Saturday’s tri-club tournament (Fylde v Sale FC v Hawick) at the Woodlands rekindles a long ago relationship between Fylde and one of the visiting clubs.
Between 1972 and 1991, the famous old clubs Fylde and Hawick, a leading club in the Scottish Borders, played nine fixtures, five at the Woodlands, four at Hawick’s Mansfield Park ground. The records tell us that the Lancastrians won four, the Scots five. One of the casualties of professionalism and the establishment of serious league rugby in the 1990s was the ending of this kind of traditional ‘friendly’ fixtures.
The last game was 33 seasons ago at the Woodlands and Fylde edged it by 18-16, with a try by legendary winger Brendon Hanavan, converted by fullback Mike Jackson, plus four penalties by Jackson.
How great it is to welcome our long time friends back to the Woodlands for senior rugby, albeit in a pre-season run out! Let’s hope we can keep this relationship going.
PS Thanks to Hawick’s Gary Alexander for digging out the match stats!
Here’s the timetable for Saturday’s tournament:
