Touchdowns, runways and roads

I decided not to travel to Thatto Heath Crusaders' game at Wath Brow Hornets, although with the unexpected good weather, I should have treated myself to a stay at the coast. There was a crop of pre season football games, but I stayed with competitive rugby league. Pilkington Recs were the nearest club, at home to Wigan St Patricks. They had been an option when I started watching a couple of months ago, but Thatto Heath were nearer, and Pilkington had a regular photographer. I am not worried about treading on toes, but at a club without I am more likely to be useful. This was the case with Thatto Heath asking whether I was coming again after my first collection.

This was the official opening day at Ruskin Sports Village, previously owned by the Pilkington glass company, now run by St Helens Council with facilities for Pilkington Recs and St Helens Town FC. I found a festival in full swing, with cricket, a junior football tournament, tennis and bowls in addition to rugby. As I was early, I watched a few overs of the cricket with an ice cream. Some of the first dedicated sports action photographs just over 100 years ago were taken of cricket. This is logical, as for much of the action you can train your camera on where the player will be, and concentrate on the shutter. As I had no idea who the teams were, and therefore where to send the pictures, I decided not to try my hand.

Our game was preceded by a minute's silence for Adam Cooper, who sadly died playing for Culcheth Eagles in a National Conference League fixture the previous week.

This was the first time I have watched rugby on a 3G pitch. There seemed to be more and longer polyester blades and less visible rubber crumb than I would normally expect. The shine from the blades can affect the lighting on a bright sunny day.

We have seen the visitors before, playing in all black.

I have encountered the hosts' colours in rugby union, chosen I suspect because it holds visibility in the mud: less of a consideration for league now it is a summer game. It also reproduces well under most lighting conditions.

With the sun shining strongly from the hosts' end, I took up position near the half way line.

I was right about a resident photographer or two, lenses were being trained from all directions.

The game followed a pattern that has been common for me this season, starting evenly, with one side, in this case Pilkington's, having an advantage at half time, and taking a decisive grip to run away as clear winners in the second.

After the game, I had a choice of cricket - more overs at the ground, or a pint in tip top condition at the Cricketers' Arms. I decided on the latter. Despite the name and some cricket memorabilia, rugby league is a way of life in these parts. The bases of the hand pumps all bear the name of  one of the great St Helens players, and I cannot remember a minute's silence as well observed in a pub as that for Adam Cooper at the start of the televised game.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Pilkington Recs 50 Wigan St Patricks 22

Eat pies lad, not stones

As I made my way round the pitch at Thatto Heath Crusaders' game at home to Wigan St Patricks, I happened upon a two or three year old boy, who had picked up some stones from the hard standing, and, with the natural curiosity of the toddler, was about to see if they were good to eat. As his father was removing them from his grasp, an older gentleman, whom I took to be his grandfather, chipped in with, "You want to eat pies lad, not stones", advice fully endorsed by this blog.

I was surprised, looking back through these pages, that I have not covered rugby league. The last time I photographed regularly was for Liverpool Buccaneers, who have been defunct for some years, since the Kingstone Press National Conference League joined the rest of the game with a summer season, removing the pool of players who wanted to play in a summer and a winter league. I am not sure why I had not found Thatto Heath before, as they are only a few stops on the 10A bus (all human life is there) from Prescot, and they play on a Saturday, which is my preferred day for sport.

The ground has main and training pitches, a modern clubhouse and an indoor training facility, although with the traditional approach of rugby of both codes to wet weather protection for spectators, i.e. bring your own!

I arrived a few minutes late to find both sides had scored one try each, with the hosts having converted theirs. I took up a position on the clubhouse side, near the end Thatto Heath were attacking. The visitors were the first to score after I had started - the nature of the kick off placed active competition for the ball more or less in front of me.

I have a tendency when following a side to concentrate on their players with the ball, but in rugby in particular there is as good a photo in players making a tackle.

It started to rain towards the end of the first half, and the wind was coming in from the open side, so I went that way for the second half, as rain is easier to deal with on the back of my head rather than the front of the camera.

It stopped after a few minutes, leaving good light conditions. I tried some shots from behind the goal line, and was rewarded with a picture of a try.

One of the main differences between union and league is the absence in the latter of what the former calls the breakdown, the ruck or maul, an opportunity to train lenses ready for the ball to emerge. The play-the-ball, by which play continues after a tackle, is a much quicker affair, indeed it is a foul to delay it by keeping hold of a tackled player for longer than necessary. There is no time for a breather in this game, not even for the photographer.

The hosts had taken a firm grip by this time, securing a convincing win to recover their winning ways from earlier in the season and put them on top of the table.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Thatto Heath Crusaders 44 Wigan St Patricks 12