Today: Previously - August 5th

Today: Previously  -  August 5th

Today: Previously  -  August 5th

Rugby League

Rovers have played three previous matches on August 5th and, of course, they have all been in the summer era. Earlier players would have been totally shocked at the idea of playing a competitive match in August!

Two of those games came during our low ebb of competing in the third tier (National League 2) in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, when the team were expected to bounce straight back to the second tier we suffered a big shock when losing by 31-12 away to London Skolars. The following year (when we did gain promotion) we were again away. This time it was to Swinton Lions and Fev won 28-22.

The match this year against Leigh is actually the very first time that there has been a Rovers match at Post Office Road on August 5th, for the other match on that date came in 2011 and was yet again away. It was in 2011 when we won both the Championship League and the Grand Final. The team were away to York City Knights and won comprehensively 44-16 at the Huntington Stadium.

The Fev team that day was

Ian Hardman; Ben Cockayne, Sam Smeaton, Andrew Bostock, Tommy Saxton; Jonny Hepworth, Liam Finn; Anthony Tonks, Ben Kaye, Stuart Dickens, Jon Grayshon, Tim Spears, Matty Dale.  Subs: Ben Gledhill, Kirk Netherton, Greg Worthington, Ross Divorty

Ian Hardman and Greg Worthington scored 2 tries each and there was one each for Ben Cockayne, Jonny Hepworth, Tommy Saxton and Andy Bostock.

At stand-off for York was Anthony Thackeray!

And who could have possibly foreseen that 6 years later Greg Worthington would be playing for a professional team based in Toronto!

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Back in 1997, London Broncos beat Oldham Bears 36-28 in a Super League match and in 2006 whilst Fev were losing to London Skolars, Castleford were nilled by Wakefield at Wheldon Road - final score 18-0. And in 2012 Wakefield bat Cas again at Wheldon Road. Cas got on the scoreboard this time but were well beaten 40-12.

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There have been just three international matches on August 5th and just 3 teams were involved in those matches.

In 1979 Great Britain beat New Zealand 22-7 in Christchurch. It was the second test and GB levelled the series having lost the first test 18-11 in Auckland. GB took the series when they returned to Auckland for the 3rd test and won 16-8.

In 1984 Great Britain played Papua New Guinea in Mount Hagen and won 38-20.

The third August 5th international came in 1990 with New Zealand beating Papua New Guinea in Goroka by 36-4.

Nelson Mandela

World Events

In 1305, William Wallace, Scottish leader captured and taken to London for execution

In 1772, Poland partitioned between Austria, Prussia and Russia

In 1858, First transatlantic telegraph cable completed

In 1926, Houdini stays in an underwater coffin for 1½ hours

In 1962, Nelson Mandela arrested in South Africa

Birthdays

Neil Armstrong

1802 Niels H Abel, Norwegian mathematician

1850 Guy de Maupassant, French writer

1906 John Huston, American writer and film director

1930 Neil Armstrong, astronaut and first to set foot on the moon

1948 Ray Clemence, English footballer (goalkeeper)

1983 Thomas Bosc, Catalans Dragons rugby league player