13 - 8, WELL WORTH A FLUTTER.

ASPATRIA  8   VALE OF LUNE  13

Rain and hail pinged down obscuring the stunning Cumbria scenery as the Vale of Lune made their blustery journey to Aspatria. Because the view was limited, Vale's resident tipster, 'Honest' Brian Cumpsty, had nothing to distract him from an in depth perusal of the runners and riders at half a dozen race meetings. Despite pointing out the form of some of the horses in rather excited tones there were no takers from the travelling supporters; they had been caught out too often in the past by these so called hot, can't lose tips, i.e 'Jack Berry would not send one horse all the way down to Exeter if he did not think it would win.' Yes he did, and yes it lost!

Brian cheered up when the man who knows how to give the Tote a good run for their money, Robin Briggs, arrived in a welcoming Aspatria clubhouse. After a whispered conversation the two battled their way up to Station Road to the sanctuary of Kenny Graham's betting emporium to sample the delights of King Street on a wet Saturday.

It is doubtful if there were any odds displayed for the Aspatria versus Vale of Lune encounter on a Bower Park surface where the going was at best, soft to heavy. The form book suggested that the home side were favourites on their own patch, and when the combatants pranced through the paddock and indulged in their pre match warm up the odds stacked even higher against the visitors, on size alone if nothing else.

Following the home victory against Wilmslow, the same squad was selected again but during the week Mark Walker pulled up with a back injury and Matthew Speight was reined in because of work commitments. Cue 'Little and Large', into the frame came Mike Huntington and Dave Halliwell.
Mike can be coaxed to pick up his heels and skip over the hurdles when the ground is firm, Dave prefers a little more give under foot to send the turf flying in all directions. However, they both coped with the conditions admirably and remained firmly glued in the saddle as the Vale swept past the winning post causing a few disappointed punters to toss their betting slips to the mercy of the four winds.

Leading the Vale charge was Danny Lin, a real thorn in Aspatria's side throughout. Ian Bird carried all before him and like Danny, it makes little difference how many extra weights the handicapper forces them to carry, they remain the same balanced runners. But overall it was a day for the stayers, they wore the cherry and white silks with pride, and at the finish their supporters, huddled in the stand, whooped and hollered and celebrated in the manner that was the order of the day when the likes of 'Red Rum' or 'Desert Orchid' romped home to an emotional victory.

The Vale soon had their feet in the stirrups and were the first to show when Andy Miller nudged then into the lead with a fifteenth minute penalty goal. Andy Garnett nipped down on the rails to dot the ball down in the corner, Andy Miller converting from wide out in the twenty third minute. Five minutes later he booted his charges further ahead with a thumping penalty that bisected the uprights.
The half time pundits quite sensibly refused to call off any bets placed; defending a thirteen point lead against the wind and rain hardly consituted a reason for laying off any wagers. A try from Aspatria's hooker, Derek Benson, in the fiftieth minute suggested it was going to be a gallop to the line and the photo finish camera might be required. When the home side's scrum half, Jason Clegg, kicked a penalty in the fifty seventh minute it was time to load up the film.

Jason Clegg hit the crossbar with a penalty from five metres in his own half, with thirteen minutes remaining, the dull thud suggested it was not to be Aspatria's day. On went the Vale blinkers, goggles were cleard and girths tightened to the final notch. Neil Bennetts limped off eith a damaged patella, Mark Sutcliffe came on as a replacement and immediately set about preparing everyone for the final furlong; the response was magnificent as the Vale overturned a disappointing result on their last visit to Bower Park almost a year ago.

The whips, or more accurately a cane appeared, later in the evening in the 'Hole Int Wall' at Bowness; a big thank you to the staff for accommodating a hyped up team., a buxom 'Headmistress gave the Press Secretary a good spanking, all donations going to 'Children in Need', as were those collected by a bevy of St Trinians pupils. Not only did the Vale's cup runneth over, but the collecting tins were pretty full.

VALE OF LUNE; A.Miller, J.Bryan (Rep A.Richards 62), A.Garnett, I.Bird, J.Curran, N.Bennetts (Rep M.Sutcliffe 77), M.Huntington, P.Jackson, D.Schuyler, A.Cowey, D.Perry, D.Halliwell, D.Lin, J.Knox, M.Fowler.