CO-OPERATIVE RUGBY LEAGUE CONFERENCE PREMIERSHIP, MIDLANDS DIVISION
Wednesday 2 July 2008
With the Co-operative Rugby League Conference season coming to the business end, there is still plenty for the Gloucestershire Warriors to play for not least when they come face to face with Derby City at Chosen Hill this weekend.
With Nottingham Outlaws and Coventry Bears looking to have sewn up the top two places in the table, the fight for third is a three-way contest. Along with Bedford Tigers, City are one of the Warriors’ main rivals for the final play-off place in the Midlands Premier division table and with the Warriors meeting both these sides in the final four weeks of the campaign, they need to win to keep ahead of their rivals.
Following their false start against Leicester Phoenix last time out the Warriors go into the game with an enforced break behind them though their opponents are in the same position.
City are in the midst of an horrendous injury crisis and were unable to get a fully fit side on the field for their derby game with Nottingham and the Warriors hope that the situation will have eased before this weekend’s game. “We need the matches now,” said coach Tom James. “We were disappointed that Leicester weren’t able to play last week and hope to get on the field this weekend.”
City are an underrated side as the Warriors worked hard for a 34-16 win over them at Chosen Hill last season and were defeated 43-32 in their last encounter at Haslams earlier in the season. “They are a good side,” said James. “They have some pace at the back and out wide and their forwards work hard though they aren’t the biggest.
“It will be a tough test for us but I am looking forward to it.”
A win over City would keep the Warriors hard on the heels of Bedford Tigers who face a potentially tricky game at home to Birmingham Bulldogs and though the Tigers recorded a 46-6 win in Round 4, the Bulldogs have improved since then and are capable of taking the points. Results went for the Warriors again last weekend with Bedford going down 70-20 at Coventry and Derby City failing to get the points at home to Nottingham. But as it was last week, that fortune will count for nothing unless they overcome Derby this weekend.
The match at Chosen Hill kicks off at 2.30pm and the referee is Welshman, Martin Edwards.
WARRIORS MILESTONES
Kevin Locke kicked his first goal for the Warriors at Nottingham, while Daniel Venn crossed for a debut try.
The 68-6 loss was the Warriors’ heaviest since a 68-6 defeat by Somerset Vikings in May 2005.
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Chris Wilson
Media Manager, Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC
Tel: +44(0)1684 850903
Mobile: + 44(0) 7905 931033
Email: gloswarriors2004@aol.com
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The Gloucestershire Rugby League is an organisation for local rugby league clubs in Gloucestershire. Our main activity currently is to promote rugby league through the County and give useful information about our sport to the public of Gloucestershire.
