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WELCOME TO<br />
THE ALL GOLD<br />
WRITTEN BY CHRIS WILSON<br />
4<br />
Welcome to this issue of the<br />
<strong>All</strong> Gold – the last of the regular<br />
season before we embark on the<br />
League 1 Shield.<br />
The last game in the regular<br />
season sees us entertain<br />
<strong>Doncaster</strong> - a club who<br />
have known long periods of<br />
disappointment in the past. These<br />
were documented in a famous<br />
TV programme, “Another Bloody<br />
Sunday”. George Cowburn has<br />
written an entertaining potted<br />
history of the Dons for the <strong>All</strong><br />
Gold and the programme is well<br />
worth a watch on YouTube.<br />
With a tough conclusion to the<br />
regular season winding up with<br />
today’s game with a strong<br />
<strong>Doncaster</strong> side Lee Greenwood’s<br />
side could finish the season<br />
anywhere between ninth and<br />
12th depending on results<br />
elsewhere. Similarly, the Dons<br />
could finish fourth, fifth or sixth<br />
again depending on results, so it’s<br />
really all to play for.<br />
Keep in touch with the <strong>All</strong> <strong>Golds</strong>’<br />
web site and twitter feed for<br />
the play-off fixtures due to be<br />
announced early next week.<br />
Last weekend was a big one<br />
for the <strong>All</strong> <strong>Golds</strong>. The result was<br />
pretty much what the bookies<br />
predicted but the performance<br />
was full of character and<br />
determination. On at least half a<br />
dozen occasions, the Wolfpack<br />
were prevented from grounding<br />
the ball after crossing the<br />
whitewash, while Lewis Reece’s<br />
try was a superbly worked score.<br />
The scenes captured by Patrick<br />
Baines’ excellent twitter coverage<br />
revealed a group of people who<br />
embraced the trip positively and<br />
did themselves and the club<br />
great credit by their efforts both<br />
on and off the field.<br />
One sad note of the weekend<br />
was the minute’s silence prior to<br />
the match in memory of Adam<br />
Cooper, the Culcheth Eagles<br />
player who passed away during<br />
his team’s match. We extend our<br />
sympathies to his family and point<br />
out that there is a Just Giving<br />
page set up to raise funds for<br />
his young family at https://www.<br />
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/<br />
culchethcarney<strong>2017</strong><br />
Then we heard of another terrible<br />
tragedy to hit the game with<br />
the passing of Stanley Rangers<br />
youngster Evan Hawksworth<br />
who sustained a head injury<br />
during an U14s game. Stanley<br />
Rangers have also set up a<br />
Just Giving page (https://www.<br />
justgiving.com/fundraising/evanhawksworth)<br />
to support Evan’s<br />
family at this desperately sad<br />
time.<br />
A minute’s applause will take<br />
place before today’s game to<br />
celebrate Evan’s life.<br />
On a lighter note, Derrell Olpherts’<br />
transfer to Salford shows that,<br />
just occasionally, the League 1<br />
scene is noticed by the top clubs<br />
even though the media tends<br />
to ignore both League 1 and the<br />
Championship. This is a matter<br />
that Championship clubs were<br />
due to discuss at a meeting last<br />
week. However, nothing was<br />
decided according to League<br />
Express, though clubs were<br />
strongly in favour of ending the<br />
League 1 Cup while keeping the<br />
League 1 structure the same as it<br />
has been for the last two seasons.<br />
The RFL board will now consider<br />
the ‘indicators’ of Championship<br />
and League 1 clubs’ thinking<br />
before putting any final proposals<br />
to the Board.<br />
<strong>Final</strong>ly, unable to make the trip to<br />
Toronto, the <strong>All</strong> <strong>Golds</strong> Supporters<br />
club made their annual trek to<br />
Perpignan and managed to<br />
catch the Wigan Warriors’ win<br />
over Catalan Dragons. The result<br />
was a<br />
good one for Wigan who seem<br />
to be coming out of their worst<br />
run of results since 1903, while the<br />
Dragons are struggling to avoid<br />
the Middle 8s.<br />
This reminds us what a strange<br />
Super League season we have<br />
had so far with Castleford and<br />
Salford deservedly leading the<br />
way and Warrington and Wigan<br />
struggling to make the top four.<br />
It all makes for a fascinating last<br />
fortnight before the play-offs<br />
begin.<br />
Once again, it’s a big thank you to<br />
all our contributors to this issue of<br />
the <strong>All</strong> Gold and to Craig Mitchell<br />
at Craig Paul Design for putting<br />
it all together. I hope you enjoy<br />
reading what’s on offer.<br />
www.allgoldsrugby.com<br />
@<strong>All</strong><strong>Golds</strong> facebook.com/<strong>All</strong><strong>Golds</strong>Rugby