All Golds v Doncaster KPL1 2017 Final

WELCOME TO
THE ALL GOLD
WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON
4
Welcome to this issue of the
All Gold – the last of the regular
season before we embark on the
League 1 Shield.
The last game in the regular
season sees us entertain
Doncaster - a club who
have known long periods of
disappointment in the past. These
were documented in a famous
TV programme, “Another Bloody
Sunday”. George Cowburn has
written an entertaining potted
history of the Dons for the All
Gold and the programme is well
worth a watch on YouTube.
With a tough conclusion to the
regular season winding up with
today’s game with a strong
Doncaster side Lee Greenwood’s
side could finish the season
anywhere between ninth and
12th depending on results
elsewhere. Similarly, the Dons
could finish fourth, fifth or sixth
again depending on results, so it’s
really all to play for.
Keep in touch with the All Golds’
web site and twitter feed for
the play-off fixtures due to be
announced early next week.
Last weekend was a big one
for the All Golds. The result was
pretty much what the bookies
predicted but the performance
was full of character and
determination. On at least half a
dozen occasions, the Wolfpack
were prevented from grounding
the ball after crossing the
whitewash, while Lewis Reece’s
try was a superbly worked score.
The scenes captured by Patrick
Baines’ excellent twitter coverage
revealed a group of people who
embraced the trip positively and
did themselves and the club
great credit by their efforts both
on and off the field.
One sad note of the weekend
was the minute’s silence prior to
the match in memory of Adam
Cooper, the Culcheth Eagles
player who passed away during
his team’s match. We extend our
sympathies to his family and point
out that there is a Just Giving
page set up to raise funds for
his young family at https://www.
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/
culchethcarney2017
Then we heard of another terrible
tragedy to hit the game with
the passing of Stanley Rangers
youngster Evan Hawksworth
who sustained a head injury
during an U14s game. Stanley
Rangers have also set up a
Just Giving page (https://www.
justgiving.com/fundraising/evanhawksworth)
to support Evan’s
family at this desperately sad
time.
A minute’s applause will take
place before today’s game to
celebrate Evan’s life.
On a lighter note, Derrell Olpherts’
transfer to Salford shows that,
just occasionally, the League 1
scene is noticed by the top clubs
even though the media tends
to ignore both League 1 and the
Championship. This is a matter
that Championship clubs were
due to discuss at a meeting last
week. However, nothing was
decided according to League
Express, though clubs were
strongly in favour of ending the
League 1 Cup while keeping the
League 1 structure the same as it
has been for the last two seasons.
The RFL board will now consider
the ‘indicators’ of Championship
and League 1 clubs’ thinking
before putting any final proposals
to the Board.
Finally, unable to make the trip to
Toronto, the All Golds Supporters
club made their annual trek to
Perpignan and managed to
catch the Wigan Warriors’ win
over Catalan Dragons. The result
was a
good one for Wigan who seem
to be coming out of their worst
run of results since 1903, while the
Dragons are struggling to avoid
the Middle 8s.
This reminds us what a strange
Super League season we have
had so far with Castleford and
Salford deservedly leading the
way and Warrington and Wigan
struggling to make the top four.
It all makes for a fascinating last
fortnight before the play-offs
begin.
Once again, it’s a big thank you to
all our contributors to this issue of
the All Gold and to Craig Mitchell
at Craig Paul Design for putting
it all together. I hope you enjoy
reading what’s on offer.
www.allgoldsrugby.com
@AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby