Hoppers cruise past Luctonians

Hoppers recorded their fourth victory in a row with an emphatic win over new comers Luctonians. This was the first meeting between the two clubs and with the Herefordshire side’s good start to the season it was expected to be a close encounter. However Hoppers were in control right from the opening kickoff and dominated in all areas of the game, including against the visitors heavyweight pack.

The home pack threw down the gauntlet in the opening minutes with a perfectly executed catch and drive, Rich Morton returned to first team action to touch down and give Hoppers a perfect start. Hoppers increased their lead midway through the half, Luctonians could not secure a line out in their own half and Matt Charters and Luke Cunningham made inroads into the visiting defence before the ball was spread wide where Hoppers had men over and Paul White was on hand to continue his impressive scoring run.

Luctonians got themselves onto the score sheet with a penalty from John Morris but Mark Edwards replied with a penalty for Hoppers five minutes before the break to restore the 12 point lead and take the sides in 15-3 at the break. The half did however have one more crucial incident when the visitors were reduced to 14 men; prop Jorge Segurado was shown a straight red card for a head butt following a collapsed scrum.

Hoppers came out in the second half determined to take full advantage with a five point haul now well in their sights. Once again they started the half in style with two tries, wrapping up the bonus point, inside ten minutes. A turn over in midfield was quickly moved to the left wing and after White had got behind the defence he unselfishly passed inside to Edwards who was able cross with ease. And they capitalised on yet another turn over when replacement Mike Millward made good yards up the middle and Edwards well weighted kick was gathered by Tom Hughes who scored his eighth try of the season to go into a tie for the most in the league.

Luctonians finally crossed the try line and showed some of the form that had helped them win five of their opening seven games. After securing the ball in Hoppers territory for over five minutes they powered their way through the forwards to the try line and replacement scrum half Lucas Roy-Smith found space round the fringes to squeeze over. However any chance of a comeback was ended when their discipline again let them down, this time it was a yellow card for back row Bruce Thomas following a dangerous tackle.

Hoppers scored twice in his absence, three times in the final ten minutes, with full back Sean Taylor taking full advantage of the increased space to create the first and then cross twice himself. Taylor made a great break from a poor clearing kick and was well supported by Mark Rigbye whose offload put Matt Hughes in space to score.

Taylor was then on the end of two scrum moves, the first in conventional way as Charters picked up from the base to make good yards and after recycling the ball well Hoppers moved quickly from right to left where Taylor was in acres of space. The second as Hoppers pack stole the ball at the scrum and Charters again made good ground before Cameron Berry was able to find Taylor again in space. Edwards added the extras with the final kick of the game to take his personal tally to an impressive 20 points.

Hoppers once again showed that they are going to be a force to reckon with this season, with six different try scorers, five from the backs, they are taking advantage of the opportunities available to them. The pace and adventure from a young back line is a joy to watch and will cause any team in the league problems and the forwards are providing a great platform getting g quick ball and impressing in the loose and the set piece, personified by hooker Richie Sands who made his 150 appearance for the club.

Hoppers maintain winning streak

Hoppers came through a physical encounter to win a close game that was dominated by the forwards and the referees whistle. Hull Ionians came with a solid game plan built around an impressive line out and strong pack but Hoppers had just enough quality to ensure a well earned victory.


Things started well for the hosts and they had the opening try inside the first five minutes, Ionians had the ball deep in Hoppers territory but a knock on, something that was to plague the visitors throughout, allowed Hoppers to clear their lines. Mark Edwards launched the clearing kick high and after allowing it to bounce the ever impressive Tom Hughes capitalized, made one man miss and sprinted in from half way. Edwards was successful with the easy conversion and added a drop goal a couple of minutes later to give Hoppers a ten point lead.


The visitors got themselves back into the game through the forwards and a good kicking game with full back Dan Porter taking advantage of the numerous penalties to kick deep into the corners and allow the pack a chance to control the game. This constant pressure lead to a try for Joe Sanders when he was on hand to power over from close range, Porter was then unlucky to hit the post with the conversion. Ionians had the majority of the possession for the remainder of the half but could not convert it into points, thanks to a resilient Hoppers defence, and it was the hosts who stretched their lead just before the half when Edwards landed his second drop goal.


Hoppers started the second half brightly and scored a try within a minute of the restart. After taking in the kick they moved the ball quickly to their flying winger Paul White who made good yards down the left touchline. Edwards then executed a perfectly weighted cross kick into the arms of second row Mark Rigbye and his simple offload put Matt Hughes into space and he had far too much pace for the covering defence, Edwards successful conversion gave Hoppers a dream start.

Ionians were able to wrestle control of much of the possession and territory for the remainder of the game, even though Hoppers had chances to secure victory. The game turned midway through the half when Hoppers back row Will Bordill was shown a yellow card for an infringement at the breakdown, this was one of 27 penalties against the two sides but the only time referee Wayne Falla deemed necessary to remove a player from the field much to the annoyance of the home crowd.


Simon Jenkins was then the beneficiary of the impressive catch and drive that Ionians used to good effect all day and Joe Makin’s converted try with five minutes to go following a good break from second row partner Sanders gave the home crowd a nervous finish, but Hoppers held on and were able to run out the clock and secure victory.

Hoppers Tame The Lions

Hoppers first away win of the season helped them record back to back bonus point victories as they look to turn the corner after a difficult run of games against the league’s top sides.

Traveling to a spirited Rugby Lions side that lost many key players in the off season, Hoppers dominated from the start and only a late flurry of home tries, assisted by some poor officiating brought the score back to a level of respectability.

Hoppers started brightly and displayed dominance in all areas from the outset, with the pack again performing well in the loose and set piece and the young back line looking dangerous. They took the lead through the boot of Tommy Bell who smashed a penalty from all of 45 metres and had their first try inside ten minutes when Tom Ashton rounded off a free flowing move that started with a scrum in Hoppers territory. Ashton grabbed his second try a few minutes later with a display of great strength from the winger who shrugged off several would be tacklers to power over the line, Bell missed the tricky conversion but added a second booming penalty to give Hoppers a 18-0 lead.

Rugby finally got on the score sheet soon when fly half Aaron Higgins had a moment of inspiration to chip over the top, collect his own kick and score. However, Hoppers answered straight back with a classy try from Paul White. After the forwards had driven on from a line out they unleashed the backs and Bell’s pass hit White at pace who cut a great line in midfield to cross with ease.

The second half started with a bang as Hoppers secured the bonus points with just two minutes gone, Matt Charters and Tom Ball combined well to put White in space who again displayed his pace to leave the home defence in his wake.

Tom Hughes then scored the try of the game and gave the Lions a lesson in completing tackles as he got back to his feet on three occasions to leave the defence bewildered and score by the posts.

Hoppers then fell foul of some poor officiating as the referee shockingly decided to sin bin Richie Sands, who was only trying to get a Lions player off a team-mate 20 seconds after play had moved on and Tom Ball for hands in the ruck.

Rugby took advantage when Liam Munro powered over from short range following a catch and drive that had stalled just short of the line. Hoppers scored again when Ball returned from the bin to throw a great dummy and catch out most of the defence, Bell’s conversion took the Hoppers to 50 points.

Rugby scored twice late on to secure a bonus point when Ian Reynard rounded off a great break by Todd Freemantle and replacement Matt Davies was on hand in the dying minutes to place the ball over the line from a catch and drive.

While Hoppers with be frustrated with the late tries and the officiating it was a promising performance from a team that is beginning to gel together under the new coaching staff, the forwards appear fitter and stronger and the backs are playing with pace and precision that should lead to plenty of tries and victories.

Hoppers breeze past struggling Manchester

Hoppers snapped a three game losing streak with a convincing performance over a struggling Manchester side that were severely outmatched from the outset. With a bonus point secured within the opening 20 minutes Hoppers were able to rack up a huge score that will go some way to help their point’s difference tally.

After turning the ball over inside the home 22, Hoppers almost scored when Sean Taylor was held up in goal. But, in a style that would become familiar throughout the day, the pack got a great shove from the resulting 5 metre scrum and James Smith had the simple job of touching down from the base.

Hoppers then took the game beyond Manchester in a dazzling five minute spell where they scored four tries and secured the bonus point. Cameron Berry was on the end of a flowing move following another turn over in Manchester territory, and after Taylor, Tom Ashton and Tom Hughes had combined well on the left wing Berry was available for the inside ball to score.

The next three tries came straight from the ensuing restarts as Hoppers collected the kicks and sliced through the visiting defence. First Wayne Steel showed a great turn of pace to make 30 metres and good support work left Luke Cunningham with the simple job of placing the ball by the posts. Then Matt Charters and Mark Rigbye made good ground before Rigbye’s good pass put Matt Hughes with the full back and the home winger stepped well to go in untouched. Tom Hughes then scored the try of the day in typical fashion as he cut a great angle on half way before evading four would be tacklers.

Hoppers pack continued to pile on the pressure, especially at the scrum where they first turned over a Manchester scrum 5 metres from the line and then smashed the visiting pack back over the line allowing Charters to touch down. It was pressure from the entire team that led to the final try of the first half as Manchester tried to keep the ball alive inside their own 22, but after only going backwards a terrible clearing kick went straight to Matt Hughes only a few metres from the line who collected and strolled across the line giving Hoppers a 41-0 lead at half time.

The second half started in the same fashion as the first with two tries being scored, by half time replacements, in the opening ten minutes. Mike Millward capitalised on a Manchester knock on and after not being held in the tackle his second effort was enough to power over the line. Paul White then got a try on debut after good work from Cunningham from a scrum on half way and when Nick Smith put Taylor into a huge gap the full back sprinted clear and the unselfishly off loaded to White to score in the right corner.

Cunningham then completed a hat trick with two tries touched down from the base of the scrum after the Hoppers pack had obliterated their opposite numbers, Manchester had replaced both starting prop’s in the first quarter of the game but Hoppers had too much power for any of the visiting forwards.

Manchester did get on the score board late on, even if there was some question over the legitimacy of the try. They managed to somehow keep the ball alive inside the Hoppers 22 and finally got a number advantage on the blind side and although it looked like he was in touch and had spilled the ball replacement prop Marcus Smkle-Knox was awarded the try.

Hoppers however rounded off the scoring with the final play of the game when Millward stole the ball and Taylor hit yet another great line and had too much pace for the covering defence for a well deserved try.

There will be much harder tests of Hoppers throughout the season but there were impressive sign in both attack and defence with a dominant performance from the pack and when the ball is released to the backs there is great pace and skill to trouble the best teams.

Wasteful Hoppers Lose To Westoe

Hoppers lost for the first time at home this season in an embarrassing display to a Westoe side that offered little in attack but capitalised well on several key mistakes. All four of the visitors tries came from an error or piece of poor play by Hoppers which must have infuriated players and coaches as much as the home crowd. With both sides falling foul of the referee’s whistle of many occasions the game never really found a rhythm.

Things did however start well as Tom Ashton made a scything break up the middle of the Westoe defence in the opening minute, he was well supported by Mike Millward, Cameron Berry and Tom Bell who carried the ball up to the try line and after a few forays by the forwards Hoppers were able to suck in the defence and Matt Hughes took advantage of a vacant blindside to score.

Hoppers then proceeded to allow Westoe into the game through a series of penalties, two of which were well converted by the impressive Mark Bedworth who was successful with 6 of his 7 kicks at goal. Bell put Hoppers back into the lead with a penalty on the half hour mark when visiting back row Aaron Myers, who was sin binned for the offence, was guilty of killing the ball at a ruck.

Those who thought Hoppers would press on with a man advantage like they had done in the opening game were surely disappointed to see them go behind within seconds of the restart. After gathering the kick Hoppers did not chase Mark Edwards clearing kick well and allowed Westoe to launch an attack first through full back Charlie Rayner and then James Clark who found a huge hole in the midfield to sprint in untouched from 30 yards. Bedworth added the extras and the visitors went into the half with an unexpected 13-8 lead in a half where they had been on the back foot throughout and with only the intelligent directional kicking of Bedworth to cling on to.

If the first half was poor by Hoppers then the second half was downright abysmal, three minutes into the half Hoppers were down to 14 men, with the sin binning on replacement Sean Hall, and had conceded a penalty try. A mistake in the Hoppers midfield on half way resulted with the ball going to ground, Clark and Gareth Kerr hacked on for Westoe and with the ball in the in goal area and Kerr looking favourite to reach it he was pulled back by Hall giving the referee no option but to award the penalty try and send Hall to the bin.

Hoppers tried to get some territory with the man disadvantage but Bedworth did a good job of pinning the home side back into their own half and from this Westoe took advantage of a stolen line out and when Bedworth ghosted through the line all that was left to do was draw the full back and lay off a well timed pass for Clark to score his second.

Westoe wrapped up a bonus point win in typical style as they pounced on yet another turn over to score. From a set move on half way Hoppers midfield did not look in synch and Scott Manning, who had looked shaky since coming on, delayed the pass but only managed to find Westoe’s Kerr who intercepted and raced away to secure all five points.

Hoppers will have to improve on these simple errors, especially as the travel to Loughborough to face the Students.

Hoppers put up brave fight against all star Fylde

Hoppers put up a brave fight but ultimately went down to a dangerous Fylde side that ran away with an exciting contest at the Woodlands. Fylde unleashed the icon that is Jason Robinson on National League rugby in front of a packed crowd and the former England star showed glimpses of the kind of rugby Fylde are paying.

The weather tried to help out the visitors as a huge downpour half an hour before kickoff made early conditions a little tricky but both teams handled them well. However, Hoppers were starved of the ball for the majority of the match and put in a huge effort in defence but the star quality of Fylde came into its own in the last 15 minutes.

Fylde started well and completely dominated the opening 20 minutes, their forwards were able to recycle the ball quickly and the backs looked sharp from the start. They took the lead from the boot of Mike Waywell and finally broke the determined Hoppers defence after 13 minutes, the forwards executed a punishing catch and drive deep into the 22 and while Hoppers were able to stop the first backs move the ball was moved back quickly and winger Oli Brennand had too much pace for the scrambling defence.

Hoppers started to get into the game after the try and got on the board with a Mark Edwards penalty, but the gap was soon back to eight points when Waywell added his second.

The referee then made his first substantial impact into the game as he reduced both teams to 14 men in a matter of minutes. Hoppers Mark Irving was first to go and he was followed by his opposite number Pete Altham.

On the stroke of half time Hoppers dragged themselves back into the game as a well weighted kick through by Edwards was touched down by Tom Ashton by the post, Edwards added the simple conversion and for all their superiority Fylde had just a one point lead at the half.

If Robinson had been quiet through the first half he showed his class in the second, in the first minute he jinked and weaved past three players before setting off down the left wing, he was well supported by Brennand whose ball back on the inside put Craig Aikman over to score just 40 seconds into the half.

Hoppers were able to answer back quickly with a try Tom Hughes will remember for a lifetime. After a solid catch and drive Hoppers unleashed a scything backs move with Edwards finding Hughes who cut a great line and sprinted past Robinson leaving the England man in his wake.

Fylde then took charge of the game and unleashed some scintillating backs moves to score 30 unanswered points in the final half hour. As good as Fylde were they officiating took a downward turn with some extraordinary decisions and non decisions. Fylde lock Grant Ferguson somehow got away with a knee to the head and after Fylde were awarded a scrum in the 22 Richard Kenyon looked to have been held up over the line but the touch judge over-ruled the referee, who had signalled held up, to award the try.

The hosts were reduced to 14 men for the final 20 minutes as Altham was shown his second yellow but it did not slow them down. Waywell added two more penalties to stretch the lead to 31-17 and the referee evened up the number by showing substitute Mike Millward a yellow card.

Fylde scored three tries in the final five minutes, first Waywell was able to squeeze into the right corner and Kenyon was able to grab his second after good work from Robinson and Nick Royle. Then the other high profile newcomer Paul Arnold touched down following a well weighted kick from man of the match Kenyon.

Hoppers Start Season With A Win

Hoppers got the season off to a winning start with a comfortable win against Huddersfield. On the back of a dominant display from the pack Hoppers were able to put together a string of impressive backs moves and will be slightly disappointed not to walk away with a try bonus point.

Mark Edwards got Hoppers off to a good start with two early penalties as Huddersfield fell afoul of the new tackle laws. The reliable boot of Chris Johnson reduced the visitor’s deficit to three points with the first of his five penalties in a near perfect kicking performance.

With the penalty count mounting up referee Dave Edmunds felt the need to assert some authority and sent Richard Morton to the bin reducing Hoppers to 14 men. Huddersfield failed to make their number advantage count and it fell to Hoppers to extend their lead while a man down. Great work from the forwards, starting with an excellent line out steal and continuing with some forceful work around the fringe, took Hoppers deep into the 22 and after Cameron Berry broke the line Tom Hughes showed his typical quick feet and strength to power over the line, dragging a couple of visiting defenders with him. Edwards added the extras to take Hoppers lead out to 13-3.

Hoppers back row again found there selves on the wrong side of the referee just as Morton was due to return to the field, Matt Charters was shown a yellow card for playing the ball on the ground. Johnson was successful with the kick at goal and added a third ten minutes later to take the sides into the break 13-9. Huddersfield could have taken further advantage of their man advantage if not for a superb goal line tackle by Tom Ashton in the left corner and were then reduced to 14 men when Mark Whitehead was sin binned on the stroke of half time.

It was in the ten minutes after half time, while playing with a man advantage, that Hoppers won the game. Hughes grabbed his second try of the game following a good break from full back Tom Ball, Hoppers recycled quickly and Edwards took advantage of the visitor’s blitz defence to put Hughes in space and he stepped inside the full back to touchdown near the posts, Edwards again added the extras.

The pack should take huge credit for Hoppers third try as they obliterated a Huddersfield scrum on the ten metre line to drive the visitor’s back 15 yards and again Edwards and Hughes combined well to this time set up Ashton in the corner who showed great strength and awareness to score.

Huddersfield tried to mount a comeback midway through the half as Johnson clawed back six more points with the boot, Edwards pushed the score out to 28-15 with his third penalty before Huddersfield scored a late try to give home fans a few nervous moments. Johnson kicked deep into the Hoppers 22 from a penalty and the Huddersfield pack executes a catch and drive to perfection with Captain Nick Sharpe touching down at the base.

Edwards’ fourth penalty five minutes from time calmed the nerves giving Hoppers a nine point lead and Hoppers were able to close out the game with some solid defence. Johnson had a chance to capture a bonus point for Huddersfield but he was unsuccessful with a late penalty from distance.

This was far from a perfect performance from the Hoppers but showed signs of an exciting brand of rugby that will be pleasing to watch. A strong mobile pack dominated from the outset with the set piece working well from the start and the backs looked dangerous when given the opportunity.

Hoppers season review

So what can we take from the 2009/10 season. Hoppers will finish in the lower half of a strong division, but could have gone on to better things if a little luck was on there side. Not only did they lose a number of key players in the off season, the likes of fly half Marcus Jackson and couty back row Andrew Dockray, both who had to leave the are for jobs, but two key players left during the season for a bigger pay packet at a lower level. Add to that a season that has seen one of the biggest injury crisis' in club history and things were stacked against them from the start.

Head Coach Alex Keay said: It’s been a real rollercoaster season, we started ok, then went on a bit of an average run but by Christmas I would probably think we were the form team in the league and then when the weather kicked in even though we played quite well over a Harrogate and when you look at that result in high insight we lost 12-9 and we could have won and they have gone on to be the form team in the league since Christmas.

He added: "There are lots of reasons why we are not playing very well at the moment some of which we can do something about, others we probably can’t, whether it’s through quality of player, age or injury. But they are things we have to try and deal with it. We made our mark by playing inside our budget and things like that but budgets dictate the kind of player that you can look to bring in and we have lost two very good quality players during the season in Darren Wilson and Mark Hanson so you can’t really complain. We are struggling at times to put one really quality player out and maybe have at best three quality players. We have the likes of Luke Cunningham and Tom Hughes but they are getting submerged by the others. But we have put some very good young players out and people have to be patient with them. Unfortunately people aren’t patient and I think that people should be more realistic and trust that we are going to put in the necessary pieces."


The 2010 part of the season has been a disappointment but with a unparalleled 11 player missing from the team that started the opening weeks, and around 30 player (some definite first XV and others on the fringe) it is amazing that Hoppers have finished the fixture list at all.

So to break down the season there is;

The Good; The emergence of young players- Tom Hughes (13) is developing in to one of the best centre's in the league, tough to bring down, runs superb lines and will tackle anything that moves. Jordan Pearson (6) is a flanker in the Lewis Moody mold, a brave and tough tackling player who will give 100% and always provide a physical (if sometimes a little to aggressive) presence. Alex Zavallis-Roebuck (10) is a real maverick and probably the most naturally gifted player at the club if not the league. His vision and skill set him apart from other and gives him the ability to control the game.

The Bad; The consistency and mistakes; So many times you came away thinking what could have been and what should have been. Games became forward dominated when they really should have been put in the hands of the youthful and exuberant backs. Their needs to be greater leadership shown on the field but after losing so many key players it can be difficult to adjust.

The Ugly; An extraordinary number of injuries, key men like Phil Whyte (13) and Marc Balshaw (5)hardly played and managed to get injured as soon as they returned. With around 30 players unavailable the season was always going to be a struggle

Macclesfield strengthen grip on title

Hoppers were put to the sword by a rampant Macclesfield side that are now in pole position to win National 2 (North). Macc ran in eight tries and showed just why they are leading the way in the league but Hoppers can be proud of a team that showed plenty of commitment and could have made more impact on the score sheet but for a bit of luck and some poor officiating.

Macclesfield were worthy winners and built the win around there impressive pack and strong set piece, the visiting forwards dominated for the majority of the game but Hoppers put in a great amount of effort up front and when they did manage to get the ball out to the backs they caused the league leaders some real problems that wasn’t reflected in the final score.

The visitors got off to a great start with two tries from Evan Stewart; the flanker picked some great lines throughout the game and hit the line hard. He got his first after a sustained series of possession in the Hoppers half, Macc were patient and waited for the gaps to appear and Stewart blasted his way through a couple of tackles. The second was from a scrum on the 22, Macc turned it towards the short side and Stewart was in support to pick a good line and cross for his second. The ever reliable Ross Winney converted both and was near perfect throughout the game.
Hoppers were causing the visitors some problems with Tom Ball sniping around the breakdown and Tom Hughes was a constant threat throughout, they created a couple of half chances and were unlucky not to be rewarded for their effort.

Macc increased their lead when centre Matthew O’Regan claimed two tries in quick succession, the first came after he picked up a loose pass, after Macc had enjoyed a good spell of possession, and used the slight hesitation in the home defence to his advantage and outpaced the covering players to score in the corner. The second, that secured the try bonus point when he picked a great line of Winney’s inside shoulder to slice through the midfield.

Hoppers got on the board through a Tom Hughes penalty but the joy was short lived as they were reduced to 14 men just before half time when John Young was shown a yellow card, his second dubious sin binning in consecutive games. Macc chose to take the scrum and again used the inside ball well as Stewart powered through to complete his hat trick. Winney converted to give the visitors a 33-3 lead at the half.

The second half continued in the same vein as Hoppers put in a lot of effort but just did not have the clinical edge to put points on the board. To make matters worse they were not only battling the leagues top side but the referee, as no sooner had Young returned than Matt Hughes was sent to the bin for a similar infringement, this time on half way, but a catalogue of Macc penalties inside the 5m line never produced one card for the visitors.

Macclesfield showed their though with three more well taken tries in the second half, Fergus Mulchrone scored a superb solo effort after collecting a kick on half way, the winger set off in field but the cut back against the grain to capitalise on a gaping hole and outpaced the defence.

Replacement John Lowden was put through a massive gap by another great pass from Winney, who controlled the game from start to finish and Mulchrone completed the rout when he was on hand to round of an impressive break from Tony Howcroft.

Hoppers continued to try and create and never gave up the cause, while the result did nothing for the side the effort and commitment on the pitch should at least give hope for the future.

Hoppers opponents 2009/10

Please follow link below;

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116253023932735571239.000482df05215c8bb3f22&ll=53.677188,-1.757812&spn=4.934034,9.876709&z=7

Click on the icons above the team location to access links to the match reports and the opponents website.

Hoppers poor away form continues

Hoppers lost on the road again in a frustrating contest in which the final score does not reflect the overall performance. There was plenty of commitment on display from both sides but there were also a catalogue of errors that disrupted the flow of the game.

The opening 15 minutes was a bit of a stalemate with both defences standing strong and able to cancel out the opposing attack. Hoppers were looking comfortable and managed to turn the ball over on a number of occasions and were able to use the wind to their advantage to control territory. They took with lead midway through the half with fly half Nick Smith’s sweetly struck penalty after the host were guilty of playing the ball on the ground.

Smith was involved in most of Hoppers good work in the first half and just a couple of minutes later a good looking chip and chase was only thwarted when he was pulled back illegally inside the 22, Hoppers took the line out but were held up just short from the catch and drive.

Just before the half hour mark things started to unravel, Hoppers were reduced to 14 men when prop John Young was shown a yellow card for killing the ball only a couple of metre’s short of the line, however, Young did not appear to be the guilty player.

Ionians took the lead moments after, choosing to go for a line out and as the driving maul was being set up Danny Hague peeled off the side and showed good strength to power over. The hosts made full use of the man advantage and extended their lead in fortunate circumstances. After winning possession Ionians set about on a good looking attack and got up to the Hoppers 22, but when the ball was spun out to the wing, everyone apart from the officials saw the ball knocked on but Stephen Slingsby was allowed to play on and score by the posts. James Ferguson added the extras to take the hosts into the break with a 12-3 lead.

The second half got off to its worst possible start when James Greene intercepted an offload on half way and set off towards the line, while he was stopped short by a good tackle he offloaded to Ferguson who touched down for Ionians third try.

Hoppers showed great commitment and were unlucky not to add to their score, Marc Balshaw bravely charged down a kick in goal and Tom Hughes was just short of the line after slicing through the defence only to be stopped by a great covering tackle.

Ionians wrapped up the game and the bonus point when Slingsby got his second try; the winger was the extra man as the host used a nice line out move to put Hague into space. They even had one more in them when they turned over ball in midfield and this time Oli Marns set up Ferguson to round off the scoring.

Five Star Fylde Down Hoppers

Fylde ran in five tries in the opening half hour to claim a bonus point win. Hoppers were blown away as the visitors scored all five tries in a breath taking 15 minutes of rugby from which Hoppers were unable to recover.

Once again Hoppers showed glimpses of the kind of rugby they can play but did not get out of the blocks quick enough and were a distant second for much of the game. There were some great rugby on display from the home side in the second half; the two tries scored were of the highest quality, one a team performance and the other a fine solo effort, but these moments of inspiration were few and far between.

With glorious sunshine providing great conditions for running rugby both sides looked to move the ball quickly in the opening minutes, but it was the visitor’s superior handling and direction that proved vital.

Alex Hurst got the score board ticking ten minutes into the match when he latched onto a well weighted kick through to touch down, Tom Barlow converted and was perfect with the boot throughout. Fylde doubled there lead after good work from a scrum in the Hoppers 22, when Alistair Atkinson and Laurie Smith combined well to take the visitor’s close and after Craig Aikman’s dart for the line was thwarted, Adam Lewis powered over from close range.

Nick Royle got the first of his two tries after Hoppers presented Fylde with a golden opportunity. Fylde moved the ball well through the hands from left to right and when Royle chipped through he had too much pace for the defence touching down unchallenged.

Jack Ward scored after Hoppers made a mess of a line out, there was more than a suggestion of crossing in the buildup but it went unnoticed by the referee and Royle grabbed his second after Ward interception a pass inside the Fylde 22 and once again the flying winger outpaced the defence to take Fylde in with a 35-0 lead.

Much to their credit Hoppers came out fighting and outscored the visitors in the second half by scoring two tries of their own to a solitary Fylde penalty. Hoppers rung the changes and they paid off as two replacements came off the bench to score.

First Sean Taylor was on hand to finish off a good move after Alex Zavallis-Roebuck and Tom Hughes combined well to break to Fylde line, Roebuck was only stopped by a good tackle but Hoppers recycled well and moved the ball quickly utilising the numbers and the space to put Taylor away in the corner. Tom Ball scored a fantastic solo effort, after picking up from a ruck and slicing his way through the defence with ease. However, it was too little too late but at least gave Hoppers players and fans something to smile about.

Hoppers can't tame the Lions

Hoppers continued their poor away form with their seventh successive loss on the road, again conceding points in the first two minutes and, by the time they discovered any sort of cohesion, the game was already lost.

Disappointed coach Alex Keay said: “Lions are one of the best sides in this league on their day and can do a lot of damage if you let them take the initiative. Our first half performance was poor but we did play more to our potential in the second half but it was all too little too late.”

With real pace and experience in the backs, ideal handling conditions suited the home side and, ominously, some slick handling allowed wing Alfeld to cross unopposed in the second minute. Hoppers then enjoyed a period of possession and pressure and stand-in scrum half Alex Zavallis-Roebuck threatened with a blindside break. But all too often, slow ball from the breakdown hampered attacks and when Lions again got their hands on the ball, former Hopper fly-half Boshoff’s well timed pass put in wing Collins on 12 minutes.

After a break by Luke Cunningham, supported by Tom Hughes, Nick Smith got his side on the scoreboard with a penalty but their cause was not helped when flanker Jordan Pearson was sin-binned in the 20th minute and Lions astutely changed tactics, two lineout drives producing tries for hooker Williamson and lock Soloman in the space of 5 minutes.

Hoppers managed to stem the flow of points and managed sporadic attacks but the pressure eventually told and the half was summed up when they were caught napping from a tap penalty and Alfred was in for his second. Full back Boden kept up his flawless kicking with his 5th conversion to make it 35-3 at the break.

Some strong words from Keay and a flurry of replacements at first did not seem to be making any difference as first replacement scrum half Walker sprinted through some slack defence and then centre Morris touched down within 8 minutes of the restart, the immaculate Boden adding the extras.

At last Hoppers found more aggression and urgency and, after some fierce exchanges, yellow cards reduced both sides to fourteen men after 55 minutes. This time it was Hoppers’ turn to profit as replacement wing Matt Hughes took advantage of his absent opposite number, gathering his own chip and chase to score wide out. He then completed a brace when he crossed again after good support play in which Phil Whyte and Pearson caught the eye.

Although the game was lost, Hoppers were keen to add more respectability to the score line but, despite some fast and furious play, neither side could add to their tally.

Hoppers remain in 11th place, with a 13-point cushion over the relegation zone and games in hand but will be keen to get more points in the bank from a difficult last six games starting with the visit of neighbours Fylde next Saturday.

Fylde retain Lancashire Cup

For the second year in a row Fylde were too strong for Hoppers and emerged victorious in the John Burgess Lancashire Cup Final. Hoppers were second best for most of the contest and were lucky to be in the game for as long as they were. While chances for the host were few and far between they can take pride in the effort given, especially in defence as they held out a rampaging Fylde.

Fylde dominated the majority of the game and the possession stats at half time must have been in the region of 90% to the visitors. This was helped by a stiff breeze but the visitors’ tactics were good and they used the elements to their advantage pinning Hoppers back deep into their own half for much of the half. They could, and probably should, have taken the lead on several occasions in the opening quarter. After being camped inside the Hoppers 22 for much of the time they wasted plenty of chances to take the lead as simple overlaps were not taken as players tried to muscle their way through the resolute Hoppers defence instead of using the numbers available. Hoppers themselves were guilty of not making more of their limited time in possession and were all too happy to kick the ball away and hand the incentive back to Fylde.

Eventually the persistent pressure took its toll on the Hoppers defence and Fylde got the first points of the game. The driving maul that Fylde had used to great effect throughout the game proved to be the catalyst and second row Alistair Atkinson emerged from a pile of bodies to claim the try.

Things went from bad to worse for Hoppers as they had Chris Stone sin binned, as he fell victim to the sheer number of penalties awarded in the home 22. Fylde went straight onto the attack and were rewarded with their second try as prop Alan Holmes picked up from a ruck close to the try line and powered his way over from close range.

Hoppers miraculously got themselves back into the game in controversial circumstances as they finally decided to keep the ball in hand and ran straight at the heart of the Fylde defence. When the ball was moved out to the wing Matt Hughes was felled by an illegal high tackle, which resulted in a yellow card for John Embleton but more surprisingly was the awarding of a penalty try. Hughes was clear and had support of team-mates, with little Fylde defence to speak of but the decision was queried by some sections of the crowd. Nick Smith slotted the conversion and the sides went into the break with Fylde leading 10-7.

Hoppers had more possession and territory in the second half but were not able to make an impression on the scoreboard. Credit must go to Fylde for some solid defence but people will be questioning some of the decision making as Hoppers turned down chances to kick for goal and opted instead to try their luck at line-outs and scrums against a far superior Fylde pack. The visitors held strong from several line-outs close to their try line and eventually managed to steal the ball and relieve all pressure.

Fylde managed to extend their lead midway through the half when Captain Sam Beaumont smashed his way over from close range after the visitors were camped on the Hoppers try line for several minutes.
Fylde were worthy winners and won in a manner much more convincingly than the score line suggests. They dominated the set piece and controlled the game in key areas on route to comfortably retaining the Cup.

Hoppers return to form

Hoppers’ put last week’s embarrassing defeat behind them, with a worthy win over relegation threatened Bradford & Bingley. This was a much improved performance that showed signs of the kind of rugby that made Hoppers a joy to watch earlier in the season.

The opening minutes, however, must have given players, coaches and fans alike a horrible sense of déjà vu as Hoppers’ gifted the visitors 14 points whilst again being unable to convert themselves.

Bradford & Bingley were seven points up in a blink of an eye as Hoppers surrendered possession on half way, due to some poor handling, and after Robert Almond kicked ahead, the visitors were able to win the ball and scrum half Mark Gemmell sneaked over from close range, Tom Davidson was successful with a simple conversion.

Hoppers closed the gap when Nick Smith converted a penalty but the home side again shot themselves in the foot and gave The Bees another simple score. After good work to snuff out a dangerous looking attack, Hoppers made a mess of the resulting five metre scrum and had the clearing kick charged down handing the scrum and the initiative to the visitors. After a solid scrum number 8 Tom Ball collected from the base and powered over, Davidson again converted.

On the half hour mark Smith added his second penalty to narrow the gap slightly and Hoppers began to wrestle control of the game. They were rewarded just before the half with a try, Tom Hughes great run set them up with a line out deep inside the 22. The pack then went for the catch and drive which the visitors had no answer for but to infringe, and even as Hoppers forwards were about to touchdown in the corner, referee Trevor Fisher awarded a penalty try making the resulting kick a whole lot easier and Smith made no mistake, taking Hoppers into the break trailing by just one point 13-14.

The Bees got the first points of the second half just minutes after the restart when Davidson slotted home a penalty but Hoppers continued where they had left of at the end of the first half and began to dominate.

Straight away Hoppers looked to run the ball at the visitors and again Hughes provided the catalyst, this time linking well with Matt Hughes to create space down the left and after great support work from a returning Marc Balshaw to keep the move going Scott Manning was able to cross and round off a superb move. Smith added the extras and Hoppers had the lead for the first time.

That lead was extended with little over ten minutes to play as again Hughes cut through the visiting defence with ease, this time from a scrum just outside the 22. Hughes had too much pace for his opposite number and scythed through the defence before releasing Owen McKenna with a well timed pass as the full back had joined the line at the opportune moment. Smith was successful with the conversion and a penalty minutes later.

Bradford & Bingley kept fighting however, and after Balshaw was shown a yellow card with under five minutes to play, they went all out looking for a bonus point. They got the try they were looking for when replacement Sam Hobbs crossed when the numbers game finally caught up to the home defence but missed out on a vital point as the conversion, in front of the posts, somehow sailed wide.

Don't believe you eyes

Hoppers’ poor run of away results continued with a exasperating performance away to a struggling Huddersfield. However, the 50-5 score line does not reflect the game as Hoppers’ dominated for the vast majority and could have walked away with a win.

In high insight the writing was on the wall in the first minute; Hoppers’ failed to deal with the opening kick-off and then missed some crucial tackles to allow Ben Harris to score with barely 40 seconds on the clock. The reliable Chris Johnson converted and the hosts had a seven point lead before some of the crowd had even reached their seats.

If the opening minute was a prelude for what was to come, the following 20 were an exercise in frustration with Hoppers’ wasted numerous chances to score. On at least three occasions they were presented will a guilt edged opportunity for points but poor passing and handling skills cost them dearly.

It wasn’t just the opposition and themselves that Hoppers’ were battling, they were also on the receiving end of some extremely poor officiating. The interpretation of scrimmaging laws was at times embarrassing and at others laughable, and the number of simple calls missed was simply staggering.

Johnson though was making no mistakes; he increased Huddersfield lead with a penalty and controlled the game well from fly-half, creating space for Tom Owen to cut through the defence and set up Mark Whitehead for the first of his three tries.

Hoppers did register some points when Jordan Pearson touched down following an impressive catch and drive after a penalty inside the 22 was kicked to touch and the sides went into the break 17-5. It was the least that they deserved as most of the play during the half was excellent. The pack dominated the line-out and the scrums and should have made more of their superiority.

The second half continued in much the same vain; Hoppers had the lion’s share of possession but were unable score, there would be halted by a dubious decision and then, from out of nowhere, Huddersfield would be crossing the line for a try.
Whitehead got his second after Johnson and scrum half Damien Clayton combined well from a quick penalty and Huddersfield wrapped up the bonus point when Adam Sutcliffe crossed after a nice backs move.

And Whitehead completed his hat trick when he was in the right place at the right time, after Hoppers’ lost possession.

Not even the late sin binning of Gavin Rhodes could halt the home side, as Nick Sharpe scored following another catastrophic mistake and Johnson rounded of the scoring when he cleverly chipped over a static defence to cross under the posts and take his personal tally to 20 points.

Hoppers’ Head Coach Alex Keay echoed fans thoughts saying that “we played better today than against Waterloo, but we must have wasted half a dozen excellent chances to score.”

Hoppers' squeeze past Waterloo

Hoppers achieved their second win in a row after an uninspiring performance against bottom side Waterloo. With both sides wasting several chances to score this was a fixture that Hoppers could easily have lost, but 15 points from Alex Zavallis-Roebuck and a well taken Phil Whyte try saw Hoppers home.

However, Hoppers did not have things go their own way and trailed for most of the game. Waterloo took the lead inside the opening ten minutes when scrum half Alex Rees squeezed over after a promising line-out looked to have gone to waste. Rees saw a slither of daylight and slipped in between the tacklers to score.


Roebuck reduced the deficit with the first of his five penalties a few minutes later and both sides could have added to their totals as promising backs moves were thwarted by some good defense and poor handling close to the line, the visitors could and possibly should have had two tries in the left corner.

Waterloo did increase their lead when Hoppers gave away a penalty from a scrum 5 metre’s from their own line. The visitors chose to take a line-out instead of going for 3 points and Ryan McKie capitalized on the gaping hole in the Hoppers defence. James O’Brian added the extras.

Hoppers had a number of chances to put points on the board as good work from the likes of Roebuck, Jordan Pearson and Sean Taylor went begging and the had to settle for two more Roebuck penalties and went into the break trailing 9-12.

Roebuck drew the sides level shortly after the restart with his fourth penalty but the second half continued in the same vain as the first with plenty of opportunities but neither side able to convert. In the final quarter the referee’s whistle started to dominate and the game began to lose all momentum.

James Smith was harshly sent to the sin bin for what was nothing more than a physical tackle and minutes later the referee evened up the numbers by showing a yellow card to the visitor’s impressive number 8 Njike Tchakoute. With slightly more space to work in and the addition of some fresh legs of the bench Hoppers took control of the final ten minutes and sneaked into the lead with Roebuck’s fifth penalty goal. Things got worse for Waterloo just minutes after they had surrendered the lead, prop John Nuttall was shown a straight red card for a stamp.

Hoppers saved the best till last though as they rounded off the game with a superb try in the closing minutes. Pearson got things rolling with a determined run into the heart of the Waterloo defence. Dominic Moon and Russell Flynn combined well to put Whyte in space and the centre was not going to be denied on his return to first team action as he backed himself in a two-on-one to beat his man and raced away to score.

Happy Hoppers finally win in 2010

Hoppers finally recorded their first win of 2010 with victory over struggling Broadstreet. As neither side had registered a win this year something had to give. Even though Hoppers got off to the best start possible they floundered in the second half and allowed Broadstreet to attempt an unlikely comeback.

The home side were in the ascendancy from the outset and quickly got into their stride. After visiting prop Paul Hurst was shown a yellow card in the opening minutes for a punch, the home pack took control of proceedings and after electing to take a line out from the resulting penalty they used the catch and drive efficiently and Mark Irving scored on his return from injury. Nick Smith converted well from the touchline and Hoppers had a 7-0 lead.

After being camped in Broadstreet’s half for the majority of the man advantage Hoppers scored their second try in spectacular fashion. Street tried to clear their lines but a poor kick went straight to Tom Ball, who gathered well and shot down the left touch line. He then cut inside and beat a couple of would be tacklers before offloading a perfectly timed pass to a rampaging Sean Taylor who came on to the ball at pace and touched down by the posts. Smith again converted and the home support was reminded of the kind of free flowing attacking rugby that Hoppers had been playing before the extended Christmas break. Smith added a penalty a couple of minutes later and Hoppers had scored 17 points with the man advantage.

The third try came just before the half hour mark again as a result of a brilliant individual break. This time it was Alex Zavallis-Roebuck who broke the line from a set move before showing great strength to not only fend off one would be tackler but to drag a couple more a few extra yards sucking in more Street players. Hoppers were able to recycle the ball quickly and used the space well, moving the ball quickly to the left where men were lined up and Ben Davey was on hand to score. Broadstreet tried to get something before the half but were denied by some strong defence, in particular a fantastic try saving tackle by Zavallis-Roebuck right at the end of the half.

Hoppers took a 22-0 advantage into the break and must have been relishing an easy second half but the game was turned on its head and things did not go to plan.

In a reversal of fortune it was now Hoppers turn to play with a man disadvantage as Jordan Pearson was surprisingly shown a yellow card just minutes after the restart. He was quickly joined by John Young, for handling at the ruck, who had only come on to the field as a half time replacement.
With Hoppers down to 13 men Street threw everything at them but were met with a resolute defence. The visitors finally made their man advantage count when Wayne Lester found himself with a two-on-one, Lester backed his own ability and made it to the line. Street added a second try ten minutes later when Andy McGrory latched on to a perfectly weighted cross field kick and won the foot race to the corner. McGrory used his strength to shake of the covering defence but should never have been allowed to score from such a tight position.

Hoppers never got back into rhythm during the second half and replacement Nick Thatcher powered over in the closing minutes to set up a tense finish. Street had moved the ball from left to right and stretched the home defence to the limits, although Hoppers effectively slowed down the ball there were gaps in the line and Thatcher picked on a smaller opponent and smashed straight through him, Dan Richards slotted the conversion to bring the visitors back from the dead and they were now trailing by just five points with five minutes to go. However, Broadstreet never really got a chance as the rest of the game was played deep in their half.

However, even though another match seemed to be slipping away, Hoppers hung on for a much needed win but the first half performance shows what they are capable of doing, with a dominant performance from the pack in the loose and at set plays and the young backs carving the opposition apart on a number of occasions.

Wasteful Hoppers go down at home

Hoppers dreadful run of results continues continued with a sub par performance in their first home game of 2010. While showing flashes of brilliance throughout the game, the inability to convert chances in the first half cost them dearly in a game that should have been out of reach by half time.

Hoppers dominated for most of the first half, having the lion’s share of possession mainly in the Kendal half. The visitors defence was strong but several times the Hoppers backs were able to get over the gain line and make serious inroads.

Nick Smith converted a penalty 13 minutes in to give Hoppers the lead and he added a well struck drop goal on 28 to move the lead out to 6-0. Throughout the first half Hoppers threatened to run away with the game, both forwards and backs look dangerous but they were unable to find that elusive score. Jordan Pearson was dynamic as usual creating problems for Kendal both in attack and defence and Alex Zavallis-Roebuck looked dangerous every time he touched the ball, making several telling breaks and combining well with his fellow backs.

Kendal were able to draw level just before the half with a Mark Ireland penalty and a drop goal of their own from Mike Scott. Hoppers were denied a try in the final minute when Mark Rigbye was, apparently, held up in the in goal following good work down the left wing from Pearson.

If the first half didn’t go to plan then the beginning of the second half was the last thing that the home side needed. Kendal were awarded a penalty in the opening minutes and chose, as usual, to kick for touch. They then employed the driving maul to great effect and Richard Harryman was pushed over from close range.

While Hoppers enjoyed more possession and some territory they were still unable to generate points and Kendal scored their second try of the half in identical circumstances. Once again the catch and drive proved effective and this time it was hooker Allen Martindale who touched down. Ireland added the extras from the touchline and stretched the visitors lead out to 18-6.

Things went from bad to worse for Hoppers when Richard Morton, who had just come onto the field as a replacement, was shown a yellow card reducing the home side to 14 men. Kendal went straight back to the forwards, first from the line-out and then the scrum, looking for another score. After several reset scrums, for both teams, Kendal eventually moved the ball out and while Hoppers could repel the opening foray, space opened up on the blindside for Scott to cross over. Ireland was again successful with the conversion.

Morton’s return sparked Hoppers into life and they looked like staging a dramatic comeback. Richie Sands was on hand to score from a catch and drive of their own, following good work from the Hoppers pack.

Hoppers then showed a glimpse of the pre Christmas form as they drew to within a score with a wonderful set play. First Rigbye secured good line out ball on the Kendal 40m line and Hoppers wasted no time in getting the ball out to the backs. Tom Hughes once again made the telling break powering his way over the gain line and was able to set up Sean Taylor with a perfectly timed pass. Taylor came onto the ball at pace to beat the full back with ease and was able to get close to the posts to help the kick. Smith made no mistake and pulled Hoppers to within seven points.

However, Hoppers were unable to make anything happen in the final few minutes and had to settle for the losing bonus point.

Hoppers still searching for win

Hoppers were blown away in the opening quarter by a clinical Caldy who ran in 5 first half tries to secure victory. All the points came in an exhilarating first half and means Hoppers are still searching for their first league win in 2010.

Caldy scored the opening try with barely 3 minutes on the clock. After Hoppers had kicked straight to touch Caldy drove deep into the 22 and from a quick tap penalty they were able to recycle the ball well and flanker Jake Lyon touched down, with Richard Vasey adding the conversion.

From the resulting kick off Caldy again had great possession inside the Hoppers 22 after being awarded a 5m scrum. The home pack was too strong and drove over the try line providing number 8 Josiah Dickinson with a simple score, Vasey again slotted the kick to give Caldy a 14-0 lead.

Hoppers finally got some possession and were harshly penalised for a speculative forward pass but they could not get into the game with any consistency and were again punished by two quick scores. Caldy chose to go for a lineout from a penalty inside the 22 and while Hoppers dealt with the initial catch and drive well they were unable to stop lock Jack Collister from powering over from close range at the second attempt. Soon after they capitalised on a poor 22 drop out and moved quickly from left to right putting Dickinson in space and his determined run combined with some poor tackling saw him cross in the corner and secure the try bonus point. Vasey’s conversion took the score to 26-0 with only a quarter of the game played.

Hoppers were eventually able to stop the flow of points and looked promising in possession, Tom Ball’s impressive break provided the catalyst and after recycling well Tom Hughes put full back Owen McKenna into space to score.

Caldy responded on the half hour mark after Lyon’s good break, he burst down the right touchline and set up full back Ben Macpherson who evaded the would be tacklers to score, Vasey again converted.

Hoppers scored with the last act of the half to give them a glimmer of hope, Hughes again was the provider as his line break and well timed pass released Alex Zavallis-Roebuck and he shrugged off the tackles to cross and take the sides into the half 33-10.

The second half was played exclusively in Caldy’s half but somehow Hoppers were unable to score a single point. They created several clear cut chances but were thwarted by the bounce of the ball and some poor handling. On a couple of occasions they got behind the defence inside the 22 but could not execute returning home for the second week running empty handed.

James Smith’s chip over the top would have set up Zavallis-Roebuck for his second had the ball not bounced agonisingly into touch. Steffan Thomas and Tom Hughes got over the gain line several times and the back row looked eager for work and came out in the second half with rejuvenated vigour as Hoppers began to look dangerous and found a higher gear. A couple of missed passes stopped attacks in their tracks and had any of these been converted it would have made for an interesting finale, especially as Caldy were reduced to 14 men when prop Derek Salisbury received a yellow card for a multitude of fouls in a 5 minute period where he seemed to lose his head in frustration.

Hoppers travel to Hull next week to complete a trio of tricky away games before finally returning home to Lightfoot Green on the 27th February to face Kendal.

Five Star Fylde Thrash Sorry Hoppers

Hoppers miserable start to league rugby in 2010 continued with a poor performance against local rivals Fylde. While no-one can fault the player’s commitment the cohesion that produced some wonderful rugby before the extended Christmas break was not there. The match lived up to its billing by being a feisty and hard fought contest throughout but only one side showed the spark needed for victory.

Things started well for Hoppers when Alex Zavallis-Roebuck landed a second minute penalty from 40 yards after Fylde were guilty of a scrum infringement. Hoppers held the lead for ten minutes until Tom Barlow levelled the score with his second attempt at goal after hitting the post with the first.

Shortly after Hoppers should have reclaimed the lead when Mark Rigbye, who was excelled at the set piece all day, stole a Fylde line out on the Hoppers 22. Tom Ball’s high box kick was chased well by Sean Taylor and Tom Hughes who kicked ahead down to the try line and but for a bounce of the ball would have scored. Hoppers did nothing from the resulting 5m scrum and even when they charged down a clearing kick they allowed Fylde full back Mike Waywell to miraculously escape the pressure in the in goal area to boot the ball to safety.

Fylde scored their opening try just minutes later, after a good set piece move took them deep into the 22 a turn over looked to have snuffed out the danger but the clearing kick failed to find touch, due to a spectacular effort from wing Matt Gargett and when Alex Hurst saw a huge area of open space on the left flank he had too much pace for the covering defence and raced over to score. Things went from bad to worse for Hoppers as during the play wing James Williams was seriously injured and was stretched off the field.

Hoppers tried in vain to get back into the game but costly handling errors and a lack of precision cost them dearly and it was Fylde who scored again to stretch their lead before the half. From a line out on the 22 they moved the ball quickly into the midfield and first Barlow and then Jack Ward found huge holes in the defence with Ward crossing by the posts. Barlow added the conversion to give the home side a 15-3 half time lead.

The game was effectively won and lost in the opening ten minutes of the second half. Hoppers failed to collect the restart and afforded great field position and a scrum to Fylde in the opening seconds. After a couple of phases Fylde were able to create space and an overlap finished with Waywell crossing in the corner. Hoppers responded within minutes when they finally produced some quick ball from a turn over and Zavallis-Roebuck got onto the front foot and jinked his way through a disorganised defence to score by the posts, he converted his own try and Hoppers were back in the game.

However, Hoppers again made a mess of the resulting restart and gifted Fylde possession and territory. Fylde were able to recycle the ball quickly and once again put a player into a huge gap, this time prop Adam Lewis had no one around him and was able to stroll in under the posts to secure the try bonus point. An incident straight after the try resulted in a brawl that saw Jordan Pearson and Fylde’s Alex Hurst receive a yellow card.

Fylde had one more try in them, when midway through the half they reacted quickly from a turn over to put Gargett into space down the right wing to complete the rout and seal the win.

Hoppers breeze into Lancashire Cup Final

Hoppers eased through to the final of the Lancashire Cup with a convincing victory over Sedgley Park. The win sets Hoppers up with a clash against rivals Fylde in a rematch of last year’s final.

Hoppers fielded a very strong side which was too strong for the visitors up front and to quick in the backs. Steffan Thomas got the opening score in the fifth minute with an excellent piece of finishing, after James Williams had made the initial line break Thomas ghosted past his man and had to much pace for the covering defence touching down in the left corner.

The lead was increased midway through the half as Hoppers second row combined well, after pinning Sedgley down in the corner. Wayne Steel then charged down the box kick with Mark Rigbye picking up and crossing for the score, Nick Smith added the conversion from a difficult angle.

Sedgley registered their first, and only, point’s just minutes later when Tom Leader, who had hit the posts with his opening kick, duly slotted his second attempt at goal.

However, the visitors never looked like threatening the home defence and Hoppers stretched their lead on the half hour mark. This time it was Thomas who made a powerful break up the middle and from the resulting breakdown Jordan Pearson used a combination of power and pace to smash through the defence and add to his impressive tally of tries. Hoppers pretty much had the game sewn up as the half drew to a close scoring their fourth try. A scrum on the 40m line was picked up from the base by Harrison Collins who combined well with scrum half Sean Hall to put full back Owen McKenna into space, McKenna beat the wing on his inside shoulder and the side stepped his opposite number to score. Smith converted both tries to take Hoppers into the break with a commanding 26-3 lead.

The second half continued in much the same vein as the first with Hoppers able to dominate up front and looked dangerous every time they moved the ball wide. Though it took over ten minutes to score the first try of the second half it was well worth the wait. A great set piece move saw the returning Phil Whyte make good ground up the middle and he linked well with replacement Tom Hughes who’s first touch put Williams into space on the left wing and no-one was going to catch him as he coasted 40m for the score.

It was another replacement returning to the first XV that rounded off the game in style as Dominic Moon came off the bench to score two tries in quick succession. The first came from a 5m scrum in the left corner, after Hoppers had been held up in goal. The forwards showed their dominance and drove Sedgley back across the line for Moon to simply pick up and touch down from the base. Then from a line out close to the line in the other corner Hoppers utilised the catch and drive to good effect with Moon using the blind side to good advantage to bag his second. Alex Zavallis-Roebuck was successful with the conversion to round off the scoring.

Rusty Hoppers go down to Harrogate

Hoppers finally got to play some rugby in 2010 but unfortunately lost their second consecutive away fixture in a physical contest that they could have won. This was the first game since December 12th and it showed throughout with plenty of mistakes and some unimaginative rugby.

The pack worked tirelessly and Hoppers had the best of both possession and territory, they were camped inside the Harrogate half for much of the second half but were unable to walk away with anything but a few penalty goals.

Both sides started the game at a good pace and looked to run the ball but there was a lengthy stoppage due to an injury to a Harrogate player. This seemed to disrupt the Hoppers as from the resulting 5m line out the home pack used the catch and drive to good effect and powered over the line, with prop Simon Davies touching down.

Harrogate then enjoyed a good series of possession inside Hoppers half but some resolute defence held them at bay. When Hoppers did get back into the game they showed flashes of what could have been. Tom Ball was a constant threat form scrum half and after a series of penalties he took a quick tap to advance the ball deep into Harrogate’s half. After yet another home infringement Alex Zavallis-Roebuck confidently slotted home the kick at goal to reduce the deficit to 5-3.

After weathering an initial attack Hoppers spent the remainder of the half camped deep in Harrogate territory with the pack beginning to dominate proceedings. Several set plays inside the home 22 came to nothing and Hoppers had to settle for a second Zavallis-Roebuck penalty just before the break to take them in with a slender lead.

The second half started in a similar vein with the game descending into a war of attrition. While both teams looked dangerous in loose play Harrogate reverted to a stifling kicking game and Hoppers for all the effort could not break down the home defence. The game started to develop an edge which was not helped by some dubious decisions and things reached boiling point 15 minutes in when a large fight broke off well away from the ball. This continued for some time with no official involvement and resulted in a yellow card for each team with Harrogate’s Harry Hannan and an unfortunate Jordan Pearson leaving the field for ten minutes.

Midway through the second half replacement Mark Edwards had a kick charged down with the ball landing straight into the hands of Harrogate wing Steve Parsons who was able to slip the first tackle and sprint 40m to the try line to retake the lead. Mike Aspinall added the conversion to give the home side a 12-6 lead.

Hoppers again put in considerable effort in search of points but they were unable to break down the home defence. Mark Edwards reduced the deficit with a well struck penalty just minutes after the home score but Harrogate were able to weather the storm and sneak win.