The Play-offs Part 2 - League 1 Semi Finals

The Play-offs Part 2 - League 1 Semi Finals

Well no-one saw that coming did they??

Rochdale Hornets turned the Play-offs on its head and defied the odds to snatch victory in South West France becoming the first side to beat Toulouse on their own patch all season.  That stunning result means Toulouse will join Barrow, Doncaster and York in the remaining games of the season for that final spot the 2017 Championship.

Congratulations to Rochdale for their impressive feat but that means the French side will probably be even more overwhelming favourites to seal that second promotion spot in the next couple of weeks.

What that does to the three other teams still in contention is yet to be confirmed but it now proves that York can head to France with absolutely nothing to lose in Saturdays first Semi Final.  Many will presume Toulouse are still guaranteed promotion regardless but they certainly won’t have it all their own way from here on in.

In the other Semi Final Barrow face Doncaster at Craven Park on Sunday afternoon to determine the second of next week’s finalists.

LEAGUE 1 PROMOTION PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL – TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE vs YORK CITY KNIGHTS

(Stade des Minimes, Saturday, 24 September – 17:00pm CET)

Toulouse Olympique

The fact that Toulouse have had to move this fixture to their old home ground of Stade des Minimes says to many League 1 fans that they were not expecting to be playing this late in the season.  This could play into York’s hands but with the French side finishing top, a full 17 points ahead of their fifth-placed opponents in the table, I can’t see anything other than a French victory.

The jury will be out on Toulouse this weekend as they won’t be able to let another healthy early lead slip away like they did in the Promotion Final.  Having been 16-0 up inside the first 20 minutes they may have taken their foot off the gas thinking it was already game over and victory sealed.  Sylvain Houles will certainly be making his side pay in training this week in order for them to be ready and up for playing for the full 80 minutes against York and get this game won.

Having been unbeaten in the league all season up to this crucial period that result will hurt Toulouse but there should be no mistakes this weekend.

SUPER 8’s RESULTS:

Round 1 – Toulouse Olympique 40-4 Keighley Cougars

Round 2 – Toulouse Olympique 46-16 York City Knights

Round 4 – Doncaster RLFC 18-38 Toulouse Olympique

Round 5 – Toulouse Olympique 46-6 Rochdale Hornets

Round 3 – London Skolars 14-58 Toulouse Olympique (postponed to August Bank Holiday weekend)

Round 6 – Hunslet Hawks 12-16 Toulouse Olympique

Round 7 – Toulouse Olympique 44-22 Barrow Raiders

Promotion Final – Toulouse Olympique 22-24 Rochdale Hornets

York City Knights

As is the same for Toulouse having to change the venue for this game, York will have fully expected to be travelling to Spotland this Sunday and will not have appreciated having to arrange a last minute trip to France instead.

But James Ford’s side will take heart from that result despite having a less than sufficient Super 8’s campaign of just two victories from their seven matches (and only one at home).  Their one victory on the road came in an excellent performance against Rochdale in Round 4 where they won by 20 points and their home win came in a comfortable 30-4 defeat of London Skolars in Round 6.

Around those they’ve suffered a mixed bag of defeats ranging from a deficit of just eight points right up to 42.  Despite their indifferent Super 8’s form, and a heavy final round defeat to Keighley, they still managed to secure their place in the Play-offs by finishing three points ahead of the Cougars in fifth place.

SUPER 8’s RESULTS:

Round 1 – York City Knights 28-36 Doncaster RLFC

Round 2 – Toulouse Olympique 46-16 York City Knights

Round 3 – York City Knights 6-20 Barrow Raiders

Round 4 – Rochdale Hornets 16-36 York City Knights

Round 5 – York City Knights 12-33 Hunslet Hawks

Round 6 – York City Knights 30-4 London Skolars

Round 7 – Keighley Cougars 50-8 York City Knights

MY PREDICTION – I got it very wrong last week but I think there’ll be no mistakes this time around – Toulouse to win by 20+ points

LEAGUE 1 PROMOTION PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL – BARROW RAIDERS vs DONCASTER RLFC

(Craven Park, Sunday, 25 September – 15:30pm)

Barrow Raiders

Despite sitting outside the Play-offs with three regular season games to go the Raiders won their final three matches ahead of the split to jump up to fifth in the League 1 table.

That superb form continued throughout the Super 8’s, starting with a demolition of Rochdale in Round 1, playing with just 12 men for over half the match, right up to a Round 6 win over Keighley which saw them climb up to second place in the table, level on points with the Hornets but with a much higher points difference.

Victories became the norm, both at home and on the road for Paul Crarey’s players and they were quietly tipped by some to beat first placed Toulouse in the final round of the Super 8’s.  That would have meant two consecutive trips to France within a week as victory would have guaranteed them the runners-up spot and a place in last week’s Promotion Final.

Instead they had to settle for third place, as their nine game winning run came to an end, and face a Semi Final against the team they blew aside 40-12 away from home in Round 2.  Having this game at home in front of what will be a decent four figure crowd will suit Crarey’s Raiders.

SUPER 8’s RESULTS:

Round 1 – Barrow Raiders 34-12 Rochdale Hornets

Round 2 – Doncaster RLFC 12-40 Barrow Raiders

Round 3 – York City Knights 6-20 Barrow Raiders

Round 4 – Barrow Raiders 44-26 Hunslet Hawks

Round 5 – London Skolars 4-54 Barrow Raiders

Round 6 – Barrow Raiders 26-18 Keighley Cougars

Round 7 – Toulouse Olympique 44-22 Barrow Raiders

Doncaster RLFC

This will be the first trip to Cumbria for Gary Thornton’s men this season as both previous games between these sides have been on home turf at the Keepmoat.  Despite the heavy defeat to the Raiders in Round 2 of the Super 8’s Doncaster have remained consistently inconsistent throughout the season and have rarely strayed above or below third and fourth in the table all year.

Their Super 8’s form of WLWLWLW epitomises that and, crucially, all three defeats in this section of the campaign came against the three sides that finished above them.  They also seemed to struggle finishing teams off in the other half of the group as well as no game was won by more than 12 points and they only managed victories over Keighley and London by two and four points respectively, and both of those teams finished outside the Play-offs.

Doncaster will have their work cut out this weekend if they are to overcome Barrow on their own patch and progress to next week’s Final.  If they are at the very top of their game and the Raiders have an off day they may just do it.

SUPER 8’s RESULTS:

Round 1 – York City Knights 28-36 Doncaster RLFC

Round 2 – Doncaster RLFC 12-40 Barrow Raiders

Round 3 – Hunslet Hawks 24-36 Doncaster RLFC

Round 4 – Doncaster RLFC 18-38 Toulouse Olympique

Round 5 – Doncaster RLFC 26-24 Keighley Cougars

Round 6 – Rochdale Hornets 38-22 Doncaster RLFC

Round 7 – Doncaster 34-30 London Skolars

MY PREDICTION – A tight game in this one despite respective forms – Barrow to win by 6+ points

The Play-offs Part 1 - League 1 Promotion/Shield Finals

The Play-offs Part One - League 1 Promotion/Shield Finals

Just three weeks after the Challenge Cup Final the end of season play-offs are almost upon us and the first team to be promoted by this means will be decided on Saturday when Rochdale Hornets travel to France to take on Toulouse Olympique in the League 1 Play-off Final.

However, the loser of this first game will get a second bite at promotion as they will join Barrow, Doncaster and York in the second round of the promotion play-offs.
The 2016 season is now over for eight of the League 1 clubs but this weekend also sees the inaugural League 1 Shield Final take place at Kingston Park, Newcastle, where Newcastle Thunder will entertain North Wales Crusaders for the bottom seven’s consolation prize.

LEAGUE 1 SUPER 8’s PROMOTION FINAL -

TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE vs ROCHDALE HORNETS

(Stade Ernest Argeles, Saturday, 17 September – 15:30pm CET)

Toulouse Olympique

The French side have had their critics this season and it was hard to believe their statement earlier in the campaign when they came out and said they were definitely not a full time club playing in a part time division.

They topped the regular season table comfortably with the only blot coming at the Spotland Stadium where a 28-all draw meant they couldn’t complete the regular campaign with a 100% record.  They had no problems however in completing that feat in their seven Super 8’s matches.  The closest they came to defeat was a narrow four point victory away to Hunslet in Round 6 and will be heavy favourites to claim the win on Saturday afternoon.

Their fantastic season was bettered earlier this week when they snapped up three awards at the end of season ceremony on Monday night where Johnathon Ford was named League 1’s Player of the Year, Sylvain Houles the League 1 Coach of the Year and the club was crowned League 1 Club of the Year.

SUPER 8’s RESULTS:

Round 1 – Toulouse Olympique 40-4 Keighley Cougars

Round 2 – Toulouse Olympique 46-16 York City Knights

Round 4 – Doncaster RLFC 18-38 Toulouse Olympique

Round 5 – Toulouse Olympique 46-6 Rochdale Hornets

Round 3 – London Skolars 14-58 Toulouse Olympique (postponed to August Bank Holiday weekend)

Round 6 – Hunslet Hawks 12-16 Toulouse Olympique

Round 7 – Toulouse Olympique 44-22 Barrow Raiders

Rochdale Hornets

The Hornets only claimed second spot in the final Super 8’s table last weekend having been comfortably four points clear of third placed York at the time of the split.  But it was Barrow who looked like the side who could pip them to a place in this weekend’s Promotion Final.  A 34-18 victory over Hunslet was enough to give them a two point gap in second place and chance of claiming that first promotion spot.

Three defeats out of their seven Super 8’s games is not ideal preparation ahead of the Final.  Those defeats came in Round 1 at Barrow, Round 4 at home to York and Round 5 in Toulouse which meant that they had to win on Sunday to secure runners the up spot.

Big plusses for coach Alan Kilshaw is that his side have been relatively consistent all season, Danny Yates was handed the League 1 Young Player of the Year award on Monday night and they have already taken a point off Toulouse earlier in the season in a game they felt they should have won.

SUPER 8’s RESULTS:

Round 1 – Barrow Raiders 34-12 Rochdale Hornets

Round 2 – London Skolars 28-38 Rochdale Hornets

Round 3 – Rochdale Hornets 18-4 Keighley Cougars

Round 4 – Rochdale Hornets 16-36 York City Knights

Round 5 – Toulouse Olympic 46-6 Rochdale Hornets

Round 6 – Rochdale Hornets 38-22 Doncaster RLFC

Round 7 – Rochdale Hornets 34-18 Hunslet Hawks

MY PREDICTION – Toulouse to win by 18+ points

LEAGUE 1 SHIELD FINAL –

NEWCASTLE THUNDER vs NORTH WALES CRUSADERS

(Kingston Park, Sunday, 18 September – 17:15pm)

Newcastle Thunder

After missing out on the cut for the Super 8’s by just one point to London Skolars Mick Mantelli’s men have made up for any regular season mistakes they may feel they made and successfully breezed through the whole shield campaign with a 100% record of six wins from six.

Big wins came easy for the North East side, particularly in their final three games away to Oxford and Hemel and at home to Coventry scoring 174 points over those three matches alone.  Their toughest result on paper came against South Wales when they came away with only a 12 point victory in Round 2.  Following that was the dress rehearsal to this weekend’s game where they overcame the Crusaders by 16 points winning 30-14.

Newcastle had last weekend off and after some decent preparation they should be too strong for their Welsh opponents and be able to cap off a fine end to the 2016 season.

SHIELD RESULTS:

Round 1 – Newcastle Thunder 50-24 University of Gloucestershire All Golds

Round 2 – South Wales Scorpions 16-28 Newcastle Thunder

Round 3 – Newcastle Thunder 30-14 North Wales Crusaders

Round 4 – Oxford RLFC 18-62 Newcastle Thunder

Round 5 – Hemel Stags 10-66 Newcastle Thunder

Round 6 – Newcastle Thunder 46-10 Coventry Bears

Round 7 – BYE

North Wales Crusaders

The Crusaders were up against it from the off this season when they suffered financial difficulties which saw a number of their players head off to pastures new, notably Jamie Dallimore to Barrow and Jono Smith to Rochdale, and results suffered early on.  But they managed regroup for the Shield and fight off a determined Coventry Bears that were desperate to gatecrash the season finale.

A narrow home defeat to the Bears in Round 3 was hard to take for Crusaders, particularly as it came the week after losing away to Newcastle, but after having a much needed week off they managed to retain that three point gap between themselves and Coventry they had prior to the split and earn their place in Sunday’s Final.

North Wales did claim a victory over Newcastle early in the regular season, winning 24-20 at Kingston Park, but after how this campaign has panned out for both sides it’s going to be a tough ask for them to travel up to Newcastle and win in front of a passionate North East crowd.

SHIELD RESULTS:

Round 1 – North Wales Crusaders 30-26 South Wales Scorpions

Round 2 – Hemel Stags 18-42 North Wales Crusaders

Round 3 – Newcastle Thunder 30-14 North Wales Crusaders

Round 4 – North Wales Crusaders 28-30 Coventry Bears

Round 5 – BYE

Round 6 – North Wales Crusaders 18-4 University of Gloucestershire All Golds

Round 7 – Oxford RLFC 6-37 North Wales Crusaders

MY PREDICTION – Newcastle to win by 12+ points

The Road to Wembley - Part 9

Challenge Cup Final

Hull FC 12 Warrington Wolves 10 - Saturday, 27 August 2016

The anticipation was building; the bag was packed; the excitement was getting too much to bear...because Cup Final week had arrived!

After eight rounds of competition over the past eight months we were down to the final two teams who would battle it out for the right to be crowned the 2016 Challenge Cup Winners. For one of the leading two sides in Super League it would mean they had first blood in taking home the first of three pieces of silverware to be awarded throughout the season.  It wasn’t just the final that I was getting excited about, but it was the whole weekend of travelling down to London and soaking up the atmosphere of Cup Final Weekend – my first experience of it since 2007.

You may recall that I had my tickets for the showpiece event booked before the start of the season and that gave me the inspiration to follow the competition from Round 1 back in January so this weekend was going to be extra special and I was determined to make the most of it.

My journey to London began on the Thursday evening by first travelling north.  I was joining my fellow Barrovians in watching the final and was travelling down on a pre-arranged bus trip along with my dad and 46 other rugby fans, most of them being neutral supporters for the weekend.  The bus was leaving Barrow at 7am so, because I’m frightened of missing out on anything, I travelled up on the train from Horwich and stayed the night at my parents ahead of an early start on the Friday morning.

After what felt like the shortest sleep ever I was woken by my alarm at 5:30am.  I had a shower and made sure I treble checked I’d packed everything for the weekend and headed downstairs to find my dad also up and watching TV.  Before we knew it we were in a Taxi to catch the bus at the home of the organisers Kath and Tony.

Once on our way we had another pick up at Ramsden Square, situated a few hundred yards from Craven Park, the home of Barrow Raiders, and we all settled in for our entertaining journey to the capital.

Kath took to the microphone and welcomed us all to the “Mad Trip”.  As it was my first time I was dubbed a ‘newbie’ and the first beer on the coach was cracked open as early as 8:30 by some of the trippers, to which I thought to myself this is going to be a heavy weekend!

There was plenty of talk and discussion about the entertainment and catering that would be provided on the coach but the most concerning and important thing for most people was that the toilet had moved from the centre to the back of the coach!  Cue the first hilarious moment of the weekend when a couple of the women pulled faces when they misheard the discussion and refused to use it as they thought it was only a ‘stand up toilet’!  People had been asked in the week prior to the trip what fruit they would like to have on the coach and were sadly disappointed to find out that their requests of kumquat’s, guavas and passion fruit had been ignored and had to settle for apples, bananas and a few squashed peaches.

The highlight of the trip every year is the buffet that is expertly provided when we reach our lunchtime stop at Norton Services on the M6.  I’d heard a lot about these from my dad who had been on a few of the trips over the years and was looking forward to it.  Thankfully, the sun was beaming down on us while we were all sat on the grass having a beer and a laugh eating our ready-made plated buffets.  That night’s game between London Skolars and Toulouse was discussed and a handful of us decided that as we’re in London for the rugby, why not venture along and watch another game and show our support to rugby league in the area.

Once we were back on the coach out came the quiz, the raffle and the bingo.  My dad had told me how we might have lucky seats for the raffle as we were sat next to our own version of Mo Farah, Ian, who was going for a double win having claimed a clean sweep of prizes in each of the events last time around.  Unfortunately it didn’t work out that well for us as the only prize we managed to win was a box of Haribo Tangfastics.

At last the coach pulled up outside our hotel at around 4pm, nearly nine hours after setting off, we swiftly found our rooms, unpacked our bags, got changed and proceeded to head back out to explore the area.  Russell Square tube station was just around the corner from our hotel so after being fed and watered we made the 20 minute journey to Wood Green.  We gave up on catching the bus when one went by without stopping so enjoyed a sunny walk down White Hart Lane to the New River Stadium for that night’s rugby fix.

The game was very well attended by Skolars’ standards, partly due to a beer festival taking place on site at the same time.  The first half saw the Skolars make a decent game of it and were only six points behind when they scored their second try close to half time but another converted try for the Frenchmen saw them go into the break with a 22-10 lead which they would never relinquish.  A total of seven further tries in the second half meant Toulouse ran away with the game in the end finishing on 58-10.

If I was disappointed that the on-field entertainment was dull then I had no complaints whatsoever of the pitch-side shenanigans!  We had already been given a French rendition of the ‘Viking Clap’ war chant earlier in the match but that was nothing compared to the supporter decked out in the black and red striped, Dennis The Menace look-a-like, Skolars mascot outfit who flamboyantly ran up and down the length of the main stand at the slightest murmur of “Come on Skolars”.  By the end of the match people got wise and someone would strategically shout Skolars at one end of the stand before someone else at the other end would do the same in order to watch him sprint majestically from one end of the stand to the other in a heart-warming show of passionate and loyal support for the losing side.

After the game I eventually made my way back to our hotel by being reluctantly dragged along (sorry, appreciating) all the sights of the “local architecture” along the route with my dad, Andy, John, et al. before enjoying a night cap with our fellow Barrovians in the lounge.

The next day was Saturday, which meant Match Day, and having wolfed down breakfast we got ourselves ready for what would be another long day.  Most of the talk about the game the day before had been one of hope for a classic, close final as Wembley was due one having not had a “real cup final” for a few years, and the general consensus was that Warrington would sneak it.   It was going to be a close game as the bookies could barely split the two sides so I was really looking forward to it by this point.  Besides, it had to be better than last year’s final!

Once my dad had finally mastered the art of using the oyster card my wife had lent him (he says he’d used one before but I wasn’t so sure) we made our way over to the packed out Allsop Arms for some pre-match drinks and when we got hungry we found ourselves tucked into the back of a Nando’s-style chicken diner where I successfully explained to dad how the menu worked before he went up and ordered us lunch.  After being fed and watered we were back on the road and made our way to Wembley on the tube.

The anticipation was building as more and more supporters were jumping on at each and every stop.  Because most of us were there for one thing we were smiling and chatting amongst each other about the game ahead.  Fans of different teams jovially talking to each other in the same vicinity I hear you say? The locals must have thought we’d all gone mad ... bloody Northerners!  And with the vast amount of colours from the various rugby shirts on show you’d have been forgiven for thinking that there had been an explosion in a nearby paint factory.

After getting off at the wrong tube stop for Wembley Way (or should I say Olympic Way as it’s now called) we had just enough time to walk around to take a quick snap of the throngs of supporters coming up from Wembley Park station, buy a match programme and make our way into the ground to find our seats.  There was a real ale bar on the concourse which we hastily made our way towards so my dad could get a “proper pint of beer” and at just under £5 a pint I didn’t think that was too bad.  Naturally we didn’t want to come back before half time so we purchased two each and the waitress kindly gave us a tray to carry them off to our seats.  Now the old man gets the shakes, apparently when he’s hot, so having had to walk some distance that morning, I opted to carry the tray of drinks up to our seats otherwise anyone watching would have been treated to a remake of Julie Walters’ ‘Two Soups’ sketch from the Victoria Wood show.  As funny as that would have been I rather liked the idea of keeping my pints as full as possible.

Our seats were in very good positions on the lower tier of Wembley, right in the heart of the Hull FC fans, slightly to the right of the sticks.  With the National Anthem and Abide With Me was blared out over the tannoy and the anticipation of the Hull fans of a first ever win at Wembley I couldn’t help myself beginning to back the Black and Whites.  I apologise to any Wire fans reading this for saying that but my wife is from East Yorkshire so I do kind of have an allegiance with them already.

The game got underway in an exciting yet tense atmosphere and it seemed to seep down to the players on the pitch as neither side looked particularly capable of scoring the opening points.  Warrington were making the early yards and trying to put as much pressure as they could on the Hull defence but the strong pack held firm and their line wasn’t breached until six minutes before the break.  I was thinking that we may see a 0-0 score line at half time and I couldn’t think of the last time I witnessed a match where that happened.  But Chris Sandow claimed an impressive break and almost scored himself until he was brought down mere meters from the try line right in front of the Hull fans but Matty Russell was on hand to break through for the first try.  After Matt Gidley’s conversion Warrington led 6-0 at the break but Hull were still in the game.

After a quick toilet break and having replenished our liquids at the bar I came back to my seat for the second half but somehow lost my balance turning towards my seat and spilled some of my pint down a lady's back in the row in front.  Thankfully she was part of our group and forgave me although that can’t be said for Andy who accidentally kicked a full bottle of Carlsberg from under his seat which spilled all down the back of her legs later in the game!  Cue the laughter from everyone around her.  Obviously Andy was more concerned that he’d wasted £4.50 than the fact she now had sodden legs.

The second half started with the Hull fans in full voice and when Kurt Gidley missed a penalty early on the belief was creeping back into our end of the stadium.  That soon dissipated though when Warrington dived over on the left side for their second try through Ben Currie but Gidley missed the kick and the score remained 10-0.

The match turned on its head on the hour when Mark Sneyd sent a perfectly placed 40-20 up field which stopped literally inches over the line and the Hull fans were on their feet urging their side to get on the scoreboard.  And they did thanks to Mahe Fonua expertly leaping above Sandow to dive over in front of his own fans to score and when 30,000 Yorkshiremen chanted “Sneeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyddddddddd!!!” following his successful conversion you knew it was game on at 10-6.

Hull’s Steve Michaels had a try disallowed by the video referee six minutes later but the tension was really building now as Hull fans all around me were urging their side forward in the last few minutes.  And when Jamie Shaul managed to dive over the whitewash the whole of our side of the stadium erupted with delight.  And when Sneyd added the extra two Hull had the lead for the first time in the game.

The final five minutes of that game were possibly the most tense I have ever felt at a game of any sport whilst there as a neutral.  I was desperate for Hull to hold on an give their fans what they had been craving for weeks.  After they took the lead there was a family of four sat next to us who all had tears streaming down their cheeks and just in front of them was a bloke who must have been sitting on hot coals as every time he sat down he sprung straight back up again which his head in his hands and turning around unable to watch.

But Warrington should have snatched it right at the death with another try but, thanks to a herculean tackle by Danny Houghton on Currie, the game was ended with a knock on.  When the final hooter sounded seconds later the Hull fans were delirious and there was not a dry eye in the house all around us.

Throughout the game I couldn’t help thinking that one day I might be there at Wembley supporting my own team.  I wasn’t born when Barrow last played at Wembley and, ironically, that was my dad’s first Wembley final, but everyone can dream can’t they?

I stayed behind to watch the trophy being presented to the victors which capped off a memorable season of watching rugby league for me.  I chatted with the mother of the family of four and was pleased for her two young sons who had just witnessed history being made by their heroes.  For me, that showed just what it means to be a supporter of any age of any rugby team – it doesn’t matter if you're top of Super League or bottom of League 1, your fans will always follow you through thick and thin and seeing their ecstasy when you win and despair when you lose makes you so much stronger as a club.

After the game we travelled back to Allsops to meet up with some of the guys who had been at the game and was also treated to a cameo appearance of a life-long school friend of mine, Stewart, who had moved down to Twickenham in February to work for the London Irish rugby club and had been to the final with a friend.  Tonight was just a flying visit for him as he was off to meet his parents but we arranged to catch up with him again the following evening for another ‘quiet’ drink.

Sunday was going to be our touristy day.  We had decided to venture south of the river and visit the Imperial War Museum in the late morning and I was pleased to wake up after a decent lie in with a more manageable head than the previous morning.  A short tube ride to Waterloo found us in the right spot to walk the 15 minute journey to our destination.  You forget how much of a tourist you are when you’re in London because, after what felt like a decent five minute walk, we realised we had only succeeded in walking around in a big circle to the back of Waterloo train station and hadn’t gone that far at all!  But, after spending an hour depressing ourselves with a walk through the Holocaust Exhibition at the museum, we decided we needed to get some lunch back in the City.

The afternoon was a quiet one, if you don’t count the hour listening to my dad’s snores when we went back to the hotel room for a rest, and I found myself contemplating about the previous day’s events and whether I would be able to get away with doing it all again next year?  I’d have to run it by the wife first and I’ve got a pretty good idea of what she would think to that.  I guess I’ll just wait and see what dates the rounds will be when they are released ahead of next season.

As we’d pre-arranged to meet Stewart for a few drinks later that evening we woke ourselves up, put on our best clobber, splashed on our best ‘eau de toilette’ and ventured out for our final night in ‘London Town’.  We needed to line our stomachs and the pub grub we went for near the hotel was nice but rather confusing – who knew that in London you can buy a cheese and ham toasted sandwich with a salad off the menu but when you ask for a side of chips to share, you can’t do that?  No, apparently you have to buy the chips on your plate with your toastie and share a side dish of salad! Bloody Southerners!

Anyone who knows me understands the plight I have to suffer with when I break the seal and as dad was concerned about the amount of times I kept going off to spend a penny over the whole weekend his solution was to keep me off the ales and make me drink shorts.  Therefore my first few rounds consisted of vodkas with coke or lemonade.  Needles to say I was feeling a little tiddly after four or five ‘doubles’.

We caught up with Stewart in Leicester Square and we wandered into to the Moon Under Water pub next to the giant Odeon cinema where all the major film premiers are shown.  Unfortunately there were no famous film stars around but there was the chance for my dad to enjoy a half decent pint at last after a weekend of varying degrees of failure.  There was also plenty of young local talent on show for Stewart who, being a young bachelor in London, was never going to turn down any opportunities to chat and who would be better suited to play wingman than...my 63-year-old father!  Leaving me to talk amongst myself and establish the suitability of the little boys room one such 20-something Londoner came and shared our table and amused us by not knowing where Twickenham was.  One of her friends, Tristan, a cross between Mark Wright and Joey Essex, took a shine to my old man even going so far as giving him a hug!  Luckily for dad time was soon called and it was time for Stewart to head home and for us to make our way back to our hotel where, lo and behold, our party of fellow Barrovians were still awake drinking in the lounge and we enjoyed a final chin wag and drink before heading to bed.

The journey home on the Monday was always going to be a slow and quiet one with a few sore heads on the coach.  The previous night had resulted in Kath and Tony announcing that this was definitely going to be the last coach trip that they organised, having done so for the last 19 years to such a high and well-respected standard, and it was now time for them to pass the baton on to someone else despite the banter and protestations from other coach trippers that they should continue for at least another year.

We stopped for lunch half way home at the Catch Corner Fayre & Square pub in Stafford where some of us had to keep the blazing sun off our scalps any way possible (see comedy photo below!) before we proceeded to cause a minor traffic jam in the car park whilst we crowded round the bus for group photos and presentations before setting off on the penultimate leg of our journey to drop me off at Charnock Richard services where the wife was eagerly waiting to drive me back home.

I know that I’ve probably rambled on throughout this blog but so much happened over the weekend that I wanted to share it with you.  Ultimately, it’s time for me to sign off from my own adventure and I am proud to say I have been able to complete my personal challenge of attending a game in every round of the Challenge Cup this season.  It was a random thought I had whilst watching the Round 1 tie between Leigh Miners and Underbank way back in January and it has all gone so fast since then that it’s hard to believe my journey is actually over.  I was extremely fortunate that I didn’t have to do too much travelling this season from where I live near Leigh and I’d be lucky if I had the same outcome again if I were to do it a second time.

I’ve spoken to a lot of supporters from a variety of different clubs over these last few months about what I was doing and why and not one of them knew of anyone who had also done this or attempted it.  I’d like to think I may be the first person to accomplish this off his or her own back and using their own time and money to do so, but if you have also achieved this feat, or know of anyone who has, please let me know in the comments below and I’ll happily congratulate you.

Thanks again to everyone I’ve met along the way at the various clubs and grounds I’ve visited.  Your input, help and light-hearted conversation has been extremely valuable and hopefully our paths will cross again in the near future.

The Rugby League Blogger.