Rangers run riot to put North Wales Crusaders Reserves to the sword

 

The long trip to North Wales was a worthwhile one for Manchester Rangers and the side put on a show for the travelling spectators with a comfortable win over a plucky North Wales Crusaders reserves.

The game started off in a tight arm wrestle, but Rangers dominant defence gave no quarter to the Crusaders attack and quickly saw them winning the territorial advantage. When Manchester got the ball in good field position a flowing set piece found Max Horsfall on the edge who beat two men to score. Shortly after, Jack McCarthy showed his power ploughing through the North Wales defence to score, Jordan Green adding the extras.

Ben Steele then bagged a brace to take the teams into half time. The first a delightful inside ball from Connor Winfield creating space, the second saw Jack McCarthy make a midfield break and find the supporting Steele to go under the sticks. Both kicks missed by Josh Hill and Tyrone Parsonage respectively.

HALF TIME: NWC Reserves 0 – 18 Manchester Rangers

 

Half time saw the Rangers speak about keeping their defence at the same levels but improving

execution and reducing errors to be ruthless in attack.

That is exactly what happened as Rangers turned on the afterburners to extend their lead.

Steele completing his hat trick with a lovely show and go before his University of Manchester counterpart, Adam Heal, picked a beautiful line to go over untouched, Green adding one from two. Tyrone Chipchase then scored his first off the day, finding space on the edge from a set play before Jack McCarthy got his brace in similar fashion to the first. Again, Green adding 1 from 2.

Chipchase then added his second from deep, using his lightning pace he created space from the scrum and sliced through the despairing defence to streak away. Shortly after the full back once again found himself in space following a Steele offload and expertly drew his opposite number to release Winfield to score. Winfield adding the extras on both occasions.

Ricky Ward was next on the scoresheet, the hard working 80 minute man crashing his way through North Wales to get a deserved try, Winfield further extending the Rangers lead. North Wales found a response to the Rangers onslaught, an error from the kick off by Rangers gave the Crusaders territory and a scoot from dummy half provided their first points of the afternoon courtesy of Ryan Williams, converted by Aled Davies.

Rangers would get the last say of the afternoon as Tyrone Chipchase got the final try of a fine hat trick, again using his pace to beat the Crusaders defence. The Full Back cleanly took a kick downfield before pinning his ears back and showing too much speed for North Wales to handle.

FULL TIME: NWC Reserves 6 – 66 Manchester Rangers

 

Manchester Rangers: 66

Tries: Horsfall (2), McCarthy (2), Steele (3), Heal, Chipchase (3), Winfield, Ward

Goals: Green (4 from 7), Hill (0 from 1), Parsonage (0 from 1), Winfield (3 from 4)

 

Man of the Match: Tyrone Chipchase / Ricky Ward

 

Manchester Rangers Squad:

1. Tyrone Chipchase, 2. Ulugbek Djurabekov, 3 Tyrone Parsonage, 4. Max Horsfall, 5. Caolan McCool, 6. Ben Steele, 7. Josh Hill, 8. Jack McCarthy, 9. Jordan Green, 10. Steve Jones, 11. Adam Heal, 12. Chris Allen, 13. Ricky Ward, 14. Connor Winfield, 15. Jack Bailey, 16. Nick Ryan, 17. Dan Roughley

Rangers make the long trip to North Wales this Saturday as they face off against North Wales Crusaders Reserves

 

For the first time in the clubs history we make a trip out of England and into Wales to face the North Wales Crusaders Reserves. It is the first year in NWML 2 for Crusaders so they are an unknown quantity at this early stage of the season. With just one fixture, a 32 – 26 victory over Chorley Panthers, the Crusaders look to be a team that will be at the top end of the table come the end of the year.

Rangers go into this game having won 2 and lost 1 and will be looking to right the wrongs of that loss against Wigan St Cuthberts. After a heartbreaking end to the 2017 season, Rangers need to kick on and pick up early wins to put them in the driving seat for promotion come the end of the year.

Matt Valentine spoke about the upcoming fixture

It’s important we find a good performance this week, I think it’s going to be one of the toughest games of the year. We don’t know much about North Wales but I’m expecting them to be strong as there’s some good pedigree in that area. I think they will be a young and enthusiastic side and we will have to have a 100% attitude in order to get on top, they will fight and compete for everything.

I’m confident in our structures, we’ve made some changed over the past few weeks and they’re starting to look sharp in training. If the boys can execute to the level we have shown on the training pitch we won’t go far wrong. It’s a massive game for us and dictates the momentum of our season, we’re going over with nothing else in mind other than picking up the win.

 

North Wales Crusaders Reserves v Manchester Rangers

Saturday 7th April, 14:30KO

Deeside Leisure Centre, CH5 1SA

Manchester Rangers host Leyland Warriors as we look to get our season back on track

 

Manchester Rangers play host to Leyland Warriors as they look to bounce back from last weeks mauling at the hands of Wigan St Cuthberts. Last time Rangers hosted the Warriors it was an emphatic 64 – 18 victory after a fantastic performance from the Manchester side. Just four weeks later Leyland rallied to push Rangers close as Manchester travelled to Leyland and came home with a 32 – 28 victory.

So far this year Leyland have played 1 lost 1 with a heavy defeat to Wigan St Judes whilst Rangers have played 2, won 1 and lost 1, again with a heavy defeat last week both sides will be looking to right their wrongs from last week and push on.

Rangers Head Coach, Steve Molloy, said

We come into this game off the back of a heavy loss were everything seemed to go wrong on the day. It’s important that we move on from that game but not forget the lessons we have learned and take that forward.

We have made a few adjustments ahead of this weeks game and hopefully that will stand us in good stead. We’ve traditionally had some fantastic battles with them over the past couple of years and I’m sure that this game will be no different. I’m confident we can kick on and pick up the win to move forward with our season.

Manchester Rangers v Leyland Warriors

Saturday 24th March, 14:30KO

Manchester Regional Arena

Spectator Parking via Gate 2, Alan Turing Way, Etihad Campus, M11 3DU

Rangers stutter in their second game and fall to heavy defeat at Wigan St Cuthberts.

 

Manchester Rangers suffered a heavy loss at the hands of Wigan St Cuthberts on wintery Saturday in Wigan. The Rangers team arrived to scenes out of Frozen as the Beast from the East 2.0 reigned down on Wigan creating arctic conditions for summer Rugby League.

The home side clearly adapted best to the conditions as the started at a canter running in two quick tries to immediately put Rangers on the back foot. The onslaught didn’t stop there as the home side continued to turn the screw, breaking the Rangers resolve running in a number of tries with a solitary answer from Nick Ryan scoring under the sticks, converted by Jordan Green.

HALF TIME: Wigan St Cuthberts 36 – 6 Manchester Rangers

The second half saw an improvement from Rangers but it was too little too late as the Wigan side showed no sign of relinquishing their commanding half time lead. Tries to  Max Horsfall, Jack Bailey and Jack McCarthy brought the Rangers closer to Wigan but a further 3 tries from Wigan kept the Manchester side at bay. Jack McCarthy and Jack Bailey

crashing over from close range whilst Max Horsfall found space on an edge and used his power to cross the Cuthberts line. Green adding two conversions and Hill adding one.

FULL TIME: Wigan St Cuthberts 50 – 22 Manchester Rangers

 

Manchester Rangers: 22

Tries:  Ryan, Horsfall, Bailey, McCarthy.

Goals:  Green (3 from 3), Hill (1 from 1)

 

Man of the Match:  Ulugbek Djurabekov

 

Manchester Rangers Squad: 

1. Tyrone Chipchase, 2. Oli Roby 3. Max Horsfall, 4. Ulugbek Djurabekov, 5. Caolan McCool, 6. Ricky Ward, 7. Jordan Green, 8. Rubin Holland, 9. Connor Winfield, 10. Jack Bailey, 11. Jack McCathy, 12. Steve Jones, 13. David Gooch, 14. Ben Steele, 15. Josh Hill, 16. Nick Ryan, 17. Allan Khonje, 18. Aiden Gibblett

Manchester Rangers travel to Wigan St Cuthberts in their second game of the 2018 season, looking to build on the opening day victory over Bury Broncos.

 

Rangers and St Cuthberts met on one close fought encounter in 2017 as the Wigan side sent Manchester bundling out of the North West Mens League Trophy. At Wigan’s home ground they produced a fine display to send the favourites out with a 19 – 16 victory and secure their place in the NWML Trophy Final.

Rangers have played one game in 2018 as they put Bury Broncos to the sword by 24 points to 10 in a wet and blustery encounter, St Cuthberts are yet to begin their season as 2 games have been postponed following the severe weather over the past two weeks. Both teams will be looking to impress in 2018 and it’s sure to be a hard fought affair this Saturday.

Rangers Assistant Coach, Bob Marsden, spoke about the upcoming game

Wigan caught us cold early doors last time we played them. They scored 12 points within the first 5 or 10 minutes and that really rocked us and put us on the back foot, we managed to get a foot back into the game but Wigan were a quality side and we just couldn’t chase down their early lead. They showed some outstanding defence to hold back everything we threw at them and we will have to work hard to break them down.

The performance last week was a reasonable start to the season, the lads came away from the game knowing we have got a lot to fine tune to get to where we want to be but ultimately we came away with the win. Our kicking game was good and that really helped in the territory battle and enabled us to get into attacking positions for the likes of Rubin Holland to crash over. Hopefully we can be more fluid in attack this week and see some of our structures executed the way they need to be.

 

Wigan St Cuthberts v Manchester Rangers

Saturday 17th March, 14:30KO

Norley Sports & Social Club, Montrose Avenue, WN5 9XN, Wigan

Manchester got their 2018 campaign off to a winning start as they picked up the points over a tenacious Bury Broncos

 

A late change of venue due to a waterlogged pitch saw the Rangers play out of their second home at Belle Vue Sports Village for the opening game of 2018. The disruption didn’t have any adverse effect on the Rangers men as they started the game brightly and built up an early game lead.

Rubin Holland scored the first two tries of the game with carbon copy efforts as Connor Winfield provided the assists for Holland to crash and spin his way over the line in unstoppable fashion. Jordan Green adding the two point on both occasions, to give Rangers an early 12 point lead.

Bury Broncos then hit back as an error from Tyrone Chipchase resulted in a scramble for the loose ball, won by Danny Kelly to breathe life into his side against a now dominant Rangers. Harry Coleman reliable with the boot pulled the deficit to just one try.

Rangers would get the last laugh before half time as Tyrone Chipchase released Max Horsfall from a scrum play and the big centre went over the line untouched, Green unable to add the extras on this occasion.

HALF TIME: Manchester Rangers 16 – 6 Bury Broncos

 

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first with Rangers on top of the scoreboard. There were 3 flare ups in the second stanza as Si Palin was sin binned

from the Broncos with Horsfall and Green both spending some time on the naughty step from Rangers. This didn’t prevent Rangers from further increasing their score with 2 second half tries.

The first try coming from Connor Winfield as Green’s high bomb caught Bury wing Shackloth out, Winfield kicking the loose ball forward and beating the Bury cover to the chase to score his first try of the 2018 season. The second try came as a clever blind side play from Green saw mercurial stand off Ben Steele create the space for Chipchase to cross the whitewash. Green unsuccessful on both occasions.

Bury had the final score of the game as a pin point cross field kick from Coleman found Shackloth in space to score a consolation try for the Broncos, Coleman adding the extras.

FULL TIME: Manchester Rangers 24 – 10 Bury Broncos

 

Manchester Rangers: 24

Tries: Holland (2), Horsfall, Winfield, Chipchase

Goals: Green (2 from 5)

 

MOM: Rubin Holland

 

Manchester Rangers Squad: 

1. Tyrone Chipchase, 2. Dan Munt, 3. Max Horsfall, 4. Caolan McCool, 5. Mitch Dempsey, 6. Tyrone Parsonage, 7. Jordan Green, 8. Rubin Holland, 9. Connor Winfield, 10. Steve Jones, 11. Ricky Ward, 12. Jack McCarthy, 13. Josh Hill, 14. Ben Steele, 15. Jack Bailey, 16. Chris Allen, 17. Nick Ryan

In today’s edition of meet the squad, we take a look at the forward pack for Manchester Rangers!

 

Chris Allen

Second Row

Chris is an explosive second rower who brings grit to the Rangers pack, along with aggression in the tackle. In his fifth year for the club, Chris has plenty of experience with the Rangers and will be a big asset for Steve Molloy in 2018.

 

Jack Bailey

Prop

A powerful, direct prop forward Jack joined the Rangers from Glossop RU mid way through 2017. Establishing himself as a reliable and solid middle man, Bailey is sure to feature amongst Molloy’s team in 2018.

 

Kyle Buckley-Mayall

Utility

Oldham born, Kyle has previously played for St Anne’s and Waterhead. A former Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants academy product, Kyle has also represented England in (2009). Kyle spent 2017 away from the game but will be a massive presence in the Rangers squad in 2018, with the ability to cement his place within Molloy’s team.

 

Henry Davies

Second Row

A third new addition from University of Manchester for the 2018 season, Davies is a dynamic second rower who spent 2017 with South Wales Ironmen. Currently on Dual Registration with Halifax Reserves, Davies will provide an explosive attacking threat on the edge for Rangers in 2018.

 

Tom Galbraith

Prop

Tom joined Rangers mid way through 2017 having never played Rugby League before. A strong, powerful man his bravery is his stand out feature and he will run 100% into any tackle and carry. As Tom develops his understanding of Rugby League, he could have a part to play in the Rangers 2018 season.

 

David Gooch

Second Row

David is a big physical presence on the field this for the Rangers. Most comfortable in the second row, David is a difficult man to put down once he gets a roll on and is adept at putting his outside man away.

Adam Heal

Second Row

After playing under Manchester Rangers Community Coaches at The University of Manchester, Adam joined the Rangers ranks for the 2016 season. The Huddersfield born Second Rower plays With a 100% attitude and is often all over the pitch looking for work and is sure to rack up plenty of carries and tackles in 2018.

 

Michael Heys-Burke

Prop

Michael has been a part of the Rangers set up for the last 2 seasons, after starting his Rugby League career at junior club Manchester Storm ARLFC. Michael has the ability to play anywhere in the forwards and has also featured at hooker.

 

Rubin Holland

Prop

An uncompromising, no nonsense prop forward, Rubin is the enforcer in the Rangers side and bone shattering tackles are a regular feature in Rubin’s game. With a great engine for a big man, Rubin is the first to put his hand up to make a pressured carry.

 

Steve Jones

Prop

Steve is a big powerful presence in the middle for Rangers. After a spell in Rangers Reserves, he made the step up to the first team towards the end of the 2017 season and proved his worth for Steve Molloy. Steve will be looking to start 2017 where he left off and will be an important man in the Rangers front line.

 

Allan Khonje

Utility

Salford born Allan is in his sixth year with the club and has be a mainstay throughout. With the ability to play at hooker, full back and second row, Allan brings utility and experience to the Rangers side.

 

Jack McCarthy

Second Row

Jack brings great athleticism and power to the Rangers pack and is able to play both prop and second row. With a competitive drive, Jack is a key man in the Rangers forwards and often gets Rangers moving forward and on the front foot

George Paliogiannis

Second Row

A strong second row, George has yet to feature for Rangers but will no doubt make his debut in 2018. Originally from Greece, George has a wealth of Rugby League experience in his home country and is a pioneer for the sport.

 

Nick Ryan

Prop

Nick is a hard hitting and hard running pack player for the Rangers. Joining the club mid way through the 2015 season after previously spending some time with the club during pre-season. Nick has also played for Oldham Roughyeds during his Rugby League career. Ryan made his Rangers debut in the 44-0 defeat of Cadishead Rhinos where he scored 3 tries. Nick can play at prop, but is just as effective playing in the other pack positions.

 

Rangers return to Manchester Regional Arena on Saturday 3rd March when we host Chorley Panthers. Join us from just £2 adults and £1 concessions

Manchester Rangers are delighted to announce that AST Hampsons have joined the Rangers for the third consecutive season

 

AST Hampsons have committed to a third year of sponsorship with Manchester Rangers as we approach the 2018 season, a year in which Rangers have silverware in their sights. The support of AST Hampsons has allowed Rangers to upscale our operations year and year and provide a superior match day experience for spectators and players alike, alongside helping to grow our community department.

Manchester Rangers Chairman, Phil Fitton, was overjoyed to have AST on board once again

We’re delighted to welcome back AST Hampsons as a sponsor for the 2018 season. We look forward to strengthening our relationship over the course of this season and look forward to welcoming staff, family and friendly to our games throughout the season.

 

AST Hampsons is a long established firm with three offices in and around the North West of England, they have two offices in Rochdale and one in Bury.

Many of the team have been with the firm for years providing a constant level of excellent service in domestic property sales and purchases,  business advice and commercial property services, wills and probate, divorce, personal injury or clinical negligence.

There was a period of time in which people would look to on-line or remote legal service providers, possibly due to cost or perceived speed or ease of transaction but there has been a shift back to more locally focussed service and our clients do enjoy being able to build a relationship with their legal adviser which enables them to feel more confident about the work which is being done for them instead of dealing with a faceless voice at the end of a phone.  

The firm is equipped with all of the usual technology including high spec software and hardware and of course email and internet communication is great, but at the end of the day people need to have someone to go to for support and assistance and being able to have an appointment with the same person you dealt with on the phone is such great value for clients as there is immediate recognition of their needs and understanding of their case without the uncomfortable feeling of being on hold for long periods of time or speaking a different individual each time.

Their clients range from first time buyers looking for their new home to those looking for support and guidance for their financial and other affairs in later life to people who have fallen victim to an accident or negligence which has left them unable to earn a wage or look after themselves and who need someone to ensure they will have the funding and care they need for the future.

 

Anna Murzell, Partner of AST Hampsons, said;

AST Hampsons are delighted to sponsor Manchester Rangers, the work they do in the community to educate and coach young people is inspirational and we are very pleased to be able to support that.

We are a very community focused firm and we believe that the work and focus of Manchester Rangers sits alongside our own company beliefs. It is important that we give back to the local community and supporting Manchester Rangers is one of the ways in which we are able to do this.

If you are interested in any of AST Hampsons services, you can contact Anna on amurzell@asthampsons.co.uk

In today’s edition of meet the squad, we take a look at the spine for Manchester Rangers!

 

Ben Calverley

Hooker

A new recruit for the 2018 season, Ben has made the transition from University of Manchester Rugby League to Manchester Rangers. An experienced hooker, Ben has captained Oxford University before his move to Manchester. A crafty player, Ben knows how to exploit a gap in the oppositions defence and get his team on the front foot.

Luke Farrow

Full Back

Another new recruit from the Univeristy of Manchester, Farrow is an evasive Full Back that deifies logic with his ability to beat a man in the tackle. With incredible acceleration and mesemerising footwork, Farrow often beats his first man and glides through the defence. Equally capable in defence, he is solid under a high ball and returns with interest.

Tyrone Chipchase

Full Back

Chipchase is a lightning fast outside back who is now in his 3rd season with the Rangers. He can exploit the smallest of gaps with his footwork and speed and turn defence into attack in an instant. Usually a Winger, but settling into the Full Back role well in 2017, Chipchase will be looking to have a big impact on the Rangers 2018 season.

 

Jordan Green

Scrum Half

Jordan is a clever ball player who can direct the team around the pitch and is a stalwart in the Rangers side. Here from the very beginning, Jordan knows the Rangers culture inside out and has been club captain since 2015.

 

Josh Hill

Loose Forward

Josh is a Jamaican representative and arguably the stand out player in NWML Divison 2. A massive part of the Rangers side in both defence and attack, Josh commands nothing but 100% from both himself and those around him.

 

Tyrone Parsonage

Utility

Tyrone made his return to playing in 2017, following a heart scare and a pacemaker being fitted Tyrone made his comeback against Widnes Tigers and topped it off with a try. One of the most popular members on the Rangers squad, Tyrone has a wealth of ability and can play in numerous positions.

 

Ben Steele

Stand Off

Ben is in his third year at University of Manchester and  teamed up with the Rangers for the 2016 campaign. A lively stand off with a great kicking game Steele has the ability to break down opposition defences with his silky play. Ben played under Martin Gleeson in 2015 as an Academy product with Salford Red Devils U19’s.

Ricky Ward

Loose Forward

Ricky is an uncompromising second rower who excels in defence and runs great lines in attack. A clever ball player, Ricky adds another dimension the the Rangers pack and can switch the focus of attack with ease.

 

Connor Winfield

Hooker

Connor is a talented players who has played many positions for Rangers, settling into the hooker role in 2017. He has developed immeasurably over his time with the Rangers and is now one of the first names on the sheet, this was typified by Connor picking up the 2017 Young Player of the Year.

 

Rangers return to Manchester Regional Arena on Saturday 3rd March when we host Chorley Panthers. Join us from just £2 adults and £1 concessions

Manchester Rangers are delighted to reveal our 2018 playing kit.

 

The 2018 kit gives homage to the traditional blue and white hoops of Belle Vue and Broughton Rangers, whilst the sky blue tint brings the shirt into the modern Manchester Rangers era. Following on from 2017’s Heritage Kit, it’s important to acknowledge the tradition of Rugby League in Manchester whilst stepping forward into a new era.

The kit sees our existing sponsors of CDR Landscapes, Hilton Jones, Diamond Project Safety Consultants, AST Hampsons and PDF Sports continue there commitment to Manchester Rangers. Whilst new community partner 33Legal and our chosen charity, Greater Sport, emblazon the sleeve and shorts respectively.

Manchester Rangers remain committed to British manufacturers as we partner with Stag Sports for the fourth year running to provide us with our playing kit. Additionally, Stag will be the leisurewear provider for Manchester Rangers for the second season in succession. Replica Kits are available in all Adults sizes up to 4XL and all kids sizes are available up to Large Youth. For purchase details, please see below!

 

2018 replica shirts are available for purchase starting from just £40 adults and £30 children, for more information contact Matt Valentine on matt.valentine@manchesterrangers.co.uk