All Golds v NW Crusaders KPL1 2017

FREE MATCHDAY MAGAZINE 

MAY 13 th 2017 | KO 7pm 

PRINCE OF WALES STADIUM 

ALL GOLDS vs. NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 

BEST OF THREE 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 

• CRUSADERS PREVIEW 

• MATCH REPORTS 

• WEST OF ENGLAND 

www.allgoldsrugby.com

ALL GOLD 

CONTENTS AND INFO 

04 WELCOME 

06 CRUSADERS HISTORY 

08 CRUSADERS PREVIEW 

10 CLUB DIRECTORY 

12 CRUSADERS BACK IN TOWN 

14 ALL GOLDS MATCH REPORTS 

16 CHELTENHAM JUNIOR RL 

17 THE ARMY GAME 

18 FLAME OF THE WEST 

20 FIXTURES & RESULTS 

22 SQUAD LINE-UPs 

CLUB INFORMATION 

UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE ALL GOLDS 

Home Ground: The Prince of Wales Stadium, Cheltenham 

Offices: 

Oxstalls Campus, Longlevens, Gloucester. GL2 9HW 

Telephone: 01242 714468 

Email: 

allgolds@glos.ac.uk 

Official website: allgoldsrugby.com 

PRESIDENT 

Lionel Hurst LL.B 

ADVISORY BOARD 

Krista Woodman, Ken Stone, 

Kevan Blackadder 

GENERAL MANAGER 

Patrick Evans 

HEAD COACH 

Lee Greenwood 

ASSISTANT COACHES 

Anthony Murray, 

Dan Poulton 

S&C COACHES 

Nick Lane, Joe Festa 

TEAM MANAGER 

Martin Lovegrove 

KIT AND LOGISTICS 

David Friend 

CLUB DOCTOR 

Phil Cox 

HEAD PHYSIOTHERAPIST 

James Clapp 

SPORTS THERAPIST 

Katy Stephens 

NUTRITION PARTNER 

Nutrition X 

SKY TRY AND 

COMMUNITY MANAGER 

Kane Krlic 

BUSINESS AND SPONSORSHIP 

Sophia Wood-Jenkins 

MATCHDAY CO-ORDINATOR 

Bethany Dixson 

MEDIA MANAGER/EDITOR 

Chris Wilson 

SOCIAL MEDIA & JOURNALIST 

Patrick Baines, Jack Conlon 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Lewis Mitchell, Glenn Watts 

ALL GOLDS TV 

Jeremy Power 

ALL GOLD DESIGNER 

Craig Paul Design Ltd 

06 

CRUSADERS 

HISTORY 

08 

CRUSADERS 

PREVIEW 

14 

YORK 

REPORT 

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The views expressed in this programme are not 

necessarily those of the University of Gloucestershire 

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

WELCOME TO THE ALL GOLD 

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON 

4 

It was interesting to hear 

Wigan warriors coach Shaun 

Wane recently say that his 

ambition was to win a Grand 

Final with a side comprising 

solely of players who have 

come through the club’s junior 

development programme. 

It’s the same philosophy that 

powered the famous Lisbon 

Lions of Celtic to European 

Cup glory in 1967 with a team 

that, it was said, all lived within 

20 minutes’ walk of Celtic 

Park. 

Wane’s aim is being tested 

this season as injuries eat 

into his resources. However, 

players like Josh Woods, Josh 

Ganson, Liam Marshall and 

Tom Davies have all stepped 

up to the plate. So much 

so that the likes of George 

Williams, Joe Burgess and 

Sam Powell are considered 

old heads despite their 

relative inexperience. 

Some have had Championship 

and even League 1 experience 

– Powell played for South 

Wales against the All Golds in 

2013 – thanks to the dual reg 

system and that has ensured 

they have the mettle to shine 

at the top level. 

The All Golds’ philosophy 

is similar to that of Shaun 

Wane with a desire to build a 

conveyer belt of rugby league 

talent that would sustain 

the club as it aims to be a 

competitive Championship 

side. 

This is why the work in 

schools that has culminated 

in the 1908 Cup over the past 

ten years is so important 

for the All Golds and the 

game of rugby league 

in Gloucestershire. It is 

extremely disappointing to 

hear that the competition is 

not likely to take place this 

year. 

The trick is to effectively 

follow up the event and keep 

the kids interested and active 

throughout the summer and 

beyond. The Community 

clubs are playing their part 

with Cheltenham Phoenix 

leading the way and there 

is more information on how 

you can get involved on 

page 16. 

Following the successful 

running of the West of 

England 9s – and congrats 

to Swindon St George 

who lifted the trophy – 

the league action begins 

this weekend with the first 

round of matches and we 

have a round-up of the 

latest news from our local 

clubs as they prepare for 

the big kick-off. 

There is also coverage 

of the work going on to 

secure a presence for the 

game in Dorset with former 

Gloucestershire Warriors 

and UGRL coach Steve Lee 

sending us an update on 

a friendly match that took 

place last month. 

Added to that, George 

Cowburn’s look at the ups 

and downs of the Crusaders 

and Jack Conlon’s insightful 

analysis of the men from 

Wrexham make for another 

fine issue of the All Gold. 

www.allgoldsrugby.com 

@AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby

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THE UNBEARABLE UNCERTAINTY 

OF BEING A CRUSADER 

WRITTEN BY GEORGE COWBURN 

6 “The Cru” have experienced a rollercoaster ride 

over their short existence since entering National 

League 2 in 2006. 

Originally based at the Brewery Field Ground 

in Bridgend South Wales the Celtic Crusaders 

finished a respectable third in their first season. 

Under coach John Dixon life started with a 

friendly match against the Harlequins Rugby 

League Academy side. (The Harlequins were a 

descendant of the original Fulham Club, now 

the London Broncos) and their first competitive 

match was a 50-10 victory over Hemel Stags - 

then an amateur club - in the Northern Rail Cup. 

Another interesting opponent was Moscow 

Locomotive, one of two Russian sides invited into 

the Challenge Cup competition. 

Coincidently the Crusaders drew them again in 

the 2007 competition. Having dispatched the 

Russians 64-4 the Crusaders’ interest in the cup 

ended with a 32-8 defeat at Rochdale Hornets in 

the next round. 

At the end of the season Australian Jace Van Dijk 

was named NL2 player of the season and fellow 

countryman Tony Duggan finished League 2’s 

top try scorer 

2007 was even more successful as the club 

finished top of League 2 with 60 points and 

won promotion to League 1. With Welsh legend 

Jonathan Davies installed as Club President 

highlights included a shock 26-22 win at Leigh 

in the Northern Rail Cup and a friendly against 

the world famous Brisbane Broncos who were 

in Britain to play St Helens in the World Cub 

Challenge. 

The Cru suffered just one home defeat in the 

League that season – against Oldham – in a match 

that commemorated the Roughyeds’ visit to 

Merthyr in 1907 as the first Northern Union team 

to play a competitive game in Wales (Oldham 

won that day, too). 

The 2008 season saw a second place finish 

behind Salford with a losing appearance against 

the Red Devils in the League 1 Grand Final, despite 

registering a brilliant 44-18 win at Salford in the 

qualifiers. 

In following year, the Crusaders were granted a 

three year licence in the expanded Super League 

(no promotion and relegation then) and duly took 

their place at the top table. 

It was not a happy first year however as the club 

finished bottom with only three wins. 



With, firstly, Clive Griffiths and 

then a certain Anthony Murray 

as coach the Cru continued their 

rollercoaster ride. 

An eighth-place finish in 2012 

was followed by a happy 2013 

when the club finished as 

Champions with a Northern Rail 

Bowl Final victory over London 

Skolars as well. Unfortunately 

a restructuring of the leagues 

after the 2014 season meant 

that the Crusaders although 

finishing eleventh were one of 

five clubs relegated from the 

Championship. 

The six players deported for visa irregularities in 2009 (clockwise from top left): Damien 

Quinn, Jace Van Dijk, Darren Mapp, Josh Hannay, Mark Dalle Cort and Tony Duggan 

Storm clouds were gathering 

however. The UK Border Agency 

discovered six Crusaders 

overseas players were in the 

country illegally due to visa 

problems and they had to leave 

immediately. 

The RFL was not best pleased 

with the adverse publicity 

this caused. After persistent 

rumours of financial difficulties 

owner Leighton Samuels pulled 

out adding further problems. 

To improve matters Brian Noble 

(now spearheading Toronto 

Wolfpack’s entry into the 

rugby league) was appointed 

coach for 2010 with Iestyn 

Harris as his assistant and the 

club announced the signing of 

Welsh rugby union star Gareth 

Thomas. 

a six point deduction for the 2011 

season. 

In July 2011 the Crusaders 

withdrew their application for a 

further three year Super League 

licence (much to the relief of 

Wakefield Trinity who looked 

like losing theirs) and the Club 

was wound up in September 

2011. 

Invited back into Championship 

1 (third tier) for 2012 North 

Wales Crusaders began life in 

the lower leagues. 

Fireworks greet Celtic Crusaders at 

Bridgend’s Brewery Field as they run out 

against Hull for their first ever home Super 

League fixture in 2009 

Cup success came in 2015 with 

a victory over Swinton in the 

League 1 Cup Final at Blackpool 

and in 2016 Crusaders were 

losing finalists in the League 1 

Shield Final against Newcastle 

Thunder. 

With a move to the Queensway 

Stadium in Wrexham this 

season and our old friend Mike 

Grady as coach, a League 1 Cup 

Final appearance at Blackpool in 

the bank (can’t remember who 

they beat in the semi final!) who 

knows what the next 12 seasons 

will bring for the Crusaders? 

One thing about being a 

Crusaders follower is for sure - 

life is never dull! 

7 

With new owners, the club 

dropped the word Celtic 

from their name and moved 

to Wrexham, sharing the 

Racecourse Ground with the 

town’s football team. Despite 

finishing eighth and in the playoffs, 

financial problems persisted 

and in November 2010 the club 

went into administration, getting 


8 

ALL GOLDS vs. CRUSADERS 

MATCH PREVIEW 

WRITTEN BY PATRICK BAINES 

The All Golds host North Wales Crusaders 

for the third time this season on Saturday 

evening. 

The home side won the first meeting in 

February, a comfortable 36-18 win saw 

Lee Greenwood’s side book a place in the 

fourth round of the Challenge Cup. However, 

the Crusaders gained their revenge just a 

fortnight ago with a 37-28 triumph in the 

semi-final of the League 1 Cup. With both 

teams in desperate need of league points 

the importance of Saturday’s game cannot 

be underestimated. 

The All Golds could be without a number of 

first team players after several were unable 

to finish last Sunday’s game against York. 

Josh Ward, Joe McClean, Phil Cowburn and 

Graham O’Keeffe all suffered knocks during 

the game and are doubtful for Saturday 



along with long term absentees Ben Stead 

and Alex Gaskell. 

All Golds head coach Lee Greenwood says 

he wants to see a better performance from 

his young team, after two disappointing 

efforts on home soil. He said: 

“We certainly haven’t been 

anywhere near our best in 

the last two performances. 

We know when we play 

well that we can beat most 

teams in this division but 

the last two games we’ve 

been poor. 

“We’ve got a number of 

players who could miss out 

on Saturday. I’m not too 

concerned though because 

the lads who could come in 

are good enough and will 

want to prove a point. We 

went up to Workington with 

a fair number of players 

missing and managed to 

beat them so we won’t be 

using injuries as an excuse. 

“Of course the last couple of games have 

been disappointing. It’s probably a mark of 

how far we’ve come that we’re disappointed 

to lose to a strong side like York last 

weekend. As bad as we’ve been the last 

two games there’s still signs that we can 

be a decent side. Myself, 

Anthony and Dan will have 

a look at what we can do as 

coaches to help the players 

and we’ll look forward to 

Saturday. Crusaders are a 

strong side and we know 

we’ll have to be at our best 

to beat them.” 

Like the All Golds, the 

Crusaders have saved most 

of their best performances 

for the cup competitions. 

They had impressive away 

wins at York and Newcastle 

before their semi-final 

win over the All Golds a 

fortnight ago and will face 

unbeaten high fliers Barrow 

Raiders in the League 1 Cup 

final later this month. 

9 

Lee Greenwood after North Wales Crusaders League-1 Cup Defeat 



CLUB DIRECTORY 

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 

10 

PLAYER SONSORS 




TODAYS OPPONENTS 

NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 

WRITTEN BY JACK CONLON 

12 

After beating us 37-28 in the League 1 

Cup semi-final a fortnight ago, Crusaders 

were downed 36-26 by Hunslet last week, 

with the South Leeds side putting in a 

convincing performance. Before that, their 

form was pretty steady. After strong wins 

over York and Newcastle, Mike Grady’s men 

went down 80-0 to Toronto, the Wolfpack’s 

biggest winning margin so far. The Canadian 

outfit dominated the first half, going in 

60-0 at the break, but a stubborn defensive 

performance in the second period was 

a real positive to be taken away from the 

game. Previously, they had made a shaky 

start to the season, losing 50-8 to Keighley 

and 44-8 to Doncaster, but will be focusing 

on improving their consistency. 

1 Tommy Johnson 

2 Corey Lee 

3 Simon Atherton, 

4 Earl Hurst 

5 Dale Bloomfield 

6 Andy Moulsdale 

7 Ryan Smith 

8 Jonny Walker 

9 Lee Hudson 

10 Alex Davidson 

11 Alex Thompson, 

12 Stephen Bannister 

13 Ryan Millington 

14 James Dandy 

15 John Cookson 

16 Luke Warburton 

FORM 

SQUAD 

17 Kenny Baker 

19 Dan Price 

20 Andy Unsworth 

21 Dean Thompson 

22 Andrew Joy 

23 Richard Joy 

24 Jack Houghton 

25 Matt Davies 

26 Jack Hansen 

27 Aaron Moore 

28 Callum Mulkeen 

29 Josh Simm 

30 Blake Turner 

31 Warren Thompson 

32 Joe Bate 

BACKS 

The midfield trio of Tommy Johnson, Jack 

Hansen and Ryan Smith are North Wales’ 

biggest threat. All three are good ballplayers 

and are constantly looking to provide 

opportunities for the men out wide. These 

include Earl Hurst and former All Gold Callum 

Mulkeen in the centres, and ex-Rochdale 

wingers Corey Lee and Dale Bloomfield on the 

flanks. Back 

Rower Alex 

Thompson 

can also 

deputise in 

the centres 

if needed, 

making just 

as much of 

an impact as 

he does in the 

forwards. 

FORWARDS 

The North Wales forward pack can certainly 

make and impact, giving the side plenty of 

size and power. Alex Davidson is yet another 

familiar face to All Golds fans, after spending 

two years at the Prince of Wales. He and 

Jonny Walker form a formidable front row 

pairing, while Lee Hudson and James Dandy 

interchange at dummy half. Ex-Widnes second 

rower Jack Houghton has made a huge impact 

since arriving at the club in November, scoring 

three tries in ten appearances, and earning a 

consistent starting spot. Saturday could also 

see new signing Joe Bate make his debut, after 

the former Rochdale and St Helens prop was 

brought in to add more forward depth. 



KEY MAN 

ONE TO WATCH 

Left centre Earl Hurst didn’t play in our last 

clash with Crusaders so he, more than most, 

will be looking for a big performance. Hurst is a 

real athlete out wide, boasting size and speed 

that make him a real handful for defenders. He 

is almost like a forward in the way he is built, 

with a strong upper body that allows him to 

drive forward and make yards in all areas of the 

field, while his burst of pace makes him a great 

threat. While he missed out two weeks ago, he 

did cause problems for the All Golds defence 

when the two teams met in the Challenge 

Cup in February, even crossing for a try. And 

with proven try scorer Dale Bloomfield on his 

outside, Crusaders’ left flank poses a real threat 

in attack. 

13 

Former St Helens Academy fullback Tommy 

Johnson ran riot at the Prince of Wales 

stadium two weeks ago, racking up 20 of 

their 37 points. ‘TJ’ has become part of the 

furniture at the Racecourse Ground, after 

joining in their inaugural League 1 season in 

2012. In just four years he has set the record 

for club appearances, and recently surpassed 

1000 club points. As far as reliable fullbacks go, 

you can’t look too far past Johnson in League 

1, while he is undoubtedly one of the best goal 

kickers in the competition. He persistently 

probes around the ruck and has a superb 

support game, making him a potent attacking 

threat. 

STATS 

HIGHEST SCORE: 

82-6 v West Hull, 6/4/2013 

HIGHEST SCORE AGAINST: 

4-98 v Wigan, 15/4/2012 

MOST APPEARANCES: 

129 – Tommy Johnson 2012-present 

HIGHEST POINT SCORER: 

1004 – Tommy Johnson 2012-present 

HIGHEST TRY SCORER: 

97 – Rob Massam 2012-2016 


ALL GOLDS MATCH REPORT 

14 

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON - IMAGES BY RICHARD LONG 

ALL GOLDS PUT TO 

SWORD BY KNIGHTS 

ALL GOLDS 10-56 KNIGHTS 

SUNDAY 7 TH MAY | PRINCE OF WALES STADIUM 

If a turning point can come early in a game then it 

came in the first tackle of this match. Harrison Elliott 

returned the kick-off into the York defence and was 

promptly driven back from whence he came, ending 

up in the in-goal area conceding possession to the 

visitors. 

As a statement of intent it was unarguable and the 

Knights proceeded to ram the point home at every 

opportunity. And they were given plenty as the 

All Golds turned in a lacklustre first forty minutes 

conceding half a dozen tries with just a lone Steve 

Parry score in reply. 

The second half was little better, though all the 

scoring came in the first 20 minutes of the period, 

the last quarter being scoreless, though dominated 

by the visitors. 

“We were nowhere near good enough in any 

facet of the game,” said All Golds head coach Lee 

Greenwood. 

“One thing we needed to do was to start well, but 

unfortunately we were 18-nil down within a quarter 

of an hour and the very first play of the game set 

the tone for both teams. When your front row gets 

driven back ten metres over your own line in your 

own in-goal you can probably sense what sort of an 

afternoon its going to be and that were the case.” 

The York side’s line-speed was on the money and 

their intensity in attack and defence was simply too 

much for the All Golds who didn’t help their cause 

with simple errors. 

The visitors came with a strong side many of whom 

had experience in the Academies of a number of 

Super League sides. Nick Rawsthorne impressed, 

crossing for four tries and having a hand in another 

while Liam Harris stepped up when halfback 

partner Harry Tyson-Wilson left the field injured to 

score a fine individual try and lead his side with an 

accomplished passing and kicking game. 

With York firmly in charge, the scoring began in 

the third minute as Josh Ward raced out of the line 



seeking an intercept and Rawsthorne ran through 

the hole to send Joe Batchelor strolling over under 

the posts for Tyson-Wilson to add the extras, 

Soft hands from Chris Siddons presented Ronan 

Dixon with an easy second try five minutes later and 

shortly afterwards, Rawsthorne glided through the 

defence to touch down. 

The opening salvo launched, York’s game got 

scrappy and a forward pass gave the home side a 

chance which Parry accepted, burrowing over for a 

try converted by Ward. 

Ash Robson then extended the lead before Chris 

Barlow spilled a steepling kick and Tommy Saxton 

sent Will Jubb in. Harris added the extras in the 

absence of Tyson-Wilson. 

York were still on the attack as the hooter went for 

the interval and Rawsthorne squeezed in at the 

corner from David Foggin Johnston’s offload. 

York started the second half with the same intensity 

as they had the first and Harris broke through the All 

Golds left edge to run half the length of the field to 

touch down, adding the goal himself. 

touch down before Ed Smith pinched the ball from 

Barlow’s grasp after he had fielded Harris’ high kick 

to the corner to bring up the half century. 

When Rawsthorne crossed for his fourth try after 

being given an acre of space to work in by Harris’ 

pass it looked like the All Golds were set for a real 

drubbing with a quarter of the game remaining. 

However, it didn’t materialise as the home side 

were the next to score through Brad Kislingbury 

who showed neat footwork to beat the first line of 

defence and stretch over for the final points of the 

game. 

The Knights pressed hard for more points but errors 

crept into their game and the All Golds held out until 

after the final hooter as play continued and Foggin 

Johnston went over but Rawsthorne’s pass was 

ruled forward. 

ALL GOLDS: Steven Nield; Mo Agoro, Phil Cowburn, 

Brad Kislingbury, Chris Barlow; Josh Ward, Kieran 

Hyde; Ollie Purslow, Steve Parry, Harrison Elliott; 

Graham O’Keeffe, Joe McClean; Chris Worrall; 

INTERCHANGE: Billy Brickhill, Lewis Reece, Harry 

Kidd, Malikhi Lloyd-Jones 

Rawsthorne went over for his hat-trick score four 

minutes later stepping through the defence to 

15 

Lee Greenwood after All Golds 10-56 York City Knights 


JUNIOR RUGBY 

LEAGUE 

AT CHELTENHAM PHOENIX 

16 

Cheltenham Phoenix are running 

junior rugby league programmes at 

two separate venues in Cheltenham 

this summer. The six week 

programme is designed to introduce 

boys to the sport of rugby league 

with all sessions being led by a level 

2 coach. No prior rugby league (or 

rugby!) experience is necessary. 

Venue one: 

Cheltenham North RFC 

Sunday mornings 10.30 - 12.00 

June 11th - July 16th 

Open to boys U14 and U15 

(school years 9 and 10) 

Venue two: 

Cheltenham North RFC 

Wednesday evenings 

5.00 - 6.00 

June 7th - July 12th 

Open to U14 (school year 9) only 

For more information please contact 

Mike www.allgoldsrugby.com 

Hughes on 07833 030987 or email @AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby 

mikehughes.ets@gmail.com

THE ARMY GAME 

WRITTEN BY DEVONIAN 

Army Vets/Dorset Giants 44 – 42 Devon County 

On Sunday 19th March 2017 

Devon County made a trip to 

Weymouth Rugby Club as part of 

their promotion of “Supporting the 

troops” to play a combined team 

Army Vets and Dorset Giants side. 

At the end of a pulsating 80 

minutes, the Army/Giants prevailed 

44-42. 

Devon started the better with an 

early try from Shaun East followed 

by a powerful effort from Andrew 

Smerdon for an 8-0 lead but two 

tries in as many minutes gave the 

Dorset side a 12-advantage thanks 

to two conversions. 

There was a period of stalemate 

before Dorset extended their lead 

with an unconverted try followed 

quickly by six more points to look 

quite comfortable 22-8 ahead. 

Jon Ross forced his way over for a 

County score converted by Jack 

Keiller to cut the margin to eight 

points at the break. 

Both sides looked weary at the 

break and Dorset were more 

relieved of the breather as the 

County looked to have the 

momentum. 

They were first to register points 

as the second half got underway 

and Troy Willis scored in the corner, 

Keiller adding a fine goal to make 

the score 22-20. 

A short kick into the in-goal on 

the next set was swooped upon 

by Jack Sweeney and County 

had the lead. They extended it to 

eight points with Ross’ second try 

converted by Keiller and looked to 

be in control of a fast and furious 

match. 

However, Dorset hit back with two 

tries, one converted, for a 32-30 

advantage and it was game on. 

Two more unconverted tries took 

the home side out to a 40-30 lead 

with 20 minutes remaining. 

County regrouped and shook off 

their tiredness to run hard and 

strong to give Ross his third try, 

again Keiller was on the mark with 

the extras to make the score 40-36. 

However, as a County player lay 

injured on the pitch, there was 

confusion over numbers and 

County were forced to withdraw a 

man giving Dorset the chance to 

take advantage of the confusion to 

score in the corner. 

The try went unconverted and once 

things were sorted out and both 

sides had the requisite numbers 

on the pitch, Chris Phillpot darted 

across the line, Sweeney adding 

the conversion to make the score 

44-42. 

In the final few minutes, Kye 

Munslow had a try disallowed for 

County and Dorset went close 

themselves before County had one 

last chance with two tackles and 90 

metres to go but they couldn’t do 

the impossible. 

17 

There are plans for two more 

encounters between the sides this 

summer. The two dates pencilled in 

are 1 July in Devon and 19 August at 

Swanage & Wareham RFC. 

Further details will be published on 

the Devon County Rugby League 

and Dorset County Giants Rugby 

League’s Facebook pages. 


FLAME OF THE WEST 

WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON 

THE BIG KICK-OFF 

18 

With the West of England 9s over, this weekend 

the league splits into two Pools to begin the 

contest to reach the Grand Final on August 12. 

With new teams in Bath RL and Swindon St 

George’s second string there is a fresh look to 

the league especially as the Pools have been 

redrawn into a more geographic spread than 

was the case last season. 

Pool 1 opens with a trio of enticing fixtures. 

There is the Gloucestershire derby between 

the Warriors and the Forest Bulldogs at Bream 

RFC. The Bulldogs made a decent fist of their 

first season in the competition last year and 

will be looking to make steady improvement 

by challenging for at least a place in the Plate 

play-offs. 

Gloucestershire Warriors are hoping for better 

fortune than last season when they won just 

three games. With a new coaching team led by 

Tony Kipling and a new home at Old Cryptians 

RFC on Tuffley Avenue, the Warriors face the 

Bulldogs with optimism this weekend before 

entertaining Cheltenham Phoenix on 20 May 

in their first home game. Captain Ash Lewis 

said: “We’re looking forward to the season. It’s 

a rebuilding season for us this year. We want 

to get everyone back on track and enjoying it 

again.” 

Cheltenham Phoenix have recruited strongly in 

the off-season with a number of last season’s All 

Golds Conference League South side signing 

up. New captain Adam Dommett leads them 

into their first game, which is a trip to Swindon 

where they have not had the best of results 

over the years. Swindon themselves are looking 

strong as a club this year and the game should 

be a closely fought contest. 

The other game in the Pool is a clash between 

Bath Romans and Somerset Vikings at 

Corsham RFC’s Lacock Road ground. After a 

title-winning debut campaign in 2015, results 

did not always go the Romans’ way in 2016 and 

it remains to be seen what effect the second 



Bath team will have on their 

playing strength. 

The Vikings have put in a 

lot of effort off the field and 

have secured a new club 

partnership with Hornets RFC 

in Weston Super Mare that 

allows them access to the 

rugby union club’s impressive 

facilities including the artificial 

pitch. 

They have also inked a twoyear 

sponsorship deal with 

Aspen-Waite who will be the 

Vikings’ main sponsor and 

support partner for 2017/18. 

“This is a welcome boost 

to the club,” said secretary 

Bob Blainey who also 

announced that the Vikings 

will be raising awareness 

and funds for Cystic Fibrosis 

Trust and Andy’s Man Club. 

“Both help save lives and are 

causes close to our club,” 

Blainey added. “There will be 

collection buckets and charity 

days throughout the season 

and we hope to raise some 

much needed money.” 

In Pool 2, reigning champions 

Portsmouth Seahawks host 

the side they beat in the 

Grand Final, Swindon St 

George, in a mouthwatering 

start to their title defence. 

“Hopefully, with what I have 

personally achieved over a 

short period of time since 

coming to rugby league, I can 

show my team-mates there 

are lot of opportunities if you 

give 100 per cent.” 

His side face a stern test 

from a Bristol Sonics outfit 

determined to do well this 

season. Head coach Dom 

Swann has big plans for 2017 

and has set his side the task 

of getting to the Grand Final, 

after the 2016 season ended 

with a limp play-off semi-final 

loss to Swindon St George. 

He said: “Last season was a 

missed opportunity, but in 

hindsight we got what we 

deserved in the semi-final. To 

compete for honours we 

need a bigger squad and 

more players at training. I will 

pick players on merit due to 

their performances in both 

training and matches. Any 

new players that come down 

to training will have as much 

chance of making the team 

as those who are returning 

from previous seasons. I urge 

anyone who fancies playing 

to come down to training on 

Wednesday night and stake 

their claim for a place in the 

team.” 

Elsewhere there is a re-run of 

Last year’s Plate Final when 

the holders, Oxford Cavaliers 

take on the Southampton 

Spitfires at Harcourt Hill. 

19 

Newcomers Bath RL have 

named 21-year-old half-back 

or hooker Tom Plance as their 

captain for the 2017 season. 

Plance, who plays for 

University of Bath Broncos 

and has also played for 

Scotland Students and South 

Wales Scorpions, said: “It 

is an honour to be named 

captain of a new club with a 

professional environment. 

Fixtures Saturday 13 May 

Pool 1 

Swindon St George A vs. Cheltenham Phoenix 

Bath & Wiltshire Romans vs. Somerset Vikings 

Forest Bulldogs vs. Gloucestershire Warriors 

Pool 2 

Bath RL vs. Bristol Sonics 

Portsmouth Navy Seahawks vs. Swindon St George 

Oxford Cavaliers vs. Southampton Spitfires 


ALL GOLDS FIXTURES & RESU 

DATE K.O. OPPONENTS RES FULLBACK WING CENTRE CENTRE WING STAND OFF 

Sun Feb 19 14:00 A Hemel Stags (L1CupR1) 12-48 GASKELL 1T AGORO 1T COWBURN KISLINGBURY 2T BARLOW STEAD 1G 

Sun Feb 26 14:00 H North Wales Crusaders (LCCR3) 36-18 GASKELL 1T AGORO 1T COWBURN KISLINGBURY 2T BARLOW HOUGHTON 

Sun Mar 5 15:00 A Hunslet (KPL1) 10-06 HOUGHTON AGORO BRICKHILL WILLIAMS KISLINGBURY STEAD 1G 

Sun Mar 12 15:00 H Keighley Cougars (KPL1) 46-22 GASKELL AGORO 4T COWBURN KISLINGBURY BARLOW MITCHELL 1T 

Sun Mar 19 15:00 A Doncaster (LCCR4) 48-22 GASKELL AGORO COWBURN KISLINGBURY 1T BARLOW 1T MITCHELL 

Sun Mar 26 15:00 A Workington Town (KPL1) 54-22 GASKELL AGORO 1T COWBURN 1T KISLINGBURY BARLOW 1T MITCHELL 

Sun Apr 2 14:30 A Workington Town (L1CupQF) 22-30 MITCHELL AGORO WILLIAMS COWBURN 2T BARLOW 1T FALLON 

Sun Apr 9 15:00 H London Skolars (KPL1) 22-24 COWBURN AGORO 2T BRICKHILL NIELD BARLOW FALLON 

Fri April 14 15:00 A South Wales Ironmen (KPL1) 30-36 NIELD AGORO 3T COWBURN 1T KISLINGBURY 1T BARLOW WARD 

Sun April 30 15:00 H North Wales Crusaders (L1CupSF) 28-37 MITCHELL AGORO 1T COWBURN KISLINGBURY 1T BARLOW 2T WARD 

Sun May 7 15:00 H York City Knights (KPL1) 10-56 NIELD AGORO COWBURN KISLINGBURY 1T BARLOW WARD 2G 

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 (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) 

Sun Jul 16 15:00 H Doncaster (KPL1) 

THE KEY | Home games appear in bold | KPL1 = Kingstone Press League 1 | KPL1S = Kingstone Press League 1 Shield 

LCC = Ladbrokes Challenge Cup | L1Cup = League 1 Cup | Sin-binned Red Card (Sent Off) | T = Try | G = Goal | DG = Drop Goal 



LTS 2017 

SCRUM HALF PROP HOOKER PROP 2ND ROW 2ND ROW LOOSE FWD SUB 1 SUB 2 SUB 3 SUB 4 

HYDE 5G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 2T WALTER WORRALL McCLEAN 1T ELLIOTT 1T HOUGHTON WILLIAMS 1T LLOYD-JONES KIDD 

HYDE 2G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 2T ELLIOTT WORRALL McCLEAN 1T BRICKHILL MITCHELL ANDRADE LLOYD-JONES KIDD 1T 

HYDE PURSLOW PARRY (C) KIDD JONES McCLEAN ELLIOTT MITCHELL ANDRADE 1T LLOYD-JONES WALTER 

HYDE 5G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 2T KIDD WORRALL McCLEAN BRICKHILL WILLIAMS ELLIOTT 1T FALLON 2G WALTER 

HYDE 3G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 2T KIDD McCLEAN WORRALL BRICKHILL WILLIAMS ELLIOTT ANDRADE WALTER 

HYDE 3G PURSLOW PARRY (C) ELLIOTT WORRALL McCLEAN 1T BRICKHILL LLOYD-JONES ANDRADE WALTER KIDD 

HYDE 5G KIDD 1T PARRY (C) 1T WALTER ELLIOTT McCLEAN WORRALL STEPHENS O’KEEFFE PURSLOW LLOYD-JONES 

HYDE 3G KIDD PARRY (C) 1T WALTER ELLIOTT McCLEAN 1T WORRALL LOBWEIN JONES PURSLOW LLOYD JONES 

HYDE 6G ELLIOTT 1T PARRY (C) PURSLOW MCCLEAN WORRALL BRICKHILL LOBWEIN O’KEEFFE WALTER ANDRADE 

HYDE 2G PURSLOW PARRY (C) 1T KIDD 1T WORRALL McCLEAN BRICKHILL FALLON O’KEEFFE ELLIOTT LLOYD-JONES 

HYDE PURSLOW PARRY (C) 1T ELLIOTT O’KEEFFE McCLEAN WORRALL BRICKHILL REECE KIDD LLOYD-JONES 


ALL GOLDS 

HEAD COACH: 

LEE GREENWOOD 

NW CRUSADERS 

HEAD COACH: 

MIKE GRADY 

22 

MO AGORO 

CHRIS BARLOW 

BILLY BRICKHILL 

HARRISON ELLIOTT 

DANNY FALLON 

KIERAN HYDE 

HARRY KIDD 

BRAD KISLINGBURY 

MALIKHI LLOYD-JONES 

JOE MCCLEAN 

JACK MITCHELL 

STEVEN NIELD 

STEVE PARRY (C) 

OLLIE PURSLOW 

LEWIS REECE 

BEN STEAD 

LUKE STEPHENS 

JAMES WALTER 

CHRIS WORRALL 

SIMON ATHERTON 

JOSEPH BATE 

DALE BLOOMFIELD 

ALEX DAVIDSON 

JACK HANSON 

JACK HOUGHTON 

LEE HUDSON 

EARL HURST 

THOMAS JOHNSON 

COREY LEE 

RYAN MILLINGTON 

AARON MOORE 

CALLUM MULKEEN 

DANIEL PRICE 

RYAN SMITH 

ALEXANDER THOMPSON 

WARREN THOMPSON 

BLAKE TURNER 

JON WALKER 

REFEREE: T. GRANT | RESERVE: D. WARD 

TOUCH JUDGES: S. DANIEL, T. SCOTT | MATCH COMMISSIONER: A. BARNBY 


Oxstalls Campus, Gloucester, GL2 9HW 


@AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby 

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

All Golds v NW Crusaders KPL1 2017

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