Uni side have plenty of nous

THE University of Gloucestershire All Golds, to give them their full name, come to Whitebank on Sunday (3pm) with a record they can be proud of.

With the season two thirds gone, they are the only team to beat both Hunslet and York, hot tips for promotion.

And wouldn’t they just love to complete a hat-trick by knocking over the other top-three side, Oldham, this weekend.

Lots of fans in the north refuse to give clubs like Gloucester, Oxford and Hemel the respect they deserve.

In Gloucester’s case, don’t be fooled by the “University” tag. Yes, they have close ties with the county’s principal seat of learning, whose director of sport, Dr Andrew Pitchford, is club chairman.

Some of the players who were in the university side that conquered mighty Leeds Met to become British Universities and Colleges champions in 2012 formed the backbone of the All Golds’ squad in their first season.

A few of them remain, like centre Phil Cowburn, half-back Matt Bradley and forwards James Walter, Joe McClean and Mike Stewart.

Callum Mulkeen, a centre who played a few games for Oldham’s second team in 2012, followed the same path from uni to All Golds, but has since moved to Oxford.

The All Golds have come a long way in a short time. And highly-rated coach Steve McCormack, who has masterminded five wins from seven games since replacing Kiwi Brad Hepi, believes the club can go from strength to strength.

“The environment and culture are first class,” he said. “There are no comfort zones. Players know they have to play well to keep their places.

“For me, a massive positive is having an under-19s side. Three or four players, all Gloucester lads, are pushing for first-team spots.

“Frank Foster has been outstanding for an 18-year-old kid and we’ve a few more like him waiting for a chance.”

In his 10 weeks at the club, McCormack has suffered only two defeats, Oldham winning 30-22 at the Prince of Wales Stadium and Hemel winning 22-14 on the same ground last Sunday.

To show that their 24-22 home win against York was no fluke, McCormack’s men travelled to Hunslet three weeks later and caused the upset of the season by winning 23-16.

Among their key men are a couple of Oldhamers in centre Cowburn and half-back Ben White.

Cowburn, whose parents live in Thornham, was an Oldham fan from being a small boy, like his father George before him.

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