|
Many
thanks must go to everyone who went on the tour -
Club
coach Ste Jones (Arker) and all the players - Dave Smith, Craig Knox,
Brent Knox, Scott Hughes, Phil Ashcroft, David Picton, Andy Bailey,
Mark Sayer, James Hinnigan, Steve Pownall, Ian Taylor, Tony Bligh,
Peter Shaw, James Trickett, Kevin Howells, Peter Biggar, Joey Burrows.
Also,
the supporters who made the long journey with them to the south of
France -
Walter
James, Ben Barnes, John Hazeldine, Dave Cunliffe, David Shaw, Kevin
Hinnigan, Anthony Jordan and Open Age club chairman, Vinny Smith.
Thanks must go to all the aforementioned people for their help
throughout the tour, during the matches and in organising the BBQ’s.
Thanks also to Ken
Hatton of Hattons Coaches, St Helens, and his co-driver Colin who got
everyone safely to everywhere the party went on tour with a happy,
go-lucky, cheerful humour. Thank you very much.
Finally,
If
anyone is considering a tour and wondering where to go, then Perpignan
region is highly recommended by the Ashton Open Age team. We can back
up the comments, made by Steve Deakin of UTC Catalan who are joining
Super League in 2006, which were made on Boots n all on Wednesday 23rd
June 2004. The French people on this region are rugby league fanatics
and were asking the Ashton lads to leave behind shirts, shorts,
skullcaps, anything of Ashton rugby connections. The passion of their
youngsters was over-whelming when they were asking the Ashton lads to
sign their shirts. It does bode very well for the future of French
Rugby league if our
experience of the tour we have just had, the likes of Andy Farrell,
Sculthorpe and McGuire will be a big experience for them.
You
can find below the match reports of our 2 games in our very successful
trip to France and also a link to the album with a selection of images
from the tour.
Game
1 vs Salses Le Chateau
Game
2 vs Pia
Tour
to France Album
|
