Hoppers leap to the occasion

WITH neither side involved in the Tetley Bitter Cup, an opportunity arose for Hoppers to travel to Merseyside to test themselves against opponents from a higher league.

Both sides took the opportunity to give four or five fringe players a chance to impress but Hopper Rob Parkinson will be disappointed that his involvement lasted only five minutes thanks to a leg injury.

Hoppers struggled with first team regulars John Bleasdale and Steve Fee also forced to retire after a collision in midfield.

Fee's departure was not before the New Zealander had claimed the first try following an early line-out. Glynn converted.

Waterloo hit back with Edwards squeezing in at the corner for an unconverted try. The home side then had the territorial advantage but went further in arrears as Chris Glynn took advantage of the breakdown in a passing movement to claim the loose ball and race 70 metres for a try, which he then converted.

A Waterloo try for Griffies went unconverted but helped by a stiff breeze, the home side claimed a half-time lead as Brennand and Dennehy both crossed near the posts to give Handley two simple conversions.

Michael Lough quickly exploited the wind in the second half, taking play to the home 22.

A neat chip-kick outwitted the Waterloo defence allowing the Australian to regather and plunge over for a try.

It was Lough who also claimed the next try but this time his dummy fooled the defence. An Emmett conversion gave Hoppers the lead and soon the replacement scrum-half also kicked a simple penalty.

Some Hoppers slackness then allowed Waterloo to establish the position to give Handley the opportunity to cross to level the score.

In the dying seconds, Ian Bruce was hauled down inches short of the home line to bring the game to an end.

Next Saturday Hoppers take a day off before resuming their league programme at home to Nottingham the following weekend.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.