EGREMONT RANGERS (HALLIWELL JONES STADIUM)
Its Cup Final day on Sunday when Leigh Miners take on Egremont Rangers in the inaugural Conference Challenge Trophy final at Warrington Wolves Halliwell Jones Stadium, Kick off 11-30am. It is a massive game for the club with it being their first final appearance in four years, having last appeared in the 2008 NCL Grand Final losing 26-10 to East Hull, and it being seven years since Miners last lifted silverware, beating Wath Brow Hornets 30-22 in the 2005 Grand Final.
On Sunday’s final joint first team coach Allan Coleman said “The time has come to awaken the sleeping giant that is Leigh Miners Rangers. This is a massive club and it’s about time we started to match its stature with silverware.” A quote that all the lads are eager to back up with a victory on Sunday to bring the glory days back to Twist Lane in front of the television cameras with the match highlights being shown on Premier Sports Xtra,SKY Channel 430 before the Championship Grand final which Kicks off at 4-30pm.
Miners go into the Cup Final in good form on the back of seven straight wins, a run that has seen them win five league matches to keep themselves in a good position to reach the end of season playoffs with five games remaining, and two cup wins against Wath Brow Hornets (Quarter Final) and Bradford Dudley Hill (Semi Final) to put them eighty minutes away of ending the clubs long overdue wait for a piece of silverware.
All the lads know they will have to be at their very best on Sunday to beat Division One high flyers Egremont Rangers with them already seeing off top quality Premier Division opposition in Siddal and Wigan St Pats in previous rounds, but it’s a test they are very much looking forward to in their quest for success at open age level, with most of the lads tasting success with Miners at Youth & Junior level they are determined to taste further success with the first team.
Allan Coleman said of Egremont “We are conscious of what Egremont will bring. They have become a surprize package but poor teams don’t knock out two potential champions in successive rounds.”
Aaron Gorton and John Woods are added to last weekend’s seventeen that won at West Hull to leave coaches Allan Coleman and Paul Whitworth with the decision on what they think will be the best seventeen on the day to pick to take on the Cumbrian outfit.
Egremont Rangers are having an excellent season in Division One and are on track for back to back promotions having been promoted from Division Two in 2011. On Sunday’s final Egremont coach John Brocklebank said “The club is buzzing. We just can’t wait for what is without doubt going to be our biggest game since 1990 when we won the BARLA National Cup, we’ve played some brilliant rugby in previous rounds and we fully deserve our place in the final.”
“We know what we are up against but we’ve already displayed our credentials and if our opposition choose to target one man, John Paul Brocklebank they will fall directly into our trap. We have a side packed with young talent which appears to go unnoticed and come kick off, that will be just perfect for us.
“I expected us to be challenging for promotion in the league after a strong pre-season campaign but I perhaps did not foresee, potentially two pieces of silverware. However here we are and it has not happened by accident. In terms of the final I am expecting a classic. “we have a lot of respect for Leigh Miners Rangers and I will be a proud man if we play to are strengths, if we do that, the result will take care of itself.”
TICKET INFORMATION
Supporters can purchase tickets in advance either by calling the RFL Ticket Hotline on 0844 856 1113 (9am-5pm) or online at www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk. Tickets will also be on sale at the Halliwell Jones Stadium ticket office on the day of the match. Please note there are no tickets being sold from the Miners Rangers club.
Leigh Miners Rangers 19 Man Squad
Ross Bradley
Jonny Carroll
Liam Coleman
Tom Farrimond
Lee Gittins
Aaron Gorton
Kev Howells
Danny Jackson
Danny Jones
Darryl Kay
Martin Lewis
Shaun Marsh
Scott O’Brien
Sean Pendlebury
Dave Rowlands
Adam Thomason
Josh Ward
John Woods
Jonny Youds
ROUTE TO FINAL
Leigh Miners Rangers
Preliminary Round = 36-0 Stanningley (Away)
Round 1 = 50-8 Wigan St Judes (Away)
Round 2 = 34-22 Leigh East (Away)
Quarter Final = 52-6 Wath Brow Hornets (Home)
Semi Final = 19-6 Bradford Dudley Hill (Away)
Egremont Rangers
Round 1 = 72-26 East Leeds (Home)
Round 2 = 24-0 (walkover) Castleford Panthers (Home)
Quarter Final = 34-30 Siddal (Home)
Semi Final = 26-10 Wigan St Pats (Home)
The second team are away to Leyland Warriors on Saturday in the League (NWMD2), Kick off 2-30pm.
