BIRKENHEAD Park are all geared up and raring to go as the dream of a Twickenham day out comes to fruition on Saturday . . .
Park step out at headquarters against Cheshire rivals Chester in the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup Final and the only draw back is the 10am kick-off, with matches to follow involving Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints in the National Trophy Final at noon and Leicester Tigers v Ospreys in the National Cup at 2.30pm.
"It will be a proud day for Park and a fitting reward for those who have stuck with the club through thick and thin over many years," said spokesman Peter Greville.
"It is going to be a great day out and everyone is determined to make the most of it."
Local business have turned up trumps by providing money to help meet costs. "We are extremely grateful for the vital support," said Peter.
The Park party of 26 players and back room staff travel on Friday morning and will visit Twickenham on their arrival. They will have a training session in the afternoon at Staines, who have kindly made their facilities available. Staines lost to Park at the quarter-final stage.
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Park have arranged to stay just a couple of miles from Staines on the Friday night before the short trip to the final venue.
They will have plenty of backing on the day, with a number of coaches booked and other followers making the journey by their own means.
The selectors have some tough decisions to make with the 26-strong squad having to be reduced to 22 on the day.
There is every chance Park will field the line-up which started at Bracknell in the semi-final. Jon Sewell expects to be back at number eight. Skipper Dave Ibbotson, who has been out for some time with a shoulder problem, is likely to be in the bench party if he is passed fit.
Prospects for a close and keen final seem high. Chester have enjoyed an outstanding season in North Two West with just one league defeat and one in the Cheshire Cup. They will be rejoining Park in North One next season after clinching promotion last Saturday with a 21-9 victory over nearest rivals Stockport.
Birkenhead lost their way in their league, mainly due to a series of injuries, but are still in the top half of the table.
They recently won the Cheshire Cup with a terrific come-back against Macclesfield which backed up the tremendous cup fighting qualities shown in the Intermediate Cup quarter and semi-final ties.
Park will hope to gain forward supremacy. If Chester gain good possession they are likely to exploit it through their lively back division.
Win or lose, Park will enjoy the day. Victory would cap their best season for decades.
They have had a hard run to the last stage. They took their first round game at Northwich 40-6 and then saw off visiting Cleckheaton 27-0. Next it was Luctonians at the Upper Park and a tense encounter finished 10-6.
The trip to Staines ended 23-12 in Park's favour and then they dug deep to account for Bracknell 16-12 at Lily Hill Park in Berkshire.
Chester have played all but one of their ties on home soil, but have won them well. They started with a 57-7 success at Pontefract. Then came wins over Rochdale, 25-7, Ampthill, 30-15, Basingstoke, 56-15, and Newport, 34-6.
Birkenhead Park squad: P. Hart, G. Lunt, M. McKeon, G. Scott, A. Trotter, A. Handley, S. Lowry, P. Reynolds, C. Jones, M. Ibbotson, D. Blythe, P. Hellier, J. Schudall, J. Sewell, N. Tchakoute, P. Hall, G. Hughes, G. Jones, D. Ibbotson, S. Crampton, C. Campbell, S. Brown, C. Saidi, J. Feldman, M. Thompson, J. Brennand.
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