All Golds v NW Crusaders KPL1S 2017 Final

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AUGUST 5 th 2017 | KO 3pm 

PRINCE OF WALES STADIUM 

ALL GOLDS vs. NW CRUSADERS 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 

• DONCASTER PREVIEW • MATCH REPORTS 

• WEST OF ENGLAND • STATS 

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ALL GOLD 

CONTENTS AND INFO 

04 WELCOME 

06 DANCING ON THE TOUCHLINE 

08 CRUSADERS PREVIEW 

10 CLUB DIRECTORY 

12 TODAY’S OPPONENTS 

14 ALL GOLDS MATCH REPORTS 

16 FLAME OF THE WEST 

18 FLAME OF THE WEST OR A DYING EMBER? 

20 AIMING FOR WORLD CUP IN 2021 

22 FIXTURES & RESULTS 

24 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 

Fee Cragg 

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 

DANCING 

ON THE 

TOUCHLINE 

08 

CRUSADERS 

PREVIEW 

14 

MATCH 

REPORTS 

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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 

This edition of the All Gold 

accompanies our fourth 

home meeting with North 

Wales Crusaders this 

season – surely something 

of a record! 

While we lead the series 2-1, 

the Crusaders finished just 

outside the top eight and 

will be one of the favourites, 

along with Hunslet – who 

we meet in a few weeks – 

for the League 1 Shield. 

Our challenge got off to a 

bad start when we lost to 

an inspired Ironmen side 

at Stebonheath Parc. I was 

unable to go as I was at 

Weston super Mare with the 

Gloucestershire Warriors, 

but having been to the 

Welsh club’s new venue 

before with the Warriors’ 

Conference League South 

side a couple of years ago, 

I can attest that it is a great 

venue for rugby league and 

I’m sure the Ironmen will 

make it a fortress. 

On another Welsh note, 

it was pleasing to see 

that match official Jamie 

Jones was awarded his 

first League 1 match as a 

referee this weekend as he 

officiates at the Oxford vs 

Hunslet game in Abingdon. 

Having seen Jamie in action 

at Community and Student 

level, his elevation to the 

League 1 refereeing ranks is 

richly deserved and we wish 

him well for a successful 

career as a rugby league 

referee. 

Following 

the 

announcement that Wigan 

would play Hull in Australia 

next season, there was 

news that Super League 

chief, Roger Draper, thinks 

that there could be more 

on-the-road games in the 

future. 

Those with long memories 

will recall that, in 1998, 

there was a round of 

Super league fixtures in 

venues across England and 

Wales. The mighty Wigan, 

including Gary Connolly, 

Jason Robinson and Henry 

Paul, were due to play St 

Helens at the Vetch Field 

in Swansea and they were 

invited to stop off here 

in Cheltenham to take in 

the (then) Cheltenham 

Warriors’ game with Oxford 

Cavaliers. 

At the time, Wigan 

were twinned with the 

Cheltenham side who wore 

the Wigan away strip from 

1997. There is a photo of 

Andy Farrell presenting 

Warriors captain Ronnie 

Haines with a ceremonial 

sword in a pre-match 

ceremony. Quite what they 

made of the game is not 

recorded but they made 

short work of the Saints 

36-2 the following day on 

their way to a Grand Final 

triumph over Leeds. 

What price an On The Road 

Super League fixture at 

Kingsholm with an All Golds 

game on the undercard in 

the next few years? 

Once again big thanks to 

Craig at Craig Paul Design 

for producing this edition 

of the All Gold and for 

George Cowburn, Jack 

Conlon, Patrick Baines and 

others for providing some 

entertaining and hopefully 

thought-provoking content 

for you to enjoy. 

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DANCING ON THE 

TOUCHLINE 

WRITTEN BY GEORGE COWBURN 

6 

Since the dawn of civilisation (ie the start of 

rugby league) teams have had nicknames. 

Batley were the Gallant Youths, York the 

Wasps, Wakefield the Dreadnoughts, 

Warrington the Wire (a reference to one of 

the local industries) etc. 

More than one side rejoiced in the moniker 

of “the old steam pigs” and if you are old 

enough to have seen Winter rugby league 

and proper scrums you’ll remember the 

clouds of steam rising from the two sets of 

forwards doing battle in the scrums on a 

freezing cold day. 

In the 1990s, however, there was an 

explosion of new names as the marketing 

men saw the possibilities a new image and 

an iconic mascot could bring – particularly 

in attracting the younger spectators. 

Keighley lead the way and we have covered 

the success of “Cougarmania” in our 

programme for the Keighley match. 

With the advent of Super League and 

summer rugby league in 1996 everybody 

just had to have a name and the animal 

kingdom in particular was scoured for 

ferocious beasts to adopt. Swinton kept their 

original name the Lions (named after the 

White Lion pub associated with their early 

days) and were joined by Tigers, Wildcats, 

Cougars and Lynx from the big cat world. 

Warrington chose alliteration becoming the 

Wolves and were joined by Rhinos, Bears, 

Bulldogs, Eagles and many others. Some 

clubs chose fighting men - there were two 

Warriors – Wigan and Whitehaven – and 

Vikings, Giants, Centurions, Knights etc, etc, 

etc. 

With the new names came the mascots, 

some more famous and successful than 

others. Bradford being Bradford had two 

- Bullman and his smaller sidekick Bullboy; 

and who could forget the man dressed as 

a pie at Wigan home matches. He didn’t 

last long in that dangerous occupation. 

Wigan were not known as the pie eaters 

for nothing. (People from St Helens and 

elsewhere claim the pie eaters label is due 

to the Wigan miners being the first to break 

the 1926 General Strike and go back to 

work, eating “humble pie” although Wigan 



Some simply stuck to their 

old names - Workington 

are still Town and St Helens 

the Saints (although there 

is a St Bernard mascot) and 

you can still find Rovers 

at Featherstone and Hull 

Kingston. 

is, allegedly, the pie eating 

capital of the world. But I 

digress). 

Halifax bucked the trend 

and for some strange reason 

decided to be known as the 

Blue Sox and had the daftest 

pair of mascots in the league 

Billy and Bluey whose 

behaviour was akin to that 

of adolescent schoolboys. 

Mercifully for the good 

folk of Halifax the Blue 

Sox moniker was quietly 

dropped and the mascots 

consigned to the dustbin 

(Room 101?)of history. 

Just about the only thing 

Oldham were the best at 

in the early days of Super 

League was their mascot - 

Buster the Bear - kitted out 

in a rather careworn Bear 

outfit. 

imploded after relegation 

from Super League. 

Buster was an ex-amateur 

rugby league player known 

as Braddy and his antics 

would light up many a dull 

moment at Watersheddings. 

I was privileged to witness 

his finest hour in a match at 

the 

‘Sheddings against 

Warrington. During the half 

time interval Buster was 

doing his best to fire up the 

Wolves fans congregated 

behind the posts when a 

Wolves fan, who may or 

may not have had one or 

two brown lemonades (beer 

to you apple juice drinkers) 

floored the bear with a 

sneaky tackle from behind. 

Whilst the fan was taking the 

applause of his compatriots 

he was caught unawares 

and nearly snapped in two 

by the finest tackle ever seen 

by a Bear on a rugby pitch. 

Don’t suppose you’d get 

away with that these days 

but things were different in 

the 90s. 

New kids on the block 

Toronto decided one was 

not enough and have 

acquired a whole Wolfpack 

– no wonder they are 

devouring the other League 

1 teams! 

So today it is the All Golds 

versus the Crusaders. 

North Wales kept the 

Crusaders tag from their 

first incarnation as the Celtic 

Crusaders and the All Golds 

are, of course, named after 

the New Zealand tourists 

who beat the Northern 

Union (Great Britain) in 

the deciding third test at 

Cheltenham in 1908 and 

were sneeringly called the 

All Golds, instead of the All 

Blacks, in New Zealand as 

they were professionals. 

Nobody has come up with 

any ideas how to make a 

Golden Fern into a mascot 

yet, though, but Albert the 

Griffin is a pretty good 

second choice! 

PS: The story of the Oldham 

Bears mascot is completely 

true – as Max Boyce would 

say “I was there!” 

7 

Oldham were always known 

as the Roughyeds, and are 

again, possibly due to the 

less than gentle nature of the 

town or the local hat making 

industry but became known 

as the Bears until the club 

Some clubs have dropped 

their new names - nobody 

calls Whitehaven the 

Warriors any more, Hunslet 

are no longer the Hawks, 

Hull no longer the Sharks 

and Coventry have acquired 

the Bears tag Oldham 

had, Catalans likewise 

Doncaster’s Dragon. 


8 

ALL GOLDS vs. CRUSADERS 

MATCH PREVIEW 

WRITTEN BY JACK CONLON 

The All Golds renew their rivalry with 

North Wales Crusaders this Saturday with 

both teams coming into the game keen to 

improve on last weekend’s performance. 

The All Golds opened their Shield campaign 

last Saturday with a damaging 28-20 defeat 

to South Wales Ironmen while the Crusaders 

were humbled 40-12 on their own pitch 

by London Skolars. With the Crusaders 

three points ahead of the Golden Fern 

anything but a win will surely put an end 

to any lingering hope the home side has of 

reaching the Shield final. 

Speaking ahead of the game Lee Greenwood 

says he’s looking to see a marked 

improvement on their recent performances. 



He said: “It’s been a tough run for us, losing 

against Barrow, Toronto then Doncaster. We 

had a good opportunity to put an end to 

that run last weekend but we lost. 

“I thought we were really poor against South 

Wales. It was a disappointing performance 

so obviously we’ll need to be much, much 

better against Crusaders. They’ve shown 

this season that they can be a dangerous 

side so it’s important we show them the 

respect they deserve. 

“They’re a tough northern side who have 

got a number of players that can cause you 

trouble. We’ve played Crusaders three times 

already this season so we know a lot about 

them and they know a lot about us. 

“I’ll have a good think regarding selection; 

you might see a few of our younger players 

involved. It’s important for us to look ahead 

to the future and think about the players 

who are going to be here next season.” 

One player who won’t be featuring on 

Saturday is Courtney Davies who looks set 

for an extended spell on the sidelines after 

breaking his wrist against South Wales. His 

place in the halves could be taken by Shaun 

Owens or Jack Mitchell who missed out 

against South Wales. 

The Crusaders are more than familiar with 

the Prince of Wales Stadium having played 

there three times already this season. The All 

Golds won the first of those in convincing 

fashion – a 36-18 victory in the third round of 

the Challenge Cup back in February. 

The Crusaders gained their revenge with a 

37-28 win in the semi-final of the League 

1 Cup but just a fortnight later the Golden 

Fern fought back from 12-0 down to seal a 

thrilling 36-28 win in the League. 

9 



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 




TODAY’S OPPONENTS 

NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 

WRITTEN BY JACK CONLON 

12 

FORM 

Our visitors kicked off their League 1 Shield 

campaign with a surprise 40-12 defeat to 

London Skolars, moving them down to third in 

the table and denting their hopes of lifting the 

trophy. Skolars dominated them in all areas 

last week, blitzing them early on to establish 

a 16-point lead after just 20 minutes. North 

Wales managed to pull back two tries with 

10 minutes to go, but the game was well and 

truly gone by that point. 

Prior to last week, Crusaders were unbeaten 

in four games, racking up convincing wins 

over South Wales, Oxford and Coventry as 

well as a well-earned draw against Super 8’s 

contenders Whitehaven. Performances like 

that are what coach Mike Grady will be looking 

for, so his side will be hoping for a big response 

on the back of last week’s disappointment. 

BACKS 

Crusaders have kept a pretty consistent 

backline all season, with club captain 

Tommy Johnson at the heart of it. The 

stalwart fullback isn’t only a prolific kicker, 

but also plays a huge part in attack and 

defence. Alongside him in the middle are 

halves Ryan Smith and Andy Moulsdale, 

who have both been mainstays in the squad 

for most of the season. 

There’s plenty of talent in the three-quarters, 

with Earl Hurst, Dale Bloomfield and former 

All Gold Callum Mulkeen all holding down 

regular spots Winger Dan Price has also 

impressed on the right wing after getting 

a chance on the back of Corey Lee’s 

departure. Mike Grady also moved to sign St 

Helens winger Dave Eccleston on deadline 

day, providing another option out wide. 


FORWARDS 

North Wales’ forward pack looked strong at 

the start of the year and has only improved 

with the acquisitions of some impressive 

players. Props Warren Thompson and Joe 

Bate were first to arrive, before Alex Whalley 

and Jack Francis came in on loan from 

Warrington and Rochdale respectively. All 

four add some significant size to an already 

powerful front row. 

Elsewhere, centre-turned-backrower Simon 

Atherton has proved to be a useful runner out 

wide, as has Jack Houghton, who is in his first 

season with the club. Completing the forwards 

are Lee Hudson, 

James Dandy and Aaron Moore, who have 

formed a good partnership whilst rotating at 

hooker. Each one offers something different 

going forward, while all three are solid in 

defence. 

Tommy Johnson 

Simon Atherton 

Earl Hurst 

Dale Bloomfield 

Andy Moulsdale 

Ryan Smith 

Jonny Walker 

Lee Hudson 

Alex Davidson 

Alex Thompson 

Stephen Bannister 

Ryan Millington 

James Dandy 

Luke Warburton 

Kenny Baker 

SQUAD 

Danny Price 

Andy Unsworth 

Dean Thompson 

Joe Bate 

Jack Francis (loan) 

Jack Houghton 

Matt Davies 

Aaron Moore 

Callum Mulkeen 

Josh Simm 

Blake Turner 

Warren Thompson 

Alex Whalley (loan) 

Jonny Leather 

Dave Eccleston (loan) 


STAR MAN 

ONE TO WATCH 

Former Salford Academy hooker Aaron 

Moore has become Crusaders’ number 

one impact sub since joining the club at the 

start of 2017. Working in tandem with the 

experienced Lee Hudson and James Dandy 

has really enhanced his game, with his core 

skills improving as well as the more technical 

aspects or his position. 

13 

After arriving in March, former St Helens 

and Rochdale prop Warren Thompson has 

become a valuable member of Mike Grady’s 

side. Thompson was billed as one of the 

signings of the season and has certainly 

lived up to expectation. 

With one Super League appearance coming 

for Saints back in 2011, the 26-year-old moved 

to Rochdale in 2013 and quickly established 

himself as one of the leaders in their pack. 

He would play a huge part in the Hornets’ 

squad for the next four years and was part 

of both of their League 1 promotions in 2013 

and 2016. Such experience, combined with 

his strength and hard running, made him a 

perfect fit for Crusaders. He’s formed great 

connections with the likes of Alex Davidson 

and Jonny Walker, giving the Wrexhambased 

outfit one of the strongest forward 

packs in the league. 

A strong and stocky player, Moore is 

particularly dangerous near the line, with the 

majority of his tries coming from quick dives 

from dummy half. He offers plenty further 

down the field too though, adding pace 

into the attack when it’s needed. If North 

Wales are down lacking enthusiasm, don’t 

be surprised to see Mike Grady utilise Moore 

to liven his side up. 

STATS 

HIGHEST SCORE: 

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

HIGHEST SCORE AGAINST: 

4-98 v Wigan, 15/4/2012 

MOST APPEARANCES: 

137 – Tommy Johnson 2012-present 

HIGHEST POINT SCORER: 

1094 – Tommy Johnson 2012-present 

HIGHEST TRY SCORER: 

97 – Rob Massam 2012-2016 


ALL GOLDS MATCH REPORTS 


EASY 

FOR DONS 

ALL GOLDS 4 – 42 DONCASTER 

14 SUNDAY 16 JULY 2017 

PRINCE OF WALES STADIUM 

A half time score of 6-0 to the visitors was 

testament to the All Golds’ defensive grit and 

determination in the final fixture of the regular 

season. 

However, two tries in the opening ten minutes 

of the second half blew the game open 

and Doncaster were able to ease away to a 

comfortable win. 

The All Golds were certainly feeling the effects 

of their long trip to Toronto and were only able 

to name a squad of 18, rather than the usual 19, 

for the match 

Forced onto the defensive, the home side 

repelled wave after wave of Doncaster attacks 

as the visitors enjoyed domination in both 

possession and territory. After over 20 minutes 

of almost constant pressure, the Dons opened 

the scoring, prop Mark Castle powering over 

and Jack Miller adding the first of his five goals. 

Doncaster upped the pace in the opening ten 

minutes of the second period and crossed 


twice to ensure a comfortable last half an hour 

in the damp conditions. 

Iafeta Paleaaesina, Sam Doherty with two, 

Reece Dean also with a double and former All 

Gold Brad England all crossed the whitewash 

in a steady if unspectacular procession. 

The All Golds had the ball just four times in the 

opening 15 minutes of the second half and it 

was no surprise that they created few chances 

and only had Mo Agoro’s 19th try of the season 

to show for their hard work without the ball. 

Coach Lee Greenwood said his side lacked 

the nous to create scoring opportunities. “We 

weren’t very smart in the first half,” he said. 

“We had to work overtime to keep them from 

scoring. 

“It was hugely disappointing that 6-0 behind 

at half time we didn’t make a better fist of the 

second half.” 

Ominously, he added: We’re nowhere near 

being able to play the top northern teams. The 

effort is there but there’s a huge gulf in quality 

there as well.” 

ALL GOLDS: Jack Mitchell; Mo Agoro (t), 

Kadeem Williams, Lewis Reece, Chris Barlow; 

Shaun Owens, Danny Fallon; James Walter, 

Steve Parry, Harrison Elliott; Chris Worrall, 

Joe McClean; Billy Brickhill; INTERCHANGE: 

Errol Carter, Ollie Purslow, Malikhi Lloyd-Jones, 

Richard Jones 


IRONMEN 

SHOW STEEL 

IRONMEN 28 – 20 ALL GOLDS 

SATURDAY 29 JULY 2017 

STEBONHEATH PARC 

The All Golds’ quest for a League 1 Shield final 

place got off to an inauspicious start as the 

Ironmen condemned Lee Greenwood’s side to 

their fourth straight defeat with their first win 

in this fixture since 2013. 

They were indebted to a late recovery after the 

All Golds had themselves clawed back a 16-8 

deficit to lead 20-16 with 15 minutes left. 

It had all started well for the All Golds with 

Brad Kislingbury’s 13th minute try but it was 

cancelled out by Curtis Ford – one of four 

debutants fielded by the Ironmen. 

The home side took the lead through Andy 

Gay after a defensive error had given them 

a repeat set but Steve Parry crossed for his 

customary try to cut the home lead to 10-8 at 

the interval. 

It was extended soon after the resumption 

thanks to a converted try by Morgan Evans 

and the Ironmen looked in control. 

However, Phil Cowburn scored from a Parry 

kick and Ben Stead took over the kicking 

duties from the injured Courtney Davies to 

knock over the extras. 

The All Golds were soon in front after a classic 

team try started by Mo Agoro and finished by 

Joe McClean after Cowburn had broken into 

the backfield to supply the scoring pass. 

Stead’s goal pulled the All Golds 20-16 in front 

but the last quarter of an hour belonged to the 

home side. 

Ben Jones started the recovery with a close 

range score before Shaun Tennant picked up 

a chip kick and extended the lead to 26-20, 

Jones adding the two for an eight-point lead, 

which proved to be the clincher. 

ALL GOLDS: Phil Cowburn (t), Mo Agoro, 

Brad Kislingbury (t), Lewis Reece, Errol 

Carter, Courtney Davies, Ben Stead (2g), 

James Walter, Steve Parry (t) Harrison Elliott, 

Chris Worrall, Joe McClean (t), Billy Brickhill; 

INTERCHANGE: Harry Kidd, Malikhi Lloyd- 

Jones, Ross Price, Richard Jones 

15 


FLAME OF THE WEST 

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN 


16 

Last season’s runners up, Swindon St George 

are through to contest their fourth West of 

England Grand Final after the Forest Bulldogs 

were unable to raise a side for their semi final. 

Swindon will face the winners of the other 

semi final between unbeaten Cheltenham 

Phoenix and Oxford Cavaliers. This match is a 

repeat of the 2013 West of England Final and 

Oxford will be hoping for a different result 

as they were smashed 94-12 by a rampant 

Cheltenham outfit. 

There is a bit more steel about the Cavaliers 

this year as they build on last season’s Plate 

triumph and they have recovered from an 

indifferent start to the campaign to put 


together some impressive performances 

particularly on the road. However, they were 

heavily beaten by Swindon last time out and 

will be hoping that result was a mere blip as 

they aim to repeat their 2012 title-winning 

achievement. 

In the Plate competition, two-time Division 

Champions the Gloucestershire Warriors 

entertain Bath RL aiming for their first final 

since 2014. They have struggled against the 

top two sides in their Pool, the Bulldogs and 

Cheltenham, but have done well against the 

sides below them including an impressive 

38-30 win over Somerset Vikings in Weston 

super Mare last week. The Vikings generously 

loaned the 12-man Warriors a couple of 


The game is difficult to call but home 

advantage may just sway it the Warriors’ way. 

In the other semi final, Swindon St George’s 

second team were to travel to Bristol Sonics 

looking to complete a double for the club 

and reach the final. However, the Sonics 

have had a miserable season, the highlight 

of which was a 38-34 win over Bath RL in 

a Wednesday night thriller. Otherwise, their 

points have come from the failings of others, 

particularly the South Coast port sides, and 

without the prospect of matches, it is hardly 

surprising that their players have drifted 

away meaning that they are unable to take 

their place in the last four. 

players and the teams fought out a typically 

tough and uncompromising game that 

brought back memories of the rivalry the 

clubs enjoyed in the mid-Noughties. 

Bath have been the archetypal Curate’s 

Egg this season mixing big wins, 58-8 over 

Southampton with heavy losses like the 72-4 

defeat against Portsmouth that came the 

following week. 

17 

FIXTURES - SATURDAY 5 AUGUST (ko 2.30pm) 

Championship Semi-Finals 

Cheltenham Phoenix vs Oxford Cavaliers 

(at Cheltenham Saracens RFC) 

Swindon St George – Bye 

Plate Semi-Finals 

Gloucestershire Warriors vs Bath RL 

(at Old Cryptians RFC) 

Swindon St George A – Bye 

WEST OF ENGLAND LEAGUE FINAL TABLES 

Pool 1 Pld W D L For Agst Diff Pts 

Cheltenha Phoenix 8 8 0 0 416 176 240 16 

Forest Bulldogs** 8 5 0 3 324 224 100 9 

Gloucestershire Warriors 8 4 0 4 316 318 -2 8 

Somerset Vikings* 8 2 0 6 206 288 -82 2 

Swindon St George A 8 1 0 7 210 466 -256 2 

Bath & Wiltshire Romans*** 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Pool 2 Pld W D L For Agst Diff Pts 

Swindon St George 10 9 0 1 447 150 267 18 

Oxford Cavaliers 10 7 0 3 338 204 134 14 

Bristol Sonics* 10 5 0 5 228 221 7 9 

Bath RL 10 3 0 7 256 470 -214 6 

US Portsmouth Seahawks** 10 4 0 6 234 248 -14 4 

Southampton Spitfires*** 10 2 0 8 150 330 -180 0 

*Somerset Vikings deducted two points for non-fulfilment of fixtures 

**Forest Bulldogs deducted one point for non-fulfilment of fixture 

***Bath & Wiltshire Romans withdrew from the league. Their record has been expunged 

*Bristol Sonics deducted one point for non-fulfilment of fixture 

**US Portsmouth Seahawks deducted four points for non-fulfilment of fixtures 

***Southampton Spitfires deducted four points for non-fulfilment of fixtures 


FLAME OF THE WEST 

OR A DYING EMBER? 


18 

It has been a tough season in the West of 

England which will have the administrators 

slightly worried. 

Their worries stretch to the Midlands where 

the Leicester Roosters and Leamington 

Royals withdrew from the competition 

mid-season and the Sherwood Wolf Hunt 

decided to focus on their second team early 

on in the summer. 

With only around four sides still in 

regular competition (Birmingham, Derby, 

Northampton and Coventry), a restructure 

looks on the cards. 

In the West of England, a fixture completion 

rate of around 68% marks a poor return 

for the support given to one of the largest 

leagues in the Community game but with 

Portsmouth and Southampton in the mix, 

the geographic spread was simply too wide. 

Indeed, neither of those sides played Bristol 

Sonics who have not played since they 

played Oxford at the beginning of July and 

have withdrawn from the play-offs. 

Where the geographic spread was too close, 

there was also trouble as the newly-formed 

Bath RL club’s presence had an effect on 



the two seasons old Bath 

& Wiltshire Romans side 

such that the Romans 

pulled out of the league 

midway through citing a 

lack of player numbers. 

The final round of fixtures 

in the West of England 

brought a flurry of 

unplayed games with the 

Gloucestershire Warriors’ 

fixture at Somerset Vikings 

(scheduled for Gloucester 

owing to the Vikings being 

unable to field a team for 

the scheduled trip to the 

Warriors earlier in the 

season) only going ahead 

when the Warriors agreed 

to travel – in the end with 

only 12 fit players. 

Forest Bulldogs perhaps 

encapsulate the problem 

in the area as they 

were unable to travel to 

Cheltenham and have 

withdrawn from the playoffs 

as the bulk of their 

side has gone back to 

playing their native sport – 

rugby union. 

By contrast, it should be 

noted, the South West is 

showing signs of growth 

with Devon Sharks and the 

Cornish Rebels playing the 

odd game and the Dorset 

Giants re-emerging under 

the guidance of Anthony 

Cowburn (no relation) and 

former Gloucestershire 

Warriors and University 

of Gloucestershire coach 

Steve Lee. 

Swindon St George should 

also be highly praised 

as they have fielded two 

teams week after week 

and the firsts deservedly 

top Pool 2 having lost just 

once, while the seconds 

have reached the Plate 

Final in next weekend’s 

double header Finals Day. 

But all this good work 

is overshadowed by 

suggestions on various 

online forums that the 

sport at the amateur or 

community level ‘barely 

exists’ and, given the 

number of scheduled 

matches not played (19 of 

the 60 scheduled West of 

England matches prior to 

the play-offs), it’s hard to 

argue with that assertion. 

In a recent issue of League 

Express, Phil Hodgson, a 

specialist in the grassroots 

rugby league, pointed 

out that according to 

figures compiled by 

Sport England from last 

February suggested that 

participation figures were 

down by nearly 10% from 

the previous year and by 

an alarming 39% over the 

last ten years. 

Red Hall (the home of the 

game’s governing body) 

is aware of the situation 

according to Hodgson 

and are trying to come up 

with solutions. He suggests 

that the switch to summer 

rugby is to blame and, 

while it may be the case 

in the game’s heartlands, 

without summer rugby 

league, there would simply 

be no rugby league in 

areas like the South West 

and the West of England 

and probably Wales as 

well. 

He does concede that 

the root cause is the 

lack of commitment of 

players, which seems also 

to be the case in winter 

as well as summer with 

heartland clubs running 

fewer sides. The argument 

does seem to hold water 

as rugby union clubs 

have experienced similar 

problems in their particular 

heartlands such as here in 

the south west. 

The problem, then seems 

to be fairly clear but the 

solution is not so. 

Short term, small leagues 

with a narrow geographic 

spread could be an answer 

but long-term strength is 

difficult to achieve. 

It all hinges on building 

clubs. Not teams, but clubs. 

Clubs with committees of 

more than two or three 

die-hard enthusiasts; clubs 

with well-organised and 

inclusive junior sections 

and clubs with their own 

facilities, a club house 

they can call home and 

engender a feeling of 

belonging. 

That will help to inspire 

some form of loyalty and 

commitment but it is 

difficult to see in this day 

and age with land and 

money for development in 

short supply how enough 

organisations working on 

that model will ever exist 

to ensure a strong and 

thriving sport right across 

the country from Cornwall 

to Cromarty. 

19 


WELSH REFEREE AIMING 

FOR WORLD CUP IN 2021 

WRITTEN BY IAN GOLDEN 

20 

Welsh referee James Jones is 

making his Kingstone Press 

League 1 refereeing debut 

this Sunday when Oxford 

take on Hunslet at Tillsley 

Park in Abingdon. 

Jones has been in the WRL 

and then the RFL systems 

for the last four years after 

moving from rugby union 

and has worked his way up 

the community and junior 

refereeing ranks to be able 

to take charge of his first 

competitive professional 

game. He was in the charge 

of both of the South Wales 

Ironmen v North Wales 

Crusaders friendly matches 

earlier this year. 

The hope is now for Jones 

to move up to Super League 

then be able to become 

Wales’ first ever referee at 

the Rugby League World 

Cup when it comes to 

England in 2021. 

The Bridgend-based official 

was formerly ranked as the 

second best referee in Welsh 

Rugby Union but decided 

to give the 13-man game a 

try after the number of fulltime 

officials were cut in that 

organisation. 

His last two seasons in union 

saw him refereeing top level 

games in the European Cup, 

French League, Celtic League 

and English Premiership – all 

of these being Super League 



standard of competitions. He 

also refereed over 100 RU 

Sevens games including a 

World Cup, and he was told 

that he would have been 

given the Final in 2009 had 

Wales not been in it. 

Amongst his highlights was 

refereeing Saracens v South 

Africa at Wembley Stadium 

in 2010, as well as taking 

charge of first class matches 

at the Welsh regions and 

in other places like Ulster, 

Munster, Leicester, Newcastle, 

Bayonne and Toulon. 

He said: “Bianca Zietsman 

and I have been working 

hard to promote refereeing 

in Wales. We both been 

given our opportunity in the 

RFL ranks and we hope that 

many will follow. 

“There are still four years 

until the 2021 World Cup 

in England and I know that 

the RLIF want to see nations 

develop their match officials 

as well as the players. I hope 

we’ll see an influx of new 

officials that can qualify and 

referee and pro level in the 

UK, which could eventually 

lead to international call-up. 

21 

“But that’s some way off. 

Right now I’m over the moon 

to be refereeing Oxford v 

Hunslet which is looks like it’s 

going to be an outstanding 

game.” 

A report on this weekend’s 

clash between Oxford and 

Hunslet can be found in 

the next edition of League 

Express, in the shops next 

Monday and available 

digitally from Sunday 

evening. 


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) 36-28 MITCHELL AGORO 1T NIELD KISLINGBURY BARLOW STEAD 6G 

Sun May 21 15:00 A Coventry Bears (KPL1) 18-26 MITCHELL 1T AGORO 1T NIELD 1T KISLINGBURY 1T BARLOW 1T STEAD 3G 

Sun Jun 4 15:00 H Newcastle Thunder (KPL1) 10-56 MITCHELL AGORO WILLIAMS KISLINGBURY BARLOW 1T STEAD 1G 

Sun Jun 11 14:00 A Whitehaven (KPL1) 62-6 MITCHELL AGORO 1T NIELD KISLINGBURY BARLOW DAVIES 1G 

Sun Jun 18 14:00 A Hemel Stags (KPL1) 20-32 NIELD AGORO 1T COWBURN KISLINGBURY BARLOW 1T DAVIES 4G 

Sun Jun 25 15:00 H Oxford (KPL1) 38-10 COWBURN AGORO 1T REECE KISLINGBURY BARLOW 1T DAVIES 5G 

Sat Jul 1 18:30 A Barrow Raiders (KPL1) 36-6 MITCHELL 1T AGORO COWBURN REECE BARLOW DAVIES 1G 

Sat Jul 8 12:00 A Toronto Wolfpack (KPL1) 62-10 MITCHELL 1G AGORO COWBURN REECE 1T CARTER OWENS 

Sun Jul 16 15:00 H Doncaster (KPL1) 04-42 MITCHELL AGORO 1T WILLIAMS REECE BARLOW OWENS 

Sat Jul 29 15:00 A South Wales Ironmen (KPL1S) 28-20 COWBURN 1T AGORO KISLINGBURY 1T REECE CARTER DAVIES 

Sat Aug 5 15:00 H North Wales Crusaders (KPL1S) 

Sat Aug 12 15:00 H Coventry Bears (KPL1S) 

Sat Aug 19 15:00 A Hunslet (KPL1S) 

Sun Sep 3 15:00 H Oxford (KPL1S) 

Sat Sep 9 15:00 A London Skolars (KPL1S) 

Sun Sep 17 15:00 H Hemel Stags (KPL1S) 

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 

FALLON PURSLOW PARRY (C) WALTER REECE 2T McCLEAN WORRALL BRICKHILL 1T ELLIOTT LLOYD-JONES KIDD 2T 

FALLON PURSLOW PARRY (C) WALTER REECE McCLEAN WORRALL BRICKHILL HARGREAVES ELLIOTT KIDD 

FALLON PURSLOW PARRY (C) ELLIOTT REECE WORRALL BRICKHILL WARD HARGREAVES LLOYD-JONES KIDD 1T 

PARRY (C) PURSLOW BRICKHILL KIDD REECE McCLEAN WORRALL HARGREAVES ELLIOTT LLOYD-JONES STEPHENS 

MITCHELL 1T WALTER PARRY (C) 2T KIDD 1T WORRALL McCLEAN BRICKHILL STEPHENS HARGREAVES LLOYD-JONES JONES 

MITCHELL WALTER 1T PARRY (C) 2T KIDD WORRALL McCLEAN ELLIOTT 1T BRICKHILL 1T HARGREAVES LLOYD-JONES JONES 

FALLON ELLIOTT PARRY (C) WALTER WORRALL McCLEAN BRICKHILL OWENS HARGREAVES LLOYD-JONES JONES 

FALLON ELLIOTT PARRY (C) 1T WALTER WORRALL McCLEAN BRICKHILL GASKELL STEPHENS JONES LLOYD-JONES 

FALLON WALTER PARRY (C) ELLIOTT WORRALL McCLEAN BRICKHILL CARTER PURSLOW LLOYD-JONES JONES 

STEAD 2G WALTER PARRY (C) 1T ELLIOTT WORRALL McCLEAN 1T BRICKHILL KIDD LLOYD-JONES PRICE JONES 


ALL GOLDS 

HEAD COACH: 

LEE GREENWOOD 

CRUSADERS 

HEAD COACH: 

MIKE GRADY 

24 

MO AGORO 

CHRIS BARLOW 

BILLY BRICKHILL 

ERROL CARTER 

PHIL COWBURN 

HARRISON ELLIOTT 

DANIEL FALLON 

BRADLEY HARGREAVES 

HARRY KIDD 

MALIKHI LLOYD-JONES 

JOE McCLEAN 

JACK MITCHELL 

STEVE PARRY (C) 

ROSS PRICE 

LEWIS REECE 

BED STEAD 

JAMES WALTER 

KADEEM WILLIAMS 

CHRIS WORRALL 

KENNETH BAKER 

JAMES DANDY 

ALEX DAVIDSON 

DAVID ECCLESTON 

JACK HOUGHTON 

LEE HUDSON 

EARL HURST 

JONNY LEATHER 

RYAN MILLINGTON 

AARON MOORE 

ANDREW MOULSDALE 

CALLUM MULKEEN 

DANIEL PRICE 

RYAN SMITH 

WARREN THOMPSON 

BLAKE TURNER 

JON WALKER 

LUKE WARBURTON 

ALEXANDER WHALLEY 

REFEREE: M. ROSSLEIGH | RESERVE: R. RHODES 

TOUCH JUDGES: E. MCCARTHY, T. SCOTT | M COM: J. HOLDSWORTH 


Oxstalls Campus, Gloucester, GL2 9HW 


@AllGolds facebook.com/AllGoldsRugby 

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

All Golds v NW Crusaders KPL1S 2017 Final

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