Thousands at final

Apr 11 2008 by David Triggs, Chester Chronicle

MORE than 60,000 fans are expected to descend on Twickenham for tomorrow’s EDF Energy finals.

Chester’s clash with Birkenhead Park (10am) is merely the first instalment of a mouth-watering day of rugby.

Second on the bill is the National Trophy final between Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints (12.30pm), while the main event gets underway at 2pm – the EDF Energy Cup final between Leicester Tigers and Ospreys.

Although there will be only a small crowd in the stadium for Chester’s game, advanced ticket sales for the day as a whole have already gone past 58,000 – well up on last year’s final attendance of 42,538.

Tickets, which can be bought in advance or at the stadium tomorrow, include all three games. They are priced £45/£30/£20 for adults and £10 for juniors. They are available from Ticketmaster on 0870 902 0000 or online at ticketmaster.co.uk

Foden’s fine focus

IN a bid to keep his players fully focused on promotion, head coach Rob Foden banned the use of the word Twickenham immediately after last month’s semi-final victory over Newport.

Anyone caught saying ‘the T word’ before Saturday’s championship-clincher against Stockport ran the risk of being hit with a £10 fine – but the players soon found a way around their coach’s blanket ban.

Foden said: “The fine was set at £10 a go, so it was quite an incentive not to mention the word. But players are always inventive and it’s funny how there was a bit of talk about a ‘cabbage patch’. The fund only got to about £20 because everybody started calling Twickenham the cabbage patch. I think that’s still going on now!”

Winning agenda?

CLUB officials have worked hard to ensure this weekend runs like clockwork.

The team was due to meet at Hare Lane at 8.30am today, departing at 9am.

On their arrival in London, the players will be given a tour of Twickenham at 2pm before going on a team run at Richmond Rugby Club at 4pm. Supper at the team’s Kingston-upon-Thames hotel is at 6.30pm, and that will be followed by a trip to the local cinema. Everyone will be in bed by 11pm, before meeting for breakfast at 6.30am tomorrow. Then it’s off to rugby HQ for a team photo at 8.30am, ahead of the 10am kick-off for the big game itself.

The players are due to leave London at 6pm on Sunday.

It’s all go for Joe

CHESTER chairman Joe Youdan is looking forward to two trips to rugby HQ this month.

As well as attending tomorrow’s cup final, he will return to Twickenham to see his daughter Meg playing for UWIC against Northumbria University in the BUSA Ladies final. Meg, 20, of Piper’s Ash, also reached last year’s final. This year’s will take place on April 23.

Just the ticket

THE three winners of our competition to win tickets for tomorrow’s three cup finals at Twickenham are: Lee Saunders, of Chester, Roy Mayoh, of Great Sutton, and Sally Moloney, of Chester. They all knew that Wales are the reigning Six Nations champions and have each won a pair of tickets to tomorrow’s matches.

Through the ranks

CHESTER’S squad for the final reflects well on the hard work put in by coaches working at all levels at Hare Lane.

Six of the starting line-up have been with Chester since they were eight or nine years old, while two of the replacements have also graduated from the club’s junior ranks.