Big weekend looms for Caldy (From Wirral Globe)

Big weekend looms for Caldy

12:26pm Tuesday 1st May 2012 in Rugby By Andrew Stratton

CALDY are this week preparing for the biggest match in the club's history as New Brighton try to get over the disappointment of missing out on a place in North One West League next season.

The Paton Field outfit is due at Richmond on Saturday and the prize for the winners is promotion to National One League for the 2012/13 campaign.

Caldy earned the right to the play-off by finishing runners-up in National Two North despite an unexpected reverse at Nuneaton last Saturday.

Richmond finished runners-up in National Two South. They also lost at the weekend 19-33 away to close rivals Hartpury Park but like Caldy did not put in a great deal of effort with such a big encounter coming up.

Crucially Richmond will have home advantage through a better record over the last eight months.

Caldy finished with plus 236 points after nineteen wins and eleven defeats.

Richmond are on plus 439 after winning 23 of their outings, drawing twice and losing on five occasions.

Caldy will have at least one coach load of supporters and everyone will wish them well for what is a huge challenge.

The final outing in National Two North finished 8-22 at Nuneaton who are relegated.

Caldy, who rested a number of players, made a good start to lead through a Richard Vasey penalty before JJ Dickinson added an unconverted try.

But then Nuneaton showed plenty of commitment to turn things around and end a poor season on a bright note.

New Brighton will still be thinking what might have been after losing out away to Kirby Lonsdale in their promotion play-off last Saturday.

Home advantage proved decisive for the Lancashire outfit who triumphed 28-18 after extra-time.

It was a brave effort by the Blues who had finished second in South Lancashire/Cheshire One as Kirby Lonsdale settled for runners-up in North Lancashire/Cumbria League.

Brighton pulled back from a 3-15 interval deficit to make it 15-15 at the end of normal time.

But Kirby Lonsdale proved the stronger in the extra period and ended up 21-18 to the good.