FREE MATCHDAY MAGAZINE

ALL GOLDS vs. NORTH WALES CRUSADERS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:• CRUSADERS PREVIEW• HEMEL REPORT• CHALLENGE CUP GLORY

CHALLENGE CUP ACTION...

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FEB 26th 2017 | KO 2pmPRINCE OF WALES STADIUM

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CONTENTS AND INFO

CLUB INFORMATION

ALL GOLD

PRESIDENTLionel Hurst LL.B

ADVISORY BOARDKrista Woodman, Ken Stone,Kevan Blackadder.

GENERAL MANAGERPatrick Evans

HEAD COACHLee Greenwood

ASSISTANT COACHESAnthony Murray& Dan Poulton

S&C COACHESNick Lane & Joe Festa

TEAM MANAGERMartin Lovegrove

KIT AND LOGISTICSDavid Friend

CLUB DOCTORPhil Cox

HEAD PHYSIOTHERAPISTJames Clap

SPORTS THERAPISTKaty Stephens

NUTRITION PARTNERNutrition X

SKY TRY ANDCOMMUNITY MANAGERKane Krlic

BUSINESS AND SPONSORSHIPSophia Wood-Jenkins

MATCHDAY CO-ORDINATORTrevor Moss

MEDIA MANAGERChris Wilson

SOCIAL MEDIA & JOURNALISTPatrick Baines

PHOTOGRAPHERSLewis Mitchell & Glenn Watts

ALL GOLDS TVJeremy Power

ALL GOLD DESIGNERCraig Paul Design Ltd

The views expressed in this programme are not necessarily those of the University of Gloucestershire

All Golds, the Editor, or Craig Paul Design Ltd.

04 WELCOME

06 CHALLENGE CUP GLORY

08 CLUB DIRECTORY

10 SEVERN STARS NETBALL

12 ALL GOLDS vs. CRUSADERS PREVIEW

14 ALL GOLDS vs HEMEL STAGS REPORT

16 NEW SIGNINGS TO WATCH

18 WEST OF ENGLAND UPDATE

20 FIXTURES & RESULTS

22 SQUAD LINE-UPs

06CHALLENGE CUP GLORY

10SEVERN STARS NETBALL

UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE ALL GOLDSHome Ground: The Prince of Wales Stadium, CheltenhamOffices: Oxstalls Campus, Longlevens, Gloucester. GL2 9HWTelephone: 01242 714468Email: allgolds@glos.ac.ukOfficial website: allgoldsrugby.com

18WEST OF ENGLAND UPDATE

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Welcome to the All Golds’ fifth season. The club has been making progress on and off the field and we are looking forward to an exciting summer of rugby league.

It has been a long off season but the last two weeks have positively flown by as the squad completed their pre-season preparation before stepping onto the field last week against Hemel Stags.

Today’s game provides a repeat of last year’s third round tie when we came back from 36-16 down to snatch victory at the death. Hopefully the entertainment this afternoon will be as good and the result to match.

During that off-season there has been plenty of work to adjust the playing squad and the off field team and we welcome Sofia Wood-Jenkins to the marketing team and Jack Conlon to the media team. We hope they enjoy their time with the All Golds.

The sharp-eyed among you may have spotted a new logo as well and to go with that our new kit should be with us very soon.

One major departure has been Director of Sport, Andy Pitchford. I think it is fair to say that it is down to his hard work and good sense that we are where we are today. All at the All Golds thank him for his efforts and wish him luck in the future. Hopefully he is reading this and will be able to make time to come and see us in the future.

Late last week you may have heard our president, Lionel Hurst, on BBC Radio Gloucestershire talking about plans for the All Golds to ground share with Gloucester City FC at their soon to be rebuilt Meadow Park home. Of course the discussions are at a very early stage but the idea certainly fires the imagination.

The game was given a huge boost last week with Warrington beating Brisbane and Wigan becoming world club champions for a fourth time by beating Cronulla in a tough encounter at the DW. The Cherry and Whites were worthy winners but they had a bit of luck going their way with the Capewell no-try and a repeat set following a Joe Burgess knock on but them’s the breaks as they say and on another day you might not get them.

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON

The venture to Canada continues the spread of the game following the introduction of Toulouse last season. The Toronto club has financial muscle behind it and they have recruited a strong squad and a capable coach in Paul Rowley, which should see them in to the Championship for next season and the smart money is on Barrow to join them.

The All Golds will be set for some travelling with trips to Workington, Barrow and Whitehaven on the agenda as well as of course the visit to Toronto to play the Wolfpack.

Those looking to follow the Fern this season will be able to watch the game in Canada on Premier Sports (shameless plug).

A shout out to for the Severn Stars netballers who after a whirlwind of organisation and recruiting took to the court last weekend for the first time. They faced champions Surrey Storm and though defeated were by no means disgraced and will definitely get stronger as the season goes on.

Thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy what we have for you in this issue.

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GEORGE COWBURN TAKES A LOOK THROUGH THE CHALLENGE CUP’S 120-YEAR HISTORY AND PICKS OUT SOME GREAT MOMENTS.

The Northern Union was only in its second season after the breakaway from the RFU when the first Challenge Cup Final was played in 1897 at Headingley, Leeds between Batley and St Helens. The “Gallant Youths” of Batley won that game 10-3 and succeeded again the year after, defeating Bradford 7-0. Oldham were the only other side to win the Cup in the nineteenth century - beating Hunslet 19-9 at Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester.

Cup competitions were well established in the North of England before the breakaway so the Northern Union commissioned Fattorini and Sons of Bradford to make a

suitably ornate trophy to be presented to the winning team. At a cost of just £60, a three foot high, solid silver cup was produced. This original cup now lives at Rugby League Headquarters.

It was last presented at the 2001 final and was showing considerable signs of wear and tear so a replica was made by Jack Spencer Goldsmiths of Sheffield. This is the cup which was on display when the All Golds played Skirlaugh at Cheltenham in the 2015 Challenge Cup.

The competition has long been synonymous with Wembley Stadium but it wasn’t until 1929 that the re-christened Rugby Football League took the plunge and staged the final there; Wigan becoming the first Wembley winners, beating Dewsbury 13-2. Prior to that, Oldham were the “Cup Kings” of the 1920s appearing in four successive Challenge Cup Finals, a record that was shattered by the all-conquering Wigan teams who played in and won eight successive finals between 1988 and 1995.

Whilst the new Wembley Stadium was being built, the finals took place at the Millennium

CHALLENGE CUP GLORY

Oldham - Challenge Cup Winners 1925

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Stadium Cardiff (2003, 2004, 2005), Murrayfield (2000, 2002) and Twickenham (2001, 2006) but returned to Wembley as soon as the new stadium was available in 2007.

From 1946 the Lance Todd Trophy was presented to the player of the match in the final. Todd had played for the New Zealand “All Golds” in the third test at Cheltenham against the Northern Union in 1908 and stayed in this country after the tour, signing for Wigan almost as soon as the match had concluded.

He later managed Salford until the Second World War broke out. Sadly he died in a car accident when on Home Guard duty and the Salford Past Players Association presented the trophy in his honour.

The first team from “South of the Watford Gap” to contest the final was London Broncos. They were beaten 52-16 by Leeds Rhinos in the last final to be played under the Twin Towers of the old Wembley Stadium in 1999. Coming from much further south, the Catalans Dragons contested the 2007 final – the first at the new stadium – losing to St Helens 30-8, in the process becoming the first foreign finalists.

Some say the “Magic of the Cup” has lessened now that the final takes place during the season rather than at the end but try telling that to the Hull FC supporters who last season saw their

side come from behind to beat Warrington and win at Wembley for the first time after so many heartbreaking defeats there.

Local sides Gloucestershire Warriors and Bristol Sonics have both appeared in the Cup, with the Warriors earning their share of glory thanks to a heart-stopping 25-24 win at Illingworth in 2006.

For the All Golds the magic started in February 2012 when the University team pulled of one of the biggest shocks for many years in the early rounds of the cup by defeating top Community Club Rochdale Mayfield by 33-14 in Rochdale.

In the squad that day were Phil Cowburn, James Walter and Callum Mulkeen, all of whom could appear today, Cowburn and Walter for the All Golds and Mulkeen for the Crusaders.

In our first professional season in 2013 we were drawn against Super League club Salford City Reds at Cheltenham and were rewarded with a record crowd and unfortunately but not surprisingly a record defeat on a memorable day for the club.

And who could forget last season at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Trailing by 20 points with sixteen minutes to go the All Golds scored 24 unanswered points to snatch a shock victory against North Wales Crusaders with Harry Kidd’s match winning try scored with less than 10 seconds on the clock!

Magic indeed.

Gloucestershire Warriors - 2006

Hull FC - 2001

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HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE ALL GOLDS WE HAVE A NUMBER OF OFFICIAL PARTNERS AND SPONSORS THAT HEAVILY SUPPORT THE CLUB AND, AS AN ALL GOLDS FAN, WE ARE SURE YOU WILL FIND THIS CLUB DIRECTORY VERY USEFUL.

If you are interested in contacting any of our partners or sponsors but you feel that you need more information then please don’t hesitate to call our Commercial Department on

01242 715297 or email allgoldsbusiness@glos.ac.uk

UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE ALL GOLDS

CLUB DIRECTORY

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After seven months of putting piece after piece in place, the picture became clear on Saturday night as the Severn Stars made their debut in the Vitality Netball Super League.

The club was formed as a collaboration between the University of Worcester and University of Gloucestershire and, up against the defending champions, Surrey Storm, the Stars won the first quarter and drew the third but the Storm scored enough in the other two to record an opening day 58-40 win.

One of the main players behind the scenes is Pamela Cookey.

A former Storm player and England captain, Cookey retired as a player after winning the Grand Final, only to unexpectedly return to the sport within months as director of netball at the Stars.

“It’s exciting and I do love a challenge,” Cookey, 32, told BBC Sport.

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON

“I want to put my mark on something. And this is something new, something I could bring my ideas to.”

The puzzle? To help build an elite squad of 12 players, establish three development sides, build community support, a fan base and club identity from scratch in six months.

Even before seven-time Superleague winner Cookey arrived with her 114 England caps, Severn Stars were already being moulded by a former international playing great and new head coach, Mo’onia Gerrard - a two-time World Cup winner with the Australian Diamonds.

The pair, once fierce rivals on court, are now the closest of colleagues.

“Oh, I had plenty of battles with her on court. She was a pain,” said Cookey. “It was weird, the first conversation we had, because it was like we had known each other for years.”

STARS COME OUT TO SHINE

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The Australian’s arrival was a “major coup” for the fledgling franchise, says founding director Anita Navin.

“She was a massive brand straight away that said we mean business,” said Navin.

“I’d got an idea early on in terms of what we needed to do to be seen, as I was worried that we would be a new franchise and wouldn’t be seen as a critical part of it and we wouldn’t recruit players. That became a big issue early on, plenty of sleepless nights about how you build a brand in two weeks.

“You can’t recruit players without a coach because they want to know the style of the coach.

“A lot of our athletes in this country have their own preference of style, they don’t like the real authoritarian type of coaching, they want to be empowered, have ownership, so I knew the coach was a real critical appointment for us.

“And it couldn’t just be someone that has a tiny element of experience at international level, we needed to get someone that had been there and lived it.”

Cookey’s full title at the University of Gloucester is director of netball and senior lecturer in professional development in sport

When Cookey walked off the Copper Box court after helping Surrey Storm defend their title in May 2016, did she expect to start retirement as a senior lecturer at the University of Gloucester and director of netball at the then, yet-to-be identified new franchise? No.

“It came at the right time,” said Cookey, a figure that Navin had

long tried to get involved with the game in Gloucestershire.

“I wasn’t thinking about any netball jobs at all when I retired. It wasn’t on the radar.

“This is a nice opportunity to stay in the sport and I could create something with netball and could develop my career on the other side.”

The Severn Stars have the pooled resources of two universities at their disposal as they seek to build a brand.

They will play at the 2,000-seater Worcester Arena, calling on the netball nous of Navin - one of the country’s foremost coaching advisors - while utilising communication, marketing, strength and conditioning, performance analysis and sports therapy expertise at the schools.

As an athlete, Cookey was used to being busy as she effectively lived a double life, juggling an international playing career and club ambitions with business management jobs, which at a time also included commutes from Bristol to France.

Cookey is less focused on what happens on court as she only contributes as a specialist coach, with former Hertfordshire Mavericks head coach Sam Bird coming in as assistant coach.

Her job is one that ranges from ensuring the complex partnership between the two universities works to helping sign players, establishing links with grassroots netball clubs, generating corporate support, working on events and helping to make sure that everything adheres to Superleague regulations.

She has even had an influence on the creation of Twitter accounts and merchandise.

Asked if she could have chosen a tougher job in netball after retiring from the game, she laughed: “Probably not. I tend to do that to myself, I’m never one to do things by half.

“This job brings together my talents. It’s the right fit for me. I can still be in netball but not be playing or coaching.”

With franchise bids won and bosses in place, the Stars mounted a bold recruitment drive.

From the sleepless nights thinking about how to approach and convince players to suit up for the Stars, the club has gone from zero to 100 players - across four teams and development squads and training partners - wearing the Severn colours in six months.

Jodie Gibson was the first player to sign and she was one of three England internationals to leave last season’s losing finalists Manchester Thunder to join the new franchise.“We needed quick wins before we could market who we were,” said Navin. “We wanted the right people to share the identity, and that is the conversation we had with those three.”From there, the squad was built, taking in emerging England talent and those with Superleague experience, before looking at players in local trials.

“It feels like the jigsaw has come into place,” she said.

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The All Golds host North Wales Crusaders in the Challenge Cup this Sunday in a repeat of last year’s third round.

Last season’s epic at the Racecourse saw the All Golds come from 36-16 down to win 40-36 with a last-gasp Harry Kidd try putting the gloss on the greatest comeback in the club’s history. Both teams started their season with a win last weekend, so confidence will be high in both camps ahead of the game.

One man looking forward to the game with perhaps more relish than most is All Golds assistant coach Anthony Murray who left the Crusaders at the end of last season after three years in charge.

He admitted to League Express that he is looking forward to welcoming his former club

WRITTEN BY PATRICK BAINES

to the Prince of Wales Stadium in the Challenge Cup this Sunday.

“I left the club on good terms and had a good rapport with the players and the fans. I am looking forward to it and to seeing some old friends and having a catch-up,” said Murray.

He added: “But I will be firmly behind the All Golds and hoping we can do very well on the day. The games between Gloucester and North Wales last season were closely contested affairs and I don’t think this one will be any different.”

The Golden Fern began their 2017 campaign last weekend with a 48-12 win away at Hemel in the League 1 Cup and, despite the comfortable margin of victory, head coach Lee Greenwood is looking for improvement ahead of Sunday’s game in Cheltenham.

ALL GOLDS HOPING FOR REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S HEROICS

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He said: “Early on we made too many mistakes with ball in hand. Our defence was solid which kept us in the game. We came through that dodgy spell and dominated after that. We had a number of lads making their debut for us last week and they all went well, which will make selection for Sunday’s game hard but as a head coach they’re the kind of problems you want. There’s a couple of players that missed last week that could well be involved this Sunday,”

Like the All Golds, the North Wales Crusaders began their 2017 season with a win, albeit in tougher circumstances away to York. The Wrexham based side looked like exiting the League 1 Cup only for a last gasp Danny Price try to take the game to golden point extra time. Jack Hansen’s field goal saw the Crusaders home for a famous victory. Lee Greenwood says he’s preparing his players for a much sterner test than Hemel offered. “Crusaders have managed to pick up some really good players, they’ve got a strong squad and they’ll want to be up there challenging

come the end of the season. We beat them in the Challenge Cup last year but they won both league games - all three were close games. It will be a tough challenge but we’ll be confident”, said Greenwood.

Re-live the drama from last year when these two squared off in the 3rd round.

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SUNDAY 19TH FEBRUARYPENNINE WAY SPORTS GROUND

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON

There were a lot of positives to come from the All Golds’ comprehensive 48-12 demolition of Hemel Stags in the League 1 Cup last week. There was clear evidence that the work done in pre-season camps at Imjin Barracks and in Malta was worthwhile as the players put in a team effort both in attack and defence.

The Stags had remained in their Yorkshire base and played three pre-season games with coach Troy Perkins being pleased with the way his side were progressing. The All Golds on the other hand, had declined to go down that route and after the initial cobwebs had been blown away, the side showed real promise for the season to come.

There was the organisation and physical dominance of their defence that withstood a battering in the opening quarter and conceded just one try. There was also the way the players pulled together, were positive in recovering from mistakes and did not crumble as they have done so often in the past when under pressure.

This gave them a platform to enjoy their game as they cut loose in the second period to score seven tries and the way they were celebrated was proof of their togetherness on the field.

Perhaps the turning point of the game came after 20 minutes when, after the Stags had spent virtually the entire first quarter camped inside the All Golds 40-metre line with only one converted try and a penalty goal to show for their efforts, Lee Greenwood unleashed Harry Kidd and Malikhi Lloyd-Jones from the bench and the impact was immediate.

Kidd powered up the field and the team took his lead. They were soon on the board through Harrison Elliott following a repeat set earned by a good chase to Kiran Hyde’s kick to the ingoal.

Then Kidd lost the ball trying to score before strong defence forced a Stags error and Brad Kislingbury went in at the corner to give the All Golds a lead they never looked like losing.

The second half was almost a procession as the Stags fell apart in the face of some

MATCH REPORTHEMEL STAGS 12-48 ALL GOLDS

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The All Golds head coach reflects on a 48-12 win at Hemel in the League 1 Cup.

excellent play. After a quiet start to the match, Steve Parry was soon back to his ebullient best, escaping tacklers and driving forward with some amazing rushes.

Alex Gaskell grew in confidence at the back and deserved his debut try early in the second half to set the avalanche that buried the Stags going.

Parry then took over, scoring the fourth try and setting up the fifth for Kadeem Williams with a sublime pass to Phil Cowburn who made the key line break.

Cowburn then provided Mo Agoro with a try with an instant tip on again after Parry had bounced off most of the Stags’ left side defence before the Welsh international hooker grabbed his second score shrugging off a tackler to run 20 metres unopposed to the line.

Kislingbury completed the All Golds’ scoring picking off a short kick through and motoring 70 metres to touch down all the time with a huge grin on his face.

Once, the Stags were the All Golds’ nemesis but now, the boot is firmly on the other foot after five straight wins and four scores of 40 points plus over the men from Hertfordshire.

The All Golds will certainly face tougher challenges this season not least against the Crusaders this weekend but performances like this will see them turn over a few of the more fancied northern sides this season.

ALL GOLDS: Alex Gaskell; Mo Agoro, Phil Cowburn, Brad Kislingbury, Chris Barlow; Ben Stead, Kieran Hyde; Ollie Purslow, Steve Parry (Capt.), James Walter; Chris Worrall, Joe McClean; Harrison Elliott. INTERCHANGE: Josh Houghton, Kadeem Williams, Malikhi Lloyd-Jones, Harry Kidd.

Scorers: Tries; Harrison Elliott (23), Brad Kislingbury (30, 78), Alex Gaskell (45), Steve Parry (50, 66), Kadeem Williams (53), Mo Agoro (63), Joe McClean (74)

Goals; Kieran Hyde 5 from 7,Ben Stead 1 from 2

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JACK CONLON CASTS HIS EYE OVER A HANDFUL OF PLAYERS LIKELY TO CATCH THE LEAGUE 1 HEADLINES THIS YEAR.

Quentin Laulu-Togagae – Toronto WolfpackThe Wolfpack undoubtedly have a strong squad that includes a host of stars with Super League experience. It’s one of their Championship-poached players, however, that I feel will catch the eye this year. QLT has been ripping up the second-tier competition for Sheffield for the past six years, racking up 183 tries in 218 games and making himself one of the most feared attackers in the British game.

Despite being 32-years-old, the livewire fullback has plenty of pace and a killer sidestep, that constantly causes problems for defences. He will be a real asset for the Canadian-based club, especially with the likes of Fuifui Moimoi, Adam Sidlow and Steve Crossley setting the foundations for their attack, while Blake Wallace and Rhys Jacks organise play. It wouldn’t surprise me if the former Samoan international tops the try-scoring charts this year.

Joe Sanderson – HunsletSanderson has been sought after by Hunslet for a number of years and is a major coup for the South Leeds club. After spending five years in the Leeds Rhinos Academy system, the 19-year-old halfback established himself as one of the leading lights of the U19s competition. Known as a prolific goal kicker, Sanderson’s points record speaks for itself, with 13 tries and 102 goals in 19 appearances last year. He also levelled Liam Finn’s record of 41 consecutive successful goal kicks during last season, which in itself is no mean feat.

As a ball player, he has great vision and is no stranger to taking charge of the game, having taken over from Jordan Lilley as Leeds U19s main halfback when Lilley was promoted to the first team. While Hunslet started their season on a sour note last week with a big loss against Newcastle, Sanderson could be a key figure as they look to change their fortunes.

Phil Joseph – Workington TownAfter being involved in the liquidation circus at Bradford, Workington offered Joseph a

FIVE NEWSIGNINGS TO WATCH

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lifeline and a chance to be one of the leaders within their squad. The Cumbrian outfit are Joseph’s 11th club in a career which has spanned 13 years across three divisions, meaning he joins with bags of experience.

The 32-year-old can play anywhere across the front row and while he isn’t the tallest player, he makes up for it in his stocky figure and physical nature and will be sure to lead Town’s pack this year. Having played in Super League for the past five years, Joseph is a major signing for the Cumbrian outfit, as they look to win promotion back into the Championship.

Ash Robson – York City KnightsRobson is one of League 1’s most impressive newcomers and while he isn’t particularly known now, I’m sure he will be this time next year. The young fullback was touted as Castleford’s new number one when Luke Dorn retired at the end of last year, but a ruptured kneecap in pre-season blighted his chance to show what he could do.

The 21-year-old has bags of pace and is smart with the ball, regularly setting up chances for his teammates as well as himself. And with proven try-scorers David Foggin-Johnston and Tommy Saxton on the flanks, York’s attack is looking much stronger ahead of this season. Robson could arguably compete at Super League level, and so is a real handy pickup for the Knights.

Lewis Charnock – Barrow RaidersThe Raiders are many people’s picks for promotion this year and are certainly stronger with Charnock on their books. The stocky halfback/hooker has been part of the St Helens side since making his Super League debut as a 19-year-old in 2013 but has found playing opportunities hard to come by, with the likes of Luke Walsh, Theo Fages and James Roby in front of him.

He had an impressive loan spell at Bradford last year, scoring 64 points in 12 games and being very influential in their victorious Championship Shield run. A move to Cumbria, therefore, allows him to settle and play his game without worrying about his future, for the meantime anyway. His halves partner is former North Wales Crusader Jamie Dallimore, who has arguably been one of League 1’s best players for a number of years and with former Workington stars Brett Carter, Dec Hulme and Jarrad Stack also coming in, the Raiders are bound to be a threat in this year’s competition.

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The West of England clubs gathered at Tormarton just off the M4 this week to discuss the structure and composition of the League for the 2017 season.

Applications from two new teams were accepted with Bath Rugby League and Swindon St George A being added to the competition. Reading Raiders were accepted as associate members as they look to build towards a full entry in 2018.

However, it was disappointment for the Devon Sharks who were not accepted after a long discussion, partly owing to their geographical isolation from the rest of the teams and partly due to the imbalance in the league structure their inclusion might bring.

Hopefully, the Sharks can work with the other clubs in the South West league to rebuild and strengthen the competition to the benefit of all in that region.

Having almost doubled in size last season with the addition of Southampton, Portsmouth and the Forest of Dean and the return of Gloucestershire Warriors and Oxford Cavaliers from the Conference League South, the new teams bring the league up to a healthy dozen.

A West-East split was discussed and agreed for the two pools, though it needed magnanimous gesture by Bristol Sonics who agreed to play in the Eastern pool for the 2017 campaign.

They joined Swindon St George, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Bath RL while the West will contain Bath Romans, Cheltenham Phoenix, Forest Bulldogs, Gloucestershire Warriors, Somerset Vikings and Swindon St George A.

The season will begin on 6 May with the third West of England 9s tournament held again at Swindon

Representative rugby league has always been the pinnacle of the game and the issue over the past few years has been that it has been realistically open to only a very few players.

All that has now changed with the Lionhearts concept being rolled out across the regions so that each league can select its own representative team and a pathway become available for the very best talent in the Community Game.

During the Autumn, the West of England Lionhearts representative side made its bow with games against a South Wales Scorpions Development side and a Wales Presidents XIII which gave nearly 30 players the opportunity to play representative rugby league. From those games and a West of England, West vs East trial game, a squad was picked for a trip to Dublin to face Ireland Wolfhounds this Spring.

The Gloucestershire Warriors have two players in the 21-man squad, which has representatives from all ten of the clubs that played in 2016. Captain Ash Lewis and wing Kai Phillips both make the trip while former Warriors captain now with Swindon St George, Ben Brinkworth, also gained selection.

Also packing their bags are Paul Bartlett of Cheltenham Phoenix and the Forest Bulldogs’ Colin Maragon and Ross Webb in what should be a memorable trip.

and the Grand Final will be held along with a Plate Final – a format that proved successful last season – in August

Now the preparations can really begin.

FLAME OF THE WESTthe west awakes

LIONHEARTSTO IRELAND

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Reading Royals have appointed Alex Fox as their new head coach for the 2017 season. 24-year-old Fox is currently acting head of rugby and pe teacher at Leighton Park school in Reading and will take charge of the Raiders fr the next two years having oplayed for them last year in their defeat against Hemel Stags Merit team.

The club also held their first AGM recently as theyu plan for a successful season this year with the committee agreeing to have a second season of friendlies as the club evolves ahead of hopefully joining the West of England League in 2018.

The raiders are aiming to play eight friendlies between may and july, including the return of the two-legged Kennett Cup versus Swindon and keep up an unbeaten home record in the four prospective games at Berkshire County Sports Club.

Key to this will be the retention and recruitment of players ahead of what should be a challenging season for the largely inexperienced side, who begin pre-season in march.

If you’re interested in playing for the club or supporting them, emailreadingroyalsrlfc@gmail.com

The sides that contested the RFL’s CLS in 2016 are seeking to resolve their immediate futures following the decision of Red Hall bosses to axe the competition.

Coventry bears A aim to arrange matches on an ad hoc basis. Managing director Alan robinson told league express: “the local Midlands competition is not suitable for us to be playing in. we hope to set up reserves fixtyures to assist in the development of players within our ranks and also guest new players from the region.”

Three sides – Torfaen Tigers, Valley Cougars and west Wales Raiders – hail from Wales, and Welsh RL PRO Ian Golden said: “All are now to come back to Wales. We are, however, not yet sure of the structure or numbers in the league.”Nottingham outlaws have sought inclusion in the Yorkshire Men’s League and have been accepted into the Premier Division, while Gloucestershire All Golds have yet to respond to League Express regarding their plans.

Wests Warriors’ Shun Tamura said: “We will be attending a meetingsoon with all the London and South East clubs to determine the direction of the 2017 structure. Hopefully we will come to a conclusion whereby we can really contribute to building an exciting competition in the south.

“as it stands, it is looking likely that we remain in the London League although obviously the big dream is the National Conference League and beyond.”

On Facebook, Lewis said: “It’s safe to say this is one of my biggest achievements yet in rugby league, ... in now representing the Lionhearts against the Irish wolfhounds in Dublin, one of the many places on my bucket list to go to; and to go and play rugby there too, is a dream in itself.”

ROYALS APPOINTMENT

CONFERENCELEAGUE SOUTH

www.allgoldsrugby.com @AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby

DATE K.O. OPPONENTS RES FULLBACK WING CENTRE CENTRE WING STAND OFF SCRUM HALF PROP HOOKER PROP 2ND ROW 2ND ROW LOOSE FWD SUB 1 SUB 2 SUB 3 SUB 4

Sun Feb 19 15:00 A Hemel Stags (iPCR1) 12-48 GASKELL 1T AGORO 1T COWBURN KISLINGBURY 2T BARLOW STEAD 1G HYDE 5G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 2T WALTER WORRALL McCLEAN 1T ELLIOTT 1T HOUGHTON WILLIAMS 1T LLOYD-JONES KIDD

Sun Feb 26 15:00 H North Wales Crusaders (LCCR3)

Sun Mar 5 15:00 A Hunslet Hawks (KPL1)

Sun Mar 12 15:00 H Keighley Cougars (KPL1)

Sun Mar 26 15:00 A Workington Town (KPL1)

Sun Apr 9 15:00 H London Skolars (KPL1)

Fri April 14 15:00 A South Wales Ironmen (KPL1)

Sun May 7 15:00 H York City Knights (KPL1)

Sun May 14 15:00 H North Wales Crusaders (KPL1)

Sun May 21 15:00 A Coventry Bears (KPL1)

Sun Jun 4 15:00 H Newcastle Thunder (KPL1)

Sun Jun 11 14:00 A Whitehaven RLFC (KPL1)

Sun Jun 18 14:00 A Hemel Stags (KPL1)

Sun Jun 25 15:00 H Oxford (KPL1)

Sat Jul 1 18:30 A Barrow Raiders (KPL1)

Sat Jul 8 12:00 A Toronto Wolfpack (KPL1)

Sat Sep 10 15:00 H Doncaster (KPL1)

THE KEY | Home games appear in bold | KPL1 = Kingstone Press League 1 | KPL1S = Kingstone Press League 1 ShieldLCC = Ladbrokes Challenge Cup | IC = iPro Cup | Sin-binned Red Card (Sent Off) | T = Try | G = Goal | DG = Drop Goal

ALL GOLDS FIXTURES & RESULTS 2017

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DATE K.O. OPPONENTS RES FULLBACK WING CENTRE CENTRE WING STAND OFF SCRUM HALF PROP HOOKER PROP 2ND ROW 2ND ROW LOOSE FWD SUB 1 SUB 2 SUB 3 SUB 4

Sun Feb 19 15:00 A Hemel Stags (iPCR1) 12-48 GASKELL 1T AGORO 1T COWBURN KISLINGBURY 2T BARLOW STEAD 1G HYDE 5G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 2T WALTER WORRALL McCLEAN 1T ELLIOTT 1T HOUGHTON WILLIAMS 1T LLOYD-JONES KIDD

Sun Feb 26 15:00 H North Wales Crusaders (LCCR3)

Sun Mar 5 15:00 A Hunslet Hawks (KPL1)

Sun Mar 12 15:00 H Keighley Cougars (KPL1)

Sun Mar 26 15:00 A Workington Town (KPL1)

Sun Apr 9 15:00 H London Skolars (KPL1)

Fri April 14 15:00 A South Wales Ironmen (KPL1)

Sun May 7 15:00 H York City Knights (KPL1)

Sun May 14 15:00 H North Wales Crusaders (KPL1)

Sun May 21 15:00 A Coventry Bears (KPL1)

Sun Jun 4 15:00 H Newcastle Thunder (KPL1)

Sun Jun 11 14:00 A Whitehaven RLFC (KPL1)

Sun Jun 18 14:00 A Hemel Stags (KPL1)

Sun Jun 25 15:00 H Oxford (KPL1)

Sat Jul 1 18:30 A Barrow Raiders (KPL1)

Sat Jul 8 12:00 A Toronto Wolfpack (KPL1)

Sat Sep 10 15:00 H Doncaster (KPL1)

ALL GOLDS FIXTURES & RESULTS 2017

www.allgoldsrugby.com @AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby

22

KENNETH BAKER

DALE BLOOMFIELD

JOHN COOKSON

JAMES DANDY

JACK HANSEN

JACK HOUGHTON

LEE HUDSON

EARL HURST

THOMAS JOHNSON

ANDREW JOY

RICHARD JOY

COREY LEE

RYAN MILLINGTON

AARON MOORE

CALLUM MULKEEN

DANIEL PRICE

RYAN SMITH

JON WALKER

LUKE WARBURTON

CRUSADERSHEAD COACH:MIKE GRADY

MOBOLAJI AGORO

JORDAN ANDRADE

CHRIS BARLOW

WILLIAM BRICKHILL

PHILIP COWBURN

HARRISON ELLIOTT

ALEX GASKELL

JOSHUA HOUGHTON

KIERAN HYDE

HARRY KIDD

BRADLEY KISLINGBURY

MALIKHI LLOYD-JONES

JOSEPH McCLEAN

JACK MITCHELL

STEVEN PARRY (C)

OLIVER PURSLOW

JAMES WALTER

KADEEM WILLIAMS

CHRIS WORRALL

ALL GOLDSHEAD COACH:

LEE GREENWOOD

UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE ALL GOLDSOxstalls Campus, Gloucester, GL2 9HW

Tel: 01242 715332 | Official Website: www.allgoldsrugby.com

REFEREE: G. DOLAN RESERVE: J. COLLINS TOUCH JUDGES: R SNELSON, J. BUTTERFIELDMATCH COMMISSIONER: J. HOLDSWORTH