Dewsbury Rams fan David Hyomes has another tale to tell in this week’s article.
Making my debut as a cricket umpire last Saturday I walked off the field at the end of my game knowing that the Rams game at Widnes would have ended.
Time to get my phone from my kit bag & find out what had happened. Despite the fact that fans of other clubs would have no doubt predicted a Vikings victory I was very optimistic about the news I was about to read.
I was not to be disappointed, a fantastic performance & win by the Rams in the Vikings own back yard. We really seem to be the bogy team for Widnes. They are a big club who have been in Super League & are hugely ambitious to return.
Their stadium is impressive & they have always invested heavily in their coaching & playing staff. There is also the 4G pitch to overcome.
Even some full time Super League clubs have often expressed their unhappiness at playing on it. Widnes do obviously have the advantage of playing on it regularly & will be able to anticipate any vagaries that apply to that surface. One thing that struck me was how strong our squad is in terms of other players stepping up.
We were missing Matty Fleming who was the fleet footed hero from our win over Whitehaven but Keenan Tomlinson filled the centre shirt with aplomb and it was fantastic to see our wingers Andy Gabriel & Will Oakes crossing for tries
It is always good to see your widemen on the scoresheet. Andy Gabriel was impeccable under the high balls that Widnes rained down on him too & was deservedly awarded Rams man of the match by the League Express newspaper.
I really enjoy the pre match press conferences that appear on the Rams social media outlets & it was interesting to hear Lee Greenwood say that we are currently in a run of games that nobody outside our club expects Dewsbury to win.
Certainly Widnes away is one of those. I am sure we all noticed that when coaches of other clubs & various pundits were previewing the season on social media & newspapers that not one of them mentioned the Rams as a club that will do well. To coin the phrase ‘We must turn up on the day’ & if we do we can challenge any team.
There will inevitably be the odd game when we don’t turn up because that is the nature of sport but just like after the Challenge cup disappointment at Whitehaven the Rams appear to possess the mental attitude to fight back the following game.
My final point on the Widnes game is how good was it to see the League Express newspaper awarding Dewsbury Rams the Club of the week status!
On to midweek & Dewsbury celebrated their 123rd birthday. That is truly remarkable and highlights what a mainstay we have been in the life of the town. During all those decades we have been the only professional sporting club in Dewsbury. Many clubs in many sports have fallen by the wayside but those Red, Amber & Black colours continue to fly the flag for the town of Dewsbury and for the game of Rugby League.
This coming Sunday we are away to Bradford Bulls at our very own Tetleys Stadium!
Has this situation ever occurred before where we are playing away on our own ground at either Crown Flatt or the Tetleys Stadium . I know that many times we have been drawn away to amateur clubs in Cup competitions & the game has been switched to our home but has a league game ever happened in circumstances like sunday?
I do recall that when Hunslet were in nomadic circumstances that they have staged home games at Crown Flatt & the Tetleys Stadium but I do not recall any of those games actually being against Dewsbury.
I have mentioned the current edition of League Express above & I am sure many of you will have noticed that it contains a tribute to Kevin Osborne, which was very well compiled.
