Pilkington Recs v Ince Rose Bridge 06/04/2023

PILKINGTON RECS

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

President: Dave Corless

Vice President: Derek Cross

Chairman: Ralph Rawsthorne

Club Secretary: Ste Edgerton

Treasurer: Andy Lyons

Junior Secretary: John Rees

Club Registration Manager: Joanne Knapper

Club Welfare Officer: Gary Trueman

Junior Representative: Brian Hatton

Girls Secretary: Julie Houghton

Fundraising Manager: Leanne Gauchwin

Mental Health Advocate: Nick Ashall

Committee Member: Ady O’Sullivan

Committee Member: Martyn Everett

HONOURS

National Conference League Div 1 Champions 2019

BARLA National Cup Winners: 1974-75, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1981-82

BARLA Lancashire Cup Winners: 1974:74, 1976-77 1978-79, 1980-81

BARLA Inter County Cup Winners: 1980-81

North West Mens League Champions: 2012

North West Counties Premier Cup Winners: 2007-08, 2010-11, 2011-12

North West Counties Champions: 1977-78, 1979-80

North West Counties Div 1 Champions: 1975-76, 1985-86, 1991-92, 2004-05

Warrington & District League Champions: 1973-74

Warrington & District League Leaders: 1968-69

St.Helens Junior League Champions: 1953-54

St,Helens Junior League Leaders: 1951-52, 1953-54

St.Helens Cup Winners: 1980-81, 1985-86, 2010-11

West Lancs League Trophy Winners: 1953-54

Bootle Charity Cup Winners: 1953-54

Good evening and welcome to Ruskin Drive for this National Conference League Division 1 game.

It is a great pleasure to welcome our visitors, Ince Rose Bridge who have made the fairly short trip from Wigan to play this pre-Easter fixture.

I can recall many years ago taking our junior sides to play at what was then Ince St Williams on the small school field, and, then a few weeks later to play Rose Bridge. They were always great encounters and it made good sense for the two ventures to merge to become Ince Rose Bridge and produce a strong and vibrant rugby club for the local community. Ince make the visit to our ground on the back of a solid away win against Featherstone Lions at the weekend and no doubt they will be up to continue in similar vein this evening.

Recs also had a solid win against a determined Thornhill side and will be looking to maintain their winning form. Our on-field efforts seem to be helped greatly by a good balance between youth and experience and bodes well for the rest of the season. This evening match is a super curtain raiser for the forth-

coming Good Friday clash between St Helens and Wigan

So, for the game today, enjoy the rugby and support your respective team and always show due consideration to the match officials who ensure the game is played according to the rules and in such a fast-paced sport as ours that in itself is no easy task.

I would like to pay my thanks to all our committee who work tirelessly for the Club, also our sponsors at all age groups whose contributions enable us to have the excellent facilities we have. Grateful thanks to all our coaches, players and other volunteers for your commitment to the club and teams. Finally, many thanks to our supporters who are always willing to get behind the teams and support the players.

I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter weekend.

Enjoy the game and Come on The Recs!!

Yours in sport,

Ralph Rawsthorne Chairman

TODAY S VISITORS INCE ROSE BRIDGE

This afternoon we welcome the players, officials and supporters of the Ince Rose Bridge club, who we renew acquaintances with in the First Division. They were Second Division Champions in 2004-05 and the club continues to thrive, with excellent facilities and teams from Open Age down to Under 7s ‘minis’. They are also represented by Ince Rose Bridge Ladies too. It was not always the case. In the late 1970s, there were six teams at Open Age level in the Wigan area: Ince St. Williams, Rose Bridge, St. Cuthberts, St. Pats, Springfield and Whelley. Things have changed much since then, of course, with the merger of Ince and Rose Bridge, around about fifteen years ago with Headquarters built shortly afterwards at the Ince Rose Bridge Sports and Community Centre, at Pinfold Street.

IRB got to two BARLA knockout finals in 2001-02 [lost to West Hull] and 200607, when they were beaten by Simms Cross. The club has also provided their share of players who have made their mark in the professional game, like current Salford winger/centre Joe Burgess, who has enjoyed much success with Wigan Warriors in his short career. Another former IRB junior is prop-forward Ryan Sutton, who has made his mark in the professional game since his debut in 2014 and two other juniors, Joe Turton and Ben Holcroft signed scholarship forms with the Warriors a couple of

years ago, thus maintaining an important tradition. Speaking of the pro game, one who will be familiar to our more senior members, who played with distinction for Rose Bridge, is Bill Ashurst. Second-rower Bill went on to play for Wigan [their best player of the 1970s?] and made the change to the NRL with Penrith, where he was a team-mate of Mike ‘Stevo’ Stephenson.

Speaking a few years ago, [then] Open Age Chairman Tony Sanby was rightly proud of the IRB’s status and progress –and especially the lads who have been successful in the professional game - but like many others, found that finance had always been a recurring problem. As for Premier Division ambitions? “It is a massive difference to have a team at top level,” he said. ”I remember we went up once and a lot of our team finished at the same time and it was difficult for us to sustain ourselves as a result, so you do need to be prepared as a club in terms of playing strength in particular”. Like many true stalwarts, he was aware of the need to sustain membership and playing strength, which is never easy!

Pilkington Recs ARLFC also remind everyone associated with Ince Rose Bridge ARLFC to join us after the game in the Ruskin clubhouse to enjoy a refreshing drink and the Man of the Match celebrations. Enjoy the game. It should be another ‘derby’ cracker!

WHITAKERS WORLD

For the first part of this season, we will be looking at the archive of our former player, coach, trainer and vice President, the Late Brian Colin Whitaker [1934-2004], universally known as Colin, an absolute legend at the former City Road ground and in amateur rugby league circles generally. This afternoon, we feature this menu card from 27th June 1980, a red letter occasion, when Pilkington Brothers hosted a dinner in honour of Recs’ achievements in winning their third BARLA Cup that year. It was also a double celebration, with the team clinching the North West Counties Premier Division title. The dinner took place at the Lakeside Restaurant, part of the fabulous Head Office complex, then in its pomp. Catering manager was John Stephens, the front-rower who played for both Recs and Saints and the menu itself was quite mouth-watering: Chilled honeydew melon gondoliers for starters, followed by Roast Scotch contre fillet of beef with Yorkshire pudding

and all the trimmings. Dessert included fresh strawberries, Chantilly cream and home-made shortcake, followed by the cheese board, mints and wine! Not a bad spread, was it?

Mr David Pilkington, Director and a great supporter of the team welcomed everyone, including Lady Pilkington, who was Club Vice-President at the time. It was down to Bill Chester, Chairman of the club, to offer a vote of thanks on behalf of the club and the team for what had been a most memorable occasion. At the finish, there was the ‘Match of the Season’ a special film of the BARLA final between Recs and Dewsbury Celtic, our great rivals from over the Pennines. I wonder if this film still survives? Sad also to survey the recent dilapidated state of the Head Office complex, now, ironically, used as a film set. Changing times and certainly not for the better!

Just for the record, here’s the Pilks team that clinched the BARLA trophy that glorious afternoon [16-5] in Blackpool: Peter Glover [3G]; Joey Hull [1T], Brian Fairhurst, Bob Bolan [1T], Steve Fenney; John McCabe, Billy Simmons [1DG]; Ian Lea, Jeff Gormley, Kevin Whittle, Bob Williams, Dave Manning [1T], Sid Wright [Capt]. Subs: Brian Harvey; Ken Cross for Lea 68 mins.

PILKINGTON RECS

1. Az Lynch

2. Callum Lyon

3. Ryan Stevens

4. George Hannan

5. Miles Blackman

6. Ryan Stevens

7. Tom Connick

8. Jon Key

9. Ryan Liptrot

10. Andy Morris

11. Luke Riley

12. Tez Riley

13. Phil Riley

14. Elliot Martin

15. Warren Paladino

Coaches

Jamie Smith

Mark Ashton Physio

Gary Trueman

Pilkington Recs ARLFC prides itself on being RESPECT

The club will ensure high standards of behaviour spectators, coaches, match Rugby league is an all-inclusive sport, committed tolerate any form of discrimination

17.

• All spectators are requested side spectator barriers

• Inside the ground perimeter ing Area at all times

• No dogs are allowed inside

• Please use waste bins provided

16. Matty Foreman

Kieran Dean

INCE ROSE BRIDGE

Coaches

Darren Blakeley

being a family club that supports the RFLs RESPECT policy.

behaviour are maintained amongst parents, match officials and volunteers. committed to equal opportunities and will not discrimination or unsporting behaviour.

1. Peter Valentine

2. Kaylom Rodgers

3. Jamie Maolne

4. Jordan Blakeley

5. Ben Holcroft

6. Kieron Eccleston

7. Ben Cotterall

8. Reece Cunningham

9. Matty Gaskell

10. Andrew Collier

11. Brodie Butler

12. Harry Penny

13. Kyle Malone

requested to remain behind the pitch

perimeter fence is strictly a No Smokinside the ground provided to dispose of your litter

14. TJ Boyd

15. Robbie Valentine

16. Ben Tootill

17. Jack Morrinson

Buses ...... I’ll get to it.

So after what seemed like an eternity in between writing for the programme, six months in fact, which in the off season feels like an eternity, I find myself doing it twice in a week ..... you see, buses !

Now when you’ve had a six month break it’s easy to write about all sorts of guff that’s been going on. Normally after five days it might be difficult to find much worth writing about but the reason for our short turn around is a plentiful rugby league period - Easter.

We play tonight as an opener for a traditionally massive weekend for our towns rugby league folk. How fitting that we play a team from over the ‘lump’. I’ve watched the Saints home and away for over 45 years and I still get the nerves and the butterflies before a Good Friday fixture against the goons. After all this time You might expect I’d get used to it but no, I never do. I’m sure many of us have got a ton of memories from being brought up with Good Friday being the biggest game of the year. And boy have we got some amazing memories, some not so good ones as well to be honest but in the last 25 to 30 years Saints have done all they can to ease the pain of the 15 to 20 years before that. Maybe a trip to pie land doesn’t evoke the emotions of years gone by since the move to the football ground. Those Central Park days were very special.

We would go there almost every year as the perennial underdogs and yet always went in huge numbers and full of hope, often to have that hope shattered early in the piece. The noise of the Wigan popular side when any one of their many superstar internationals made a break still lives strong in my memory to this day. However, any pain we suffered paled into insignificance when compared to the sheer

ecstasy of getting a win there, especially given the nature of the full time professionals against the butchers, bakers and candlestick makers. Or the ‘glory days’ as Wiganers like to call it. And then for many years it was Widnes or Warrington on Easter Monday. And didn’t Widnes have some truly amazing sides during their ‘glory days’ as well.

Easter wasn’t a time for feasting on chocolate alone! Funny when you look back, just how many years we, as Saints fans, could only look on enviously as the poor relations to Wigan and Widnes in rugby league terms, and look now! Poor Widnes, I’m gutted for the fans to be honest, I have a number of good friends who are lifelong Chemics fans. Now that fall from grace can only be bettered by Bradford ! As for Wigan, well, they’ve had a bit of success in recent years but have to bow down to their landlords in respect of the football stadium they use, and as for the world champion Saints, well nothing more really needs saying does it ....... it's amazing how things change. Last time out we made hard work of things to say the least. It was a strange game, for us to make so many mistakes and still win was a surprise in itself, that being said if we hadn’t made so many mistakes then we could have posted 50 to 60 points. I can’t remember the last time I saw so many disallowed try’s in a game. But win it we did and it gave us our third win from four outings, a win today would set it up nicely for a trip over the M62 to Oulton next week. The last time we went to Oulton it was absolutely scorching hot. If I remember, I’m sure it was 32 to 34 degrees or similar and we were 20 odd points down after 20 minutes, nearly 30 points down at half time, and could have actually won it in the end ....... how very Pilks !!!

By Phil Hodgson

I wonder just when the moment actually arrives when skills that have been passed down through the generations are finally lost.

It can be a painful process along the way as knowledge once almost central to life – say, knowing how to properly lay straw for animals such as pigs and sheep that, centuries ago, shared the same living quarters as the humans that fed them – gradually becomes unnecessary or, at least, peripheral.

You see it in fairly common surnames, such as Carter and maybe even Smith, to the point where few of us even realise the honourable craft that we might even ourselves carry through life.

Rugby League isn’t immune to the trend –far from it, in fact. We’ve probably changed our rules more than have most sports.

I’m thinking particularly of scrums – well, ok then, contested scrums, which I’d love to see brought back. And whoever I raise the subject with, at least if they’re of a `certain age’, tends to be in full agreement.

I yearn for a return to the days when having the `feed’ didn’t automatically mean you’d get possession (although it was definitely an advantage). Having the `head’ ie your open side’s prop head being nearest to the feeding scrum-half, was also very important, and if you had the `feed’ and the `head’, which could happen in certain circumstances, meant you were quids in.

All kind of practices and skills were brought into play in an effort to get that ball. Not

putting the ball in straight (and, crucially, getting away with it under the steely gaze of a watchful referee) was one method. Others involved the hooker and his props, such as packing down with a `loose arm’, to be used to claw the ball back, or striking early, known as `foot up’.

Those all involved, bluntly, cheating, which helped develop the cheeky chappie characters at scrum-half or hooker that I and many others loved to love (or hate).

Then there was the brutality. The first time I played at hooker, in the Bentley Sevens at Doncaster, I faced former Great Britain player `Flash Flanagan, who had joined Hull Dockers in his retirement. Not knowing what to do, I thought I’d kick him. I didn’t try it again.

`Flash’ had all the skills, including knowing how to get that ball. That knowledge would have been passed down by members of the hookers’ union before him, and he’d have passed them on in a similar way.

I worry now, though, that even if the RFL was to reintroduce contested scrums (which would have the added benefit of tiring the forwards out) there may be very few people around able to advise modern-day no 9s about the various processes. Time is running out on that one. Perhaps someone, somewhere, could introduce a pre-season competition based on `proper’ scrums. It could at the very least possibly keep an important tradition alive. I can only dream, can’t I?

Phil Hodgson covers grassroots Rugby League for the Rugby Leaguer & League Express