloo
25-25 Rosslyn Park
Wharfedale
28-20 Plymouth
Fylde v Sedgley P game vital for both sides
Sedgley Park make their first ever senior league appearance at the Woodlands on Saturday (ko 14.15). Occupying 3rd place in National Two, Park have come a long way in recent years and can justifiably claim now to be one of the top North West clubs. Shrewd off the field management together with careful player recruitment and a healthy grass roots youth structure have been the foundations of their rise up the leagues.
Last
season saw them come through a playoff with Launceston to secure the third
promotion spot from the two National Three leagues (North & South).
North Manchester-based Park had a very competitive squad, including at
least two ex-international players and a few fulltime professionals. They
are led by Welsh international flyhalf Colin Stephens, supported
by Rumanian international and old favourite with Fylde, lock Cristian
Radacanu, and Kiwi fullback/No 10 Rob Moon. Both Stephens and
Radacanu have been injured recently and are likely to miss the Fylde match
In
a clear message to the rest of the clubs in the league during the close
season, they made a string of impressive signings to strengthen their pack,
many with experience of National One or higher, such as Paul Rees
(Wakefield),
Huw
Thomas (New Brighton & Leeds), Rod Latham (Rotherham), Chris
Johnson
(Leeds), Peter Fletcher (Morley) and Ian Grainey (Orrell).
Additionally, Zealand and Fijian international centre Carlos Hassan,
who has experience at Rotherham, Bristol and Bradford Bulls RL, was signed.
Given that Park's membership isn't huge and their attendances normally
modest, this player investment must be financed by either a very sharp
sponsorship programme, generous benefactors, or tight financial management
- or a combination of these. Their excellent
website gives more background on the Club.
Park have been very solid at home, with their best performance of the season a 25-12 win over 'post-Whelen buyout' Orrell. Additionally, they have beaten Harrogate (33-27), Kendal (33-12) & 'Hoppers (17-12). Their only loss on their own ground was last week against leaders Plymouth (13-32). Away from home, they have had handsome wins at Rosslyn Park (39-13), Nottingham (48-8) and Stourbridge (29-17), whilst they lost at Plymouth (13-34) and narrowly at Esher (14-16). Rob Moon and winger Mike Wilcock have each scored six tries, whilst Moon sits 9th in the League's top scorers with 80 points.
The two clubs have rarely faced each other in senior rugby. The most recent exception was a balmy May 2000 evening when Fylde won at Park's ground by 16-6 in the Lancashire Cup.
Saturday's game is particularly important for both clubs. Fylde come off the back of two defeats, whilst Park lost 2nd spot after the Plymouth defeat. Another loss will make it very difficult for Fylde to mount a challenge to the leading three or four teams. With five defeats already, if they lose their fourth match at home, they will probably have to settle for mid-table respectability at the end of the season. Sedgley are vying with Orrell for the second promotion place and, although we're not half way through the season yet, its difficult to see any other club mounting a serious challenge.
Fylde's injury worries continue. Definitely ruled out of the game is centre Gareth Davies, although fellow injury absentee Phil Hassan has a 60:40 chance of making it. The pack will be strengthened (assuming flights from Capetown are on time!) by the availability of skipper Matt Filipo and hooker Craig McIntyre. 'Mul's' availability is particularly important given Martin Scott's continuing back problems. There will be an anxious wait to see if Jon Taylor and Chris Jones recover from their injuries in time.
The possible team is:
Kenyon; Perry, Evans, Hassan, Godfrey; Wallwork, Condon; Filipo, Scott, Yates, Baldwin, Taylor, Jones, O'Grady, Wilson. Replacements: McIntyre, Webster, Bradwell, Gough.
If Fylde are to challenge Park seriously, then their forwards will have to be at their very best. From the press reports of Park's defeat by Plymouth last Saturday in Manchester, the visitors' pack found their job easier than at the Woodlands a week earlier. However, the Park backline has scored many more tries (26 out of a total of 34) than their Fylde opponents this season.
Other games in National Two on Saturday include a 'high noon' relegation shoot out between bottom two, Waterloo and Rosslyn Park at Blundelsands.
Newbury
v Kendal
Orrell
v Esher
Preston
G v Nottingham
Stourbridge
v Harrogate
Waterloo
v Rosslyn
Park
Wharfedale
v Plymouth
Albion
(6/12/2001)
Neil Withington recalls December matches in the last 30 years
Click here for memories of matches 5, 10, 20 & 30 years ago. Global warming is certainly having its affect. December 1981 saw serious disruption to normal life due to snow and ice.
Despite a good second half performance, and 13 points from Ben Godfrey, Fylde lost by 18-27 against Kendal on Saturday. Their tries were scored by David Wiseman and Ben Godfrey, with Godfrey converting one and kicking three penalties. National Two's leading scorer, Kendal's Mike Scott, did even better, scoring another 17 points.
Fylde were down by 17-6 at half time and it was too far to threaten the Cumbrians in the second half. Although they battled back to 18-24 at one stage, Scott's final penalty sealed it. Even then, Andrew Perry went over the line in the last few minutes but the referee saw a forward pass in the build up. Click here for the Evening Gazette's match report. The seriously depleted Fylde side (further weakened by injuries during the match, including a cameo from 1st Team Manager Riggers) was:
Kenyon, Perry, Wiseman (Gough), Evans, Godfrey; Wallwork, Condon; Cassidy (Webster), Williams, Yates, O'Neill (Rigby), Baldwin, O'Grady, Bradwell (Ferguson), Wilson.
Everyone will be working hard this week in preparation for welcoming Sedgley Park to the Woodlands on Saturday. Park, like every other side in the past two seasons, were overwhelmed by the Plymouth juggernaut on Saturday, going down at home by 13-32. As this was much the same as the Fylde performance against the Devonians, we can expect a close match at the Woodlands. Apart from anything else, Fylde will want to avoid a third successive defeat.
Elsewhere in National Two, the most outstanding result saw a resurgent Esher hammer 'Hoppers by 43-0. The Surrey side had lost three consecutive games before Saturday. John Gregory kicked eight penalties!
Stephen McCormack's statistical summary after week 11 in National Two is available as a Word file by clicking here.
On a bad day for the Club, a very inexperienced Wanderers team lost by 3-35 at home to Kendal whilst Lytham went down by 26-5 at Heaton Moor.
(2/12/2001)
Weakened Fylde take on Kendal
Somewhat connected to the momentous event below, but also because of a string of injuries, Fylde take a weakened squad to play a difficult match aganist Kendal at Mint Bridge on Saturday. Matt Filipo and Craig McIntyre are in South Africa; Martin Scott has a back injury; Jon Taylor hasn't recovered from the dodgy ankle that caused him to be replaced against Plymouth; Chris Jones has a leg injury; Phil Hassan and Gareth Davies have knee and hand injuries respectively. Stuart Connell (ex-Cumbrian county centre who can understand the local lingo in Kendal) is both injured and in South Africa!
Unused to the limelight, third choice hooker, veteran Steve Williams makes a rare appearance. Nick Cassidy takes Filipo's place and Paddy O'Neill replaces JT. Mike Bradwell comes into the backrow for Chris Jones. In the backs, the only change from last Saturday is that Ben Godfrey replaces Tom Kerr.
Kendal will be determined to exact revenge for their opening day 17-14 defeat at the Woodlands. They have had a mixed season to date although, as usual, they have been strong at Mint Bridge with three wins out of four games played - Harrogate (32-14), Rosslyn Park (39-9) and Wharfedale (24-23). Their only reverse at home has been against Orrell (18-41). On the road they have suffered four defeats - as well as at the Woodlands, they have gone down to Nottingham (20-34), Plymouth (12-57) and Sedgley Park (12-31). They have had two excellent wins at Esher (25-22) and, last Saturday, Stourbridge (26-23).
They have scored 17 tries (10 by the backline) and have conceded 29 (19 by opposing backs). Their outstanding No 10, Mike Scott has taken over from Orrell's Phil Jones as the highest scorer in League Two, with 132 points (12 conversions, 33 penalties and 3 dropped goals) and a 75% kicking success rate. The powerful South African centre, Ian Voortman, is their leading try scorer in this campaign. Whatever pack they put out, they will be competitive and feisty.
The Cumbrians have always been known as a hard, battling side and their recent run of form suggests that they will be very difficult to beat on Saturday, especially by a weakened Fylde squad. Still, the replacements won't let the Club down. Good luck boys!
The
big match of the day in National Two sees second placed Sedgley Park
take on leaders Plymouth. Park will be anxious to get revenge for
the first match of the season when they lost 13-34 in Devon. Colin Stephens
misses the match so Kiwi Rob Moon takes over. Will this match see the end
of Plymouth's incredible run?
(29/11/2001)
Mike Dreyer, the popular South African backrow forward who spent the last two seasons at the Woodlands, is getting married to his fiancee Helen on Saturday in Capetown. One or two players and Fylde members will be attending the ceremony and subsequent celebrations. Have a very happy life, Mike & Helen! Best wishes from all your friends at the Club!
Whilst Fylde were disappointed that they didn't post any points, they had no reason to be downhearted in losing 0-20 to a better, very well organised and balanced Plymouth Albion side at the Woodlands on Saturday. In the first half the home forwards fought a pretty equal battle against their record-breaking opponents. It was a fierce (though clean) contest with no quarter asked or given. Fylde had a marginal territorial advantage (and pressured Plymouth in the scrummages) although an unconverted try by Plymouth's fullback Nick Proctor separated the two sides. Dave Wiseman missed a kickable penalty chance, the one and only one as it turned out. The Fylde eight were always combative and caused Plymouth's pack more problems than most of their opponents this season.
After the interval, the greater allround strength of the Devonians won the day. The intensity of their forwards, led by the indefatigable Graham Dawe and intimidating lock Will James, never weakened. The Fylde lineout creaked and a few mistakes here and there by the home side let Plymouth ratchet up the pressure. A try by right wing Phil Williams, converted by ex-Fylde flyhalf Tom Barlow, put more distance between the sides. By this time, lock Jon Taylor, as hard working as ever, limped off with a recurrence of an ankle injury (Mike Bradwell taking over), and Alan Yates was replaced by youngster Nick Cassidy.
At this stage the Plymouth pack began to out muscle the now lighter Fylde eight. Barlow kicked a penalty from in front of the posts and then, from a five metre scrum, the visitors scored a pushover try via No 8 Dan Ward-Smith. The Division's top try scorer was pretty invisible for most of the match but finally notched the first try by an opposing forward against Fylde this season. You wouldn't have put money on this if Taylor and Yates had still been on the field.
The Fylde back line was weakened by the absence of both members of the recent centre partnership, Gareth Davies and Phil Hassan, although the players tackled their hearts out. The star was scrum-half Lawrence Condon who had just about his best game for the Club. He was sharp throughout, tackled everything that moved and was continually shouting encouragement to his pack.
Two features of the game were particularly noticeable. Firstly, despite a lot of very big guys playing a bruising encounter, the match was played in a very good spirit. Secondly, and linked to this, both sides were immensely disciplined and there were few penalties on offer.
Yes, this was a defeat for Fylde, but an honourable one which should not leave the players or coaches downhearted. The scoreline was rather harsh on them, and the task of the coaches this week is to pick them up for the visit to Kendal on Saturday. The teams were closer than the score suggests, particularly in the first half. On this form, Plymouth look likely to win promotion from National Two at the first attempt. That is, if the constant long distance travelling doesn't get to them!
Fylde: Kenyon, Perry, Wiseman (Gough), Evans, Kerr; Wallwork, Condon; Filipo, Scott (McIntyre), Yates (Cassidy), Baldwin, Taylor (Bradwell), O'Grady, Jones, Wilson.
Plymouth A.: Proctor, Williams, Bunney, Thompson, Matchett; Barlow, Cane; Paver, Dawe, Reed, James, Luxton, Hart, Thomas, Ward-Smith.
Elsewhere in National Two, Esher's decline continued with their third successive defeat, this time at home to Harrogate. Stourbridge were surprised at home by Kendal, and Wharfedale had a handsome win at Waterloo.
Esher
12 - 24 Harrogate
Preston G
16 - 14 Rosslyn Park
Stourbridge
23 - 26 Kendal
Waterloo
14 - 38 Wharfedale
Stephen McCormack's 'In at the Corner' Newsletter after Week 10 of National Two is available as a (215k) Word document by clicking here.
In the RFU Cup, Orrell had a narrow 30-25 win at Newbury. They are at home against Leeds Tykes in the 6th Round.
'Invincible Plymouth' visit Woodlands
Fylde
welcome league leaders Plymouth to the Woodlands on Saturday (ko
14.15
- note the earlier than originally scheduled time). Under
Graham Dawe's
stewardship, and with plenty of cash for players, Plymouth have smoothly
moved through the divisions. They were champions of National Three (South)
last year, winning all 26 games and scoring an average of 35 points per
match.
This season only Rosslyn Park, of all teams, have got near them. Park, now propping up the league with Waterloo, were a minute away from beating them in Devon before a last minute try (inevitably from No 8 Dan Ward-Smith - see below) turned the score. A couple of weeks later, Park beat them in London in the Cup. But their flawless league run, we believe 39 matches in sequence, continues. What a triumph for Fylde if they could get close to ending this!
Plymouth started this season with an excellent 34-13 win at home over Sedgley Park and have gone on as follows: (a) Stourbridge 34-10; (h) Rosslyn Park 19-14; (a) Preston G. 36-22; (h) Kendal 57-12; (a) Newbury 40-12; (h) Nottingham 46-12; (a) Waterloo 37-0; (h) Harrogate 57-3. In the last three matches alone they have scored 22 tries! Fylde face a team averaging 40 points a game. The Woodlands side have a pretty parsimonious defence, so it will be interesting to see if the Devonians can demolish this in the same way.
They
have a big and impressive squad of players, including two Tongans, two
Kiwis and a South African, and a wealth of British talent. Star of the
show, and top try scorer last season and so far in this campaign, is big
No. 8 Dan Ward-Smith (pictured right, courtesy of Mike Cox). They
have a very strong pack generally, led by veteran Dawe. So it should be
a fair old battle between the forwards on Saturday. Click
here for the Plymouth website.
Amongst the backs, free-scoring winger Richard Thompson, Kiwi centres Russell Thompson and Glen Bunney lead the charge. A number of these overseas players must have British passports to overcome the 'two maximum' limit in National Two.
A familiar face to Fylde supporters may be prolific kicking flyhalf Tom Barlow who played six matches for the Club in the latter part of the 1998/9 season when we were in National One. Along with Mark Evans, Matt Filipo, Martin Scott, Jon Webster, Steve Rigby, Jon Taylor and Carl Lavin, Barlow played in the famous and heroic 39-43 defeat to league leaders Bristol in April 1999. With caps at both England U-16 and U-18 level, Barlow learnt his rugby at Rossall School in Fleetwood before joining Sale. After leaving Fylde he joined Bath briefly before moving further west. This season he's 2nd top scorer in the league with 119 points from 3 tries, 28 conversions, 14 penalties and 2 dropped goals. Whilst he's been successful (who wouldn't be behind such a free scoring side!), he's in 16th place in terms of kicking consistency with 58% of kicks being successful.
In terms of selection issues for the Fylde side, centre Gareth Davies has been ruled out for around six weeks with a broken knuckle. He joins fellow centre Stuart Connell on the injury list, along with long term casualty, flanker Andy Atkinson. Matt Filipo received a nasty bang in the face in the Waterloo match (and has a serious blackeye for his trouble) but is expected to be fit for Saturday. Its also hoped that Jon Taylor's knee/ankle problem will have recovered in time for the game. Fylde needs every bit of muscle if they are to challenge the Devonians.
Tailpiece: a spying party of 20 or so Sedgley Park players/officials/supporters will be at the Woodlands on Saturday to get some intelligence on Plymouth ahead on their match with them the following week at Park's ground. Fylde's performance will be of some interest to them too as Park are the next visitors to the Woodlands on December 8th. Welcome guys!
Like many Northern Clubs, Fylde needs all the spectators it can get. Gate numbers this season have been very disappointing given that the side is having its best campaign since 1996/7. Contrast the declared 450 at the Waterloo match against Plymouth's 1,800 who saw their side play Harrogate on the same day. At the Woodlands there were at least some visiting spectators from Waterloo but the basis of home support seems to have deteriorated even in the last four or five seasons.
We're not alone in this matter. Most Northern and Southern clubs are suffering the same fate. But other Clubs have been able to bring people in with a mix of marketing skill, promotion and having an already receptive 'rugby mad' local area. Plymouth, and Devon and Cornwall more generally, are having a great rush of rugby success at the moment. Exeter are near the top of National One, and Penzance and Launceston sit proudly at the top of National Three (South). As one of the correspondents on the Message Board suggests, perhaps this is time for collaboration between North Western clubs to try to build a much bigger spectator audience. A more dynamic relationship with press and local radio may be part of this.
The full fixture list for Saturday is:
Esher
v Harrogate
Fylde
v Plymouth Albion
Preston G v
Rosslyn Park
Stourbridge v
Kendal
Waterloo
v Wharfedale
Sedgley Park and Nottingham are without games this Saturday as they were to have visited respectively Newbury and Orrell. The latter two are, of course, battling it out in Berkshire in Round 5 of the RFU Cup for the honour of hosting Leeds Tykes in the 6th Round on the weekend of December 14th/15th.
Sunday 16th December 2001
After the previous successes of the first three Jazz on a Winters Day events, the Social Committee, under the leadership of Mike Hornby, decided to promote a similar event in 2001. Again in order to make the function even more attractive; this year’s Jazz Ivy (get it Jazz IV), will incorporate the FRUFC Christmas Draw 2000 and the 250 Club “big one”.
All members should have received their draw tickets from Ron King and his band of volunteers. PLEASE make every effort to sell them. If you do sell your allocation, there are more tickets available from behind the bar.
For the main event, the Social Committee is pleased to present the Fylde Coast Jazzmen. This is a local band, which is one of the longest serving bands on the Fylde Coast. They were formed in 1960 under the name “Fylde Coast Stompers” at the Royal Oak in Poulton, where Best Bitter was then 2s 3d a pint (11pence). Ian Barker please note. Alan Riley, multi instrumentalist, vocalist, raconteur and comedian, will lead the band. To finish the musical part of the event off we will be entertained by Roger Westbrook a comedy/blues/folk singer (so he says)!
There will be the usual excellent buffet organised by and served by “super chef” Peter Conway and his ladies.
Tickets are on sale now. As numbers are limited I advise you to get yours now. They are available behind the bar from Ian, or from any member of the Social Committee, price £10.00 prior to December 1st and £11.00 after December 1st.
Let us make this year’s Jazz Ivy one to remember.
Allan Townsend
Fylde cleared over Cassidy registration
Fylde officials were breathing easily today after a hasty probe cleared them of fielding a wrongly registered player. If they had been found to be in the wrong, Fylde would have been docked two vital League points.
The investigation centred on prop Nick Cassidy's appearance in Fylde's 29-16 win at Newbury this month. But the Club are in the clear after it came to light that the error was not theirs but had occurred at Twickenham. After the match, the National Clubs Association saw documentation sent to Twickenham, whose records showed that Cassidy had been registered with the Christian names Matthew David, rather than Nick.
Spotting this, the NCA notified
Fylde that they were liable to be deducted two points. But after a close
study of the paperwork it was found to be Twickenham's fault, with no wrong-doing
on the part of Fylde, who had gone through the correct procedure. Chairman
of rugby Tony Todd said: "We weren't worried because
we knew we had done things
correctly all along. Somehow, the Christian names Matthew David and Nick
got wrongly transposed at Twickenham."
The case brought to mind
last winter's controversy over the postponed National League Two clash
at Kendal. Fylde refused to play the match because they considered the
Kendal pitch to be frozen. The Woodlands club were docked four
points, a penalty that was
later cut to two on appeal.
(20/11/2001)
Fylde get rare win over Waterloo
After a sluggish first 25 minutes, Fylde put Waterloo to the sword with a 32-15 win at the Woodlands. Although this was a flawed victory, five tries to Waterloo's two gave a correct impression of the distance between the sides. After an early exchange of penalties by Richard Kenyon and Tony Handley, 'Loo scored the first try in the right corner through winger Mark Tattersall, with Fylde's defence AWOL. Gareth Davies, playing in the centre against his old team, went off soon afterwards with a nasty hand injury. He was replaced by David Wiseman.
The 3-10 deficit spurred the home side into action and two tries by flanker Chris Jones put them into the lead. The first was from the 'usual' lineout catch and drive, beatifully converted by Richard Kenyon from the right corner. The second was from a superb 35 metres burst through the Waterloo midfield. Jones has the pace of a three quarter and the confidence to use it. This was his fourth try for the Club in the same number of full appearances - he's proving a revelation in his loan spell from Sale Sharks.
The Waterloo backs, encouraged by the elusive running of the excellent Rob Hitchmough, attacked again, this time down the left. Wing Alex Walton finished off the sweeping move. 15-15.
Fylde pressed again in injury time. From a scummage 20 metres out, 'Loo No 10 Tony Handley dropped a straightforward pass from scrum-half Craig Aikman (not for the first or last time during the match) and David Wiseman, not waiting for the referee's whistle, shot through for an opportunistic try. Kenyon converted and this frantic burst of scoring left the match at 22-15 at half-time.
The second half was pretty much dominated by the Fylde forwards. The front five was solid throughout, winning most of its line-out ball and stealing a fair bit of Waterloo's. They also had the advantage in the tight exchanges, and this became more noticeable as the match progressed. But it was the backrow which took the eye. No 8 Brent Wilson drove time and again from tight and broken field situations and made a huge yardage, particularly in the second half. Jones was Jones, always dangerous with the ball in hand. They were well supported by a third youngster, flanker Mike Bradwell, until he was replaced by Dylan O'Grady with 20 minutes to go.
The Fylde back line also had a good 2nd half. The half-back pairing of Lawrence Condon and Martin Wallwork was sound and they are developing a good understanding. Phil Hassan had an excellent match, his most effective for the Club to date. His tackling was fearsome and he always looked dangerous as a runner. It has taken the ex- Leeds, Salford & Halifax Super League player a little time to adjust to the union game in general and to Fylde's play in particular, but he is learning fast. This was the last match of his month's spell with the Club. Given his splendid contribution in the last two weeks, plus the injuries to fellow centres Gareth Davies and Stuart Connell, it is to be hoped that Fylde find a way of keeping him at the Woodlands for the time being, at least.
It was Hassan who made the half break which led to Richard Kenyon scoring a good try in the right corner. Fylde's final score was back to basics. A lineout catch and maul saw Dylan O'Grady driven over for his first try of the season. Despite the fact that Waterloo were expecting this now familiar Fylde tactic, their only counter was that of blindside flanker Dan Smith who spent a great deal of the match sitting on the ground trying to drag down mauls.
Click here for Steve Simpson's report in the Evening Gazette. A Merseyside view is also available.
The most concerning aspect of Fylde's play, and one which they must sort out ahead of the visit of league leaders Plymouth to the Woodlands on Saturday, was the goal kicking. After an excellent start, Richard Kenyon's kicking fell apart as the match progressed. With every missed kick, and there were several, confidence seemed to drain from him. In the end, he missed from in front of the posts. Goals will have to be kicked if Fylde are to have any serious chance against the Devonians, who are unbeaten in league contests for over two years!
The line-ups were:
Fylde: Kenyon, Evans, Hassan, Davies (Wiseman), Trend; Wallwork, Condon; Filipo, Scott (McIntyre), Yates, Baldwin, Taylor (Cassidy), Bradwell (O'Grady), Jones, Wilson.
Waterloo: Hitchmough, Tattersall, Payne, Van Deventer, Walton; Handley, Aikman; Reay, Tyme, Dennehey, Fisher, Temman, Smith, Wands, Blyth.
Elsewhere in National Two, there is an increasingly predictable pattern to the league. Needless to say, Plymouth go from strength to strength. Mid-table Harrogate wouldn't have expected to win in Devon but a 3-57 defeat must have stunned them. Plymouth's amazing No 8, Dan Ward-Smith, scored three tries to make him the clear leader in the League with ten. Fylde have still to concede a try by an opposing forward this season, but their backrow will have to play out of their skins to keep these guys at bay on Saturday.
Much more will be known about Plymouth's seemingly inevitable run to the Championship in the next four weeks. In this period they visit, on successive Saturdays, Fylde (4th place), Sedgley Park (2nd) and Wharfedale (a total of 2,000 miles travelling), before entertaining Orrell (3rd) on 15th December.
Sedgley Park are in pursuit of the leaders although they struggled at home to overcome a game 'Hoppers side by 17-12. 'Hoppers were leading by 7-0 at half-time. Then come Orrell (who eventually overpowered Kendal by 41-18 at Mint Bridge) and Fylde in equal third spot with 12 points from nine matches. Esher have had a couple of bad weeks, losing at home against Kendal the previous week and being beaten comfotably 6-25 by resurgent Nottingham at Beeston. Stourbridge kept up the pressure on Fylde by thumping Rosslyn Park 42-10 in London. The demise of Park, now equal at the bottom of the table with Waterloo, is the greatest puzzle of all. They weren't encouraged by fellow struggler Newbury's excellent (narrow, 24-23) win at Wharfedale.
For this data and other statistics after Week 9 of National Two, click here for Stephen McCormack's In at the Corner Newsletter (Word file)
Waterloo's plight is curious. Their backs looked sharp and creative, though with one or two obvious weaknesses. Five of the eight forwards that faced Fylde were regulars in their National One campaign last season, and a fifth (Karl Temman) was a fixture in Manchester's 1st team. They shouldn't be outplayed week after week by National Two packs. Perhaps the fact that they are is a measure of the generally high standard of forward play in the division. Fylde certainly have their strongest pack for many years.
The Wanderers
lost narrowly at Waterloo by 12-15. Lytham
beat Didsbury Toc H by 10-5 at the Woodlands.
(19/11/2001)
Struggling Waterloo visit Woodlands
Fylde entertain old friends and rivals Waterloo at the Woodlands on Saturday (ko 14.30). It doesn't seem long ago (in fact it was more than a decade) that there were rumours of officials from then wealthy 'Loo setting up a base in a nearby hotel to have discussions with Fylde players about the 'benefits' of moving to the Blundelsands club. This was well before the official professional era and the 'benefits' certainly attracted one or two players to throw in their lot with the Merseysiders.
After a long period at the summit of the game, including an apperance in the showpiece Cup Final at Twickenham, Waterloo have, like neighbours Orrell, struggled to come to terms with the modern professional game at the highest level. Like Fylde, they have had no major benefactor and without such are having to set their ambitions much lower than their history deserves. But modern league rugby is no respecter of tradition.
In 1996 they appointed ex-Leicester coach Tony Russ as their full-time Director of Rugby. Together with a strong push on the commercial side of the club, and the re-styling of the team to be the Waterloo Drummers (the team's scores were serenaded by a few guys furiously beating drums!), their modernising intentions were laudable. Despite considerable investment in players, and the support of leading rugby union figures such as Dick Greenwood (who has long been associated with 'Loo) behind the scenes, it pretty much fell apart. Russ left in 1999 and South African coach Steve Olivier was brought in. The club's fortunes continued in the same vein although at the last gasp they avoided relegation to National Two in May 2000 when they beat Orrell in an emotional confrontation at Blundelsands on the last Saturday of the season.
Last
year they were not as fortunate and were bottom of the league for almost
all the season. Relegation was inevitable and Olivier was replaced by Australian
coach Tony Cross for the beginning of this season. Players inevitably haemorrhaged
to other clubs, including influential and powerful centre Gareth Davies
who moved to Fylde. This season has continued in the same way and the team
has been finding National Two very hard. Cross left in early November,
together with the Director of Rugby, and stalwart flanker David Blyth
(pictured right) has taken over the reins.
They have won two out of eight matches so far, at home against Nottingham (25-14) and away at 'Hoppers (21-18). In fact, they have performed somewhat better away from home than at Blundelsands, rather like Fylde. They have lost four out of five home matches, with a 15-50 reversal against Esher the most embarrassing, a heavy 37-0 defeat against Plymouth, 12-31 against Stourbridge and 20-26 against Newbury. Away defeats have been at Harrogate (32-48) and Orrell (18-51). But the win at Preston should give enough warnings to Fylde, who so lamentably failed against the same opposition three weeks ago.
The backline is the strength of the Waterloo side, contributing 14 of their 17 tries scored so far. Ex-Orrell fullback/wing Rob Hitchmough is a fine player and powerful centre Freeman Payne is usually dangerous. They have a useful halfback pairing with scrumhalf Craig Aikman in partnership with goal-kicking, experienced No 10 Anthony Handley. Handley has a similar record of kicking consistency this season as Steve Gough, with between 60-65% success.
In terms of tries conceeded, the majority of the 34 (the highest in the division) have been by opposing forwards. Contrast this position with Fylde, who have scored 9 of their 15 tries in eight matches to date by their forwards and, of the 11 tries conceeded, all have been via opposing backs. The latter is quite extraordinary. Fylde have conceded fewer tries than any side other than the leaders, Plymouth. The Waterloo pack (although strengthened by the return this season of lock Karl Temmen from Manchester), according to reports, struggles to hold its own against most sides (Plymouth apparently "pushed them all over the Blundelsand's pitch" last Saturday) and this won't be lost on Fylde.
Fylde will be desperate to establish more consistency after their win at Newbury. They will be keen to maintain most of the side that achieved this result. They certainly owe their supporters a better display than they have managed at the Woodlands this season. Its hardly been traditional 'Fortress Fylde'. Two narrow victories against Kendal and Harrogate have been followed by two disappointing defeats (Orrell and 'Hoppers). The side's two really good wins have been away at Stourbridge and Newbury.
Skipper Matt Filipo is fit but named as a replacement for the match. He joins ex-Irish international Dylan O'Grady, who was also a replacement last week. The coaching staff have praised the contribution of young stand-in prop, Nick Cassidy, during Filipo's absence. Ben Trend comes in on the wing in place of Andrew Perry who is unavailable. Other than that, the team is the same as that which faced Newbury:
Kenyon; B Trend, Hassan, Davies, Evans; Wallwork, Condon; Cassidy, Scott, Yates, Baldwin, Taylor, Bradwell, Jones, Wilson. Replacements: McIntyre, Filipo, O'Grady, Wiseman.
Waterloo: Hitchmough; Tattersall, Payne, Van Deventer, Walton; Handley, Aikman; Reay, Tyms, Dennehy, Fisher, Temmen, Blyth, Wands, Smith.
Disciplinary tailpiece: Fylde, with six yellow cards to date, sit uncomfortably in 2nd place in the National Two Disciplinary Table, one place behind Orrell. Top of the table Plymouth have had only two sinbinnings and 2nd placed Sedgley Park have had none at all! Martin Scott has had two yellow cards and Alan Yates, Dylan O'Grady, Dave Baldwin and Andrew Atkinson, one each.
For this data and other statistics after Week 8 of National Two, click here for Stephen McCormack's In at the Corner Newsletter (Word file)
Other action in National Two is as follows:
Kendal
v Orrell
Nottingham
v Esher
Plymouth
A v Harrogate
Rosslyn
P v Stourbridge
Sedgley
P v Preston
Grasshoppers
Wharfedale
v Newbury
(13/11/2001)
Fylde RUFC are mourning the
death of club stalwart David Lyon at the age of 65 - his service
to the club as a player and official spanned over half-a-century. Mr Lyon,
who lived in Wrea Green, died after a short illness. Click
here for a tribute to David. Everyone's commiserations go to his widow
Margaret, as well as sons John and Andy, daughter Susie, and granddaughter
Olivia.
(14/11/2001)
Mini-Juniors start the season well
There has been a strong set of performances by the various Fylde Mini-Junior sides this season. The Under 12s, 13s, 14s and 15s have been in frequent action and already have had a number of important wins. The Under 14s entertain Widnes on Sunday, 18th November in the first round of the Lancashire Cup whilst the U13s visit Waterloo in the same competition. Support for these teams would be greatly appreciated. Click here for more details.
U12s will be acting as ball boys at the Waterloo match on Saturday. Thanks lads!
Backtracking: Fylde v Waterloo 1989
Neil Withington remembers
a match between Fylde and Waterloo 12 years ago. Of the Fylde line-up that
day, two players are still turning out in the Club's colours. A young Jon
Taylor was at No 8 that day and almost as young Andy Parker
was in the centre. Proping for Waterloo that day was Karl Fenton and he
is still a regular in 'Loo's 1st team. Click here
for a report on the match.