Rugby League
League 1
Saturday 1st June 2024
Kick Off 17.00 On Time!
North Wales Crusaders 24 Oldham 25, attendance 756 (official) 588 (actual)
@ Eirias Stadium (Stadiwm CSM)
Abergele Road
Colwyn Bay
LL29 7SP
£15 Admission
No Programme.
Since first watching a North Wales Crusaders home game at Wrexham F.C. (The Racecourse Ground) back on 28th June 2015, I’ve seen them play home matches at Queensway Stadium, Wrexham (June 2017), as well as ‘one off’ temporary venues of Nant Conwy RUFC (June 2023) and a week later at Chester RUFC. Today I finally got round to visiting their current home ground, Eirias Stadium, where they’ve been based since 2021. Capacity here is 6,080, although only one side of the ground is open to spectators for Crusaders games, with covered seating in the centre, flanked by open terracing. Unfortunately, there is a running track around the pitch, so the action is distant, which is made worse by the stanchions of the stand roof, as well as the floodlight pylons, blocking the view and it is an awful place to watch a game at. There is a decent car park here, which was surprisingly free and once inside there was hot food available (burgers, hot dogs) and beer and soft drinks, but surprisingly no hot drinks.
The match was 7th versus 2nd in the league table, which looked like being an upset right up until the final seconds of the match. Crusaders were 12-0 up after seventeen minutes, before Oldham managed to pull it back to 12-4 half an hour in and then 12-8 just before halftime, having missed both conversions that would have seen them draw level. A minute into the second half Crusaders added a third try and converted it to increase their lead to 18-8. Oldham then had a man sin binned, during which time Crusaders scored another try, again converted, to lead 24-8 and looked to be heading to victory. However, this was to be their last score of the match and once Oldham were back to their full number, the tide began to turn. With fourteen minutes left they scored a converted try to pull it back to 24-14 and then added another, again converted, to make it 24-20. In the dying minutes they levelled the scores at 24-24, but missed the conversion to go in front, but then, with the last kick of the game, they won it 24-25 with a drop goal from Danny Craven, which was certainly well received by the 200 plus away fans and the win takes them top of the table, for 24 hours at least, with this mornings leaders Keighley Cougars not playing until tomorrow.
The crowd here today was decent, but to see the official attendance given as 756 is laughable.
