i-pitch to the rescue

Tuesday 14th February 2012

Story in brief:

i-pitch to the rescue

The Stobart Stadium Halton's i-pitch came to the rescue once again on Friday 10 February, when it hosted the semi-final of the North West Champion Schools Year 10 competition contested by Hope Academy (St. Helens) and St. Peters (Wigan).

It was an eleventh hour request from the RFL the Vikings were only too happy to accommodate, with Vikings' head coach Denis Betts even tweaking his first team training schedule to best suit all parties.

Halton Rugby League Development Manager Dave Rolt who played a lead role in ensuring the game went ahead said; "Due to the recent adverse weather conditions, there was no facility available in the North West to host the game and I was determined to play my part in ensuring that the Champion Schools semi-final was played on time.

"That's the beauty of the i-pitch of course, and once again it proves just how valuable a resource it actually is."

Paul Crook, the former Vikings half back who now plies his trade at Rochdale Hornets alongside a teaching and coaching role at Hope Academy added; "Trying to organize this game has given us a few headaches if I'm honest, but fortunately the Vikings came to our aid and on behalf of Hope Academy, I'd like to offer our gratitude to them and Dave Rolt for their help and support.

"Unfortunately, the day didn't end as we'd all hoped though and we were beaten by a strong St. Peters team in what turned out to be a very tight game. We wish them the best of luck in the final."

Neil Ashton, Crook's counterpart at St. Peters said; "We'd also like to offer our sincere thanks to the Vikings for allowing us to stage the game here at the fantastic Stobart Stadium.

"After more than a fortnight of ringing around a number of local clubs in the hope that their pitch would be available, it became pretty clear our efforts were all in vain.

"To then get the call to alert us we would be playing the game at the home of a Super League club was great news.

"It's always superb to make your way through to a final and we were certainly made to work hard this afternoon by a quality Hope Academy team. As the saying goes, the result could've gone either way and it's likely to be exactly the same when we face our local rivals St. John Fisher in the North West Champion Schools final.

Final Score:

St. Peters (Wigan) 18

Hope Academy (St. Helens) 14

Image of the victorious St. Peters team kindly supplied by KT8 Photography