Centurions Make
History

ST ALBANS CENTURIONS RUGBY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CLUB National League 3 - Three Steps To Super League

ST ALBANS CENTURIONS will make history on Saturday afternoon when National League Rugby League will be played in Hertfordshire for the first time. Teesside Steelers are the visitors to St Albans' new Woollams ground for the first match in the new National League 3, for a game that will be a good indicator of the standard of rugby league to expect in the new division.

Teesside were RL Conference champions two seasons ago while the Centurions finished with a record of 9 win and 4 defeats plus one draw last season in the Conference. The Cents are at almost full strength having had a fortnight to recover from a string of injuries incurred in a demanding five-match pre-season schedule. Only Dene Miller, the try-scoring machine at the back, is expected to miss out with an ankle injury he sustained at Castleford Tigers.

Both performances and results in the RLC Cup were impresive, with handsome victories over Bedford home and away and a hard fought win at fellow National League debutants Hemel. Forwards Brian Stokes - an England amateurs trialist - and Scott Drewe, winner of the Ged Birkin Award for top man at the club last season, will be back from injury on Saturday.

But the man to look out for could well be new Centurions skipper Tom Eisenhuth. The former Canterbury Bulldogs junior from Sydney was superb early last season only to succumb to a series of major injuries. This year the hooker is in scintillating form and has been rewarded with the skipper's armband. Fellow Aussie Ben Hutchinson is another main player from last season who will be looking to impress at the higher level.

Kick off at Woollams is 2.30pm, but please arrive early as a large crowd is expected. There will be a curtain-raiser between Under-16 schools teams including Beaumont, St Albans School and national cup semi-finalists Rickmansworth.

After the game the Centurions are hosting a Race Night at Woollams. For more info contact Gavin Willacy at above email address.