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100 NOT OUT<br />
WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON<br />
20<br />
In stepping onto the Craven Park pitch on<br />
Saturday 1 July, Phil Cowburn became the first<br />
<strong>All</strong> <strong>Golds</strong> player to reach 100 appearances for<br />
the club.<br />
When a 19-year-old Phil Cowburn headed to<br />
the West Country to study at Hartpury College<br />
along with his good friends Matt Bradley and<br />
Callum Mulkeen, he could hardly have envisaged<br />
being the first player to notch up a century of<br />
appearances for a local professional side.<br />
On reaching the unique milestone, he said: “It’s<br />
been a long, hard journey, the first game back in<br />
2013 seems ages ago. To be the first <strong>All</strong> Gold to<br />
reach 100 appearances is a big honour for me.”<br />
Although Phil’s club rugby was in the 15-a-side<br />
game he was no stranger to rugby league having<br />
played the game at school. He continued at<br />
Hopwood Hall College - North West champion<br />
college at the time - and for England Colleges<br />
in the Under 18s European Cup in the Czech<br />
Republic.<br />
Deep in the heartland of rugby union, it seemed<br />
unlikely that a rugby league career would<br />
blossom but, after a chance meeting with<br />
Steve Lee, then head coach at Gloucestershire<br />
Warriors, Phil’s destiny changed.<br />
Along with Matt and Callum, Phil was an integral<br />
part of the Warriors side that lost just once in the<br />
summer of 2011 winning the West of England<br />
title and reaching the semi final of the national<br />
Harry Jepson Trophy. Phil was a massive hit<br />
with the Warriors, scoring eight tries in just four<br />
matches for the side, including four on his debut<br />
against Bristol Sonics.<br />
www.allgoldsrugby.com<br />
@<strong>All</strong><strong>Golds</strong> facebook.com/<strong>All</strong><strong>Golds</strong>Rugby