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Sat 30 Mar 2019 · National 2 North
1st XVPreston Grasshoppers
Tries: B Stephenson, T Kuku, L MinikinConversions: L Minikin (2)Penalties: L Minikin
22
15
Tries: T Spence, M LampreyConversions: T DavidsonPenalties: T Davidson
Match Preview
Brian Norman29 Mar 2019 - 11:27
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Hull Ionians and Preston Grasshoppers know each other well having played each other 30 times since 1989 meaning more games than in what I thought would be a record of 27 matches with Tynedale. However our first 7 matches with Hoppers between 1989 and 1996 were all friendly matches when the leagues only took up a third of the season.
We first met in a league match in National 3 North in 2003 and shared the same league most years until 2013. Our best season together was 2004/5 when both were back in North One with both teams gaining promotion, Hoppers by winning the league and I’s via their play-off victory over Kettering. That season was typical of 4 of our league seasons where ‘Hoppers won at Brantingham Park in October by 22-18 then I’s won at Lightfoot Green 20-11.
The amazing statistic in our 30 matches is both teams have won 15 of them with points scored being almost equal too, I’s scoring 648, one more point than ‘Hoppers with 647. With an average of 43 points a match, 12 matches decided by a single score, two of them by a single point, it reflects that most of our matches have been open entertaining rugby.
A feature of our early matches as Hull Ionians was I’s captain would ask “Is Wade Dooley playing”. With the laws at that time listing line-out lifting as a penalty offence the England lock forward known as the Blackpool Tower not only won all Hoppers lines-out, he would steal most of his opponents too!
This naturally leads further back in time with Hull Ionians formative club Hull & East Riding having played Hoppers for many years and both produced County and International players, the County game at that time being the route to the national team. Riding’s last International cap was Roger Sangwin who still attends when he can and many younger members may not know he was the architect of Brantingham Park. Roger played for England in 1963-64 and I remember him saying the England team tactics and training was very different then! He took the day off work on the Friday, one day before the match, bought his own train ticket to travel down to London and the team introduced themselves to each other on the Twickenham pitch Friday afternoon! A few would know each other from playing with or against each other in County games but very rarely had more than a pair of them trained together – how times have changed.
We first met in a league match in National 3 North in 2003 and shared the same league most years until 2013. Our best season together was 2004/5 when both were back in North One with both teams gaining promotion, Hoppers by winning the league and I’s via their play-off victory over Kettering. That season was typical of 4 of our league seasons where ‘Hoppers won at Brantingham Park in October by 22-18 then I’s won at Lightfoot Green 20-11.
The amazing statistic in our 30 matches is both teams have won 15 of them with points scored being almost equal too, I’s scoring 648, one more point than ‘Hoppers with 647. With an average of 43 points a match, 12 matches decided by a single score, two of them by a single point, it reflects that most of our matches have been open entertaining rugby.
A feature of our early matches as Hull Ionians was I’s captain would ask “Is Wade Dooley playing”. With the laws at that time listing line-out lifting as a penalty offence the England lock forward known as the Blackpool Tower not only won all Hoppers lines-out, he would steal most of his opponents too!
This naturally leads further back in time with Hull Ionians formative club Hull & East Riding having played Hoppers for many years and both produced County and International players, the County game at that time being the route to the national team. Riding’s last International cap was Roger Sangwin who still attends when he can and many younger members may not know he was the architect of Brantingham Park. Roger played for England in 1963-64 and I remember him saying the England team tactics and training was very different then! He took the day off work on the Friday, one day before the match, bought his own train ticket to travel down to London and the team introduced themselves to each other on the Twickenham pitch Friday afternoon! A few would know each other from playing with or against each other in County games but very rarely had more than a pair of them trained together – how times have changed.
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