Tigers (fixture 3) & Terriers (fixture3)

Sun 20 Oct

Division 1 champions for the past 4 years, Staffordshire, came to the Galtres center hoping for a good start to their 24-25 campaign to remain at the top. Could the Tigers fangs dampen their expectations? This was a tall order indeed as the Staffs team was in no mind to be lenient and contained at least 4 past National champions amongst their number. By lunch they were 12-4 up and they maintained their dominance in the afternoon to end the day with a 32-8 (229-138) win. Our Fours and Pairs both picked up 3 points (with Chantal Ireland/Debbie Taylor undefeated), and the Triples recorded the other win but the Singles were unable to make any impression against the might of Gareth Stanway and Adam Lamb.  A difficult start to the season but the Tigers are now relishing the prospect of their next match in 2 weeks time – a home derby against the Tornados.

Meanwhile, the Terriers travelled to the John Charles center in Leeds to see if West Yorkshire B could offer more resistance than they did last year when they were beaten both at home (36-4) and away (30-10) at the hands of Pat Jone’s squad and ended the season at the bottom of Division 2. This year, the contest was closer but the Terriers finally claimed victory by 24-16 (173-172) largely due to the Triples (who were undefeated) and the Fours (who only dropped 2 points). The Pairs ended honors even at 5 points apiece with the Singles picking up 2 points. With a run of 3 home matches now to come, the Terriers must look to confirm their position as the top team in Division 2 before they head into 2025.