Number	Player	Sponsor
1	Phil Berry	Lancaster Lets.co.uk
2	Matty Houghton	Balshaws Carpets
3	Scott Foy	Fat Lads United
4	Lee Acton	City Communications
5	Sam Wallbank	Lancaster Lets.co.uk
6	Gareth Tudor	Wayne Lord Plumbing & Heating
7	Danny Lin	Allan Entwistle (Enty)
8	Alex Baines	SJB Tiling
9	Darren Wilson	Barbara and Marlene Nisbet
10	Kieran Doyle	Gardeners Tiles
11	James Curran	Rothwell Plumbing Services
12	Andy Powers	Ron Higgin
13	Sam Moorby	Bay Travel
14	Rob Ward	D Hall, Financial Planning Sevices
15	James Hodder	Grand Cru
16	Ben Charnley	Barry Parsonage
17	Alex Morrison	George Dickson
18	Jimmy Birchall	Lee Turton

On the way to Rochdale the Vale of Lune’s coach driver experienced difficulties with his pre-selector which started to choose gears at random, all very frustrating for Ian who could only curse as the speed began to drop and then for no particular reason normal service was resumed.
A similar situation appeared to affect the Vale of Lune out on the paddock; one minute they were going forward at a healthy lick then as the revs dropped, the tappets started rattling discordantly, the big ends knocking and then Rochdale overtook them in the twenty seventh minute. Vale struggled to move out of the slow lane and although the occasional surge in the second half brought them within sniffing distance of Rochdale’s exhaust pipes they were never able to pull alongside let alone move ahead.
This was the third time the two clubs had faced each other in the Brian Leigh Lancashire Trophy; the last meeting being in May 2009 when Rochdale lifted the Trophy in the final with a 21-5 win at Preston Grasshoppers.
Over at Moorcroft Avenue the hosts were good value for their six try victory against a Vale side that struggled to build any firm platform against a well organised Rochdale side in general and their no nonsense pack in particular. Props, Tom Callaghan and Rob Ward proving to be pretty formidable bulwarks in repulsing Vale’s advances on that particular front and in addition number eight, Andy Donohue was very effective in anchoring the scrum and calling the shots.
Both clubs made changes from the sides that faced each other in January in a North One West fixture which the Vale lost, 23-11, but for the third coming together of the season Rochdale appeared to have a more balanced and effective unit against a Vale side which was unable to disrupt their game plan or to stitch together flowing quicksilver rugby that could have stretched Rochdale; far too often attacks ground to a halt with a misplaced pass or a solo run that was meat and drink to the hungry Rochdale tacklers.
After falling behind to a seventh minute try scored by winger Rick West wide out on the left, the Vale came back strongly with a powerful twenty five metre slanting break from Sam Wallbank after stand off Kieran Doyle had delivered the perfect pass. The lock touched down in the tenth minute, his try being converted by James Hodder in his one hundred and fiftieth game.
James made his debut over at Winnington Park in September 2007 and the following week in a home game against Broughton Park he scored his first try and ended the season as leading try scorer with 10, a feat he repeated last season with 22 and this season with 17; last season he was also North One West’s leading try scorer. His total try count stands at 78.
Against Rochdale James had been selected as full back but he has gained a deserved reputation as a brave, fearless well balanced winger with blistering pace but he has also displayed his versatility at scrum half, stand off. Another string to his bow is his prowess as a goal kicker which has brought him 237 points from conversions and penalties. At Kirkby Lonsdale in April 2011 he put over a record breaking 11 conversions and in April 2013 he kicked 9 conversions.
Vale’s Stand off Kieran Doyle dropped a goal seven minutes later following converted pressure from the visitors; the first drop goal of the season and the first at this level since Neil Bennetts’s popped one over in March 2009 at home against Wigton, but the Vale were unable to consolidate their lead as the game moved into the second quarter.
Rochdale came back into contention with a penalty goal from flanker Mick Bradwell in the twenty second minute, a score that pushed the Vale onto the back foot for the remainder of the half. A well worked Rochdale back movement opened up the Vale, an overlap situation was created which was gladly accepted by West who went over in the left hand corner for an unconverted try in the twenty seventh minute.
The elusive James Hodder made a sinewy run from deep but was halted with a hard but fair tackle which left the full back requiring treatment from Collette’s healing hands; eventually he trotted gingerly back into the action. Vale fell further behind in the fortieth minute when Rochdale plundered Vale’s ball from the base of a scrum. The attack flowed like lava on the blindside that culminated with stand off Rob Eave racing away for an unconverted try.
In an absolute shocker of an opening Neave heaped further punishment on the Vale when he charged down a lazy Vale kick for an unconverted try inside the first minute of the second half. Rochdale, playing with increasing confidence, added to their lead in the fifty third minute with a try from centre Oli Coldman converted by West.
A try from Vale’s winger James Curran in the fifty eighth minute converted by James Hodder with a drop kick heralded a brief mini revival but the Vale were unable press on, and a try by centre Jon Mair converted by Coldman on the sixty ninth minute stretched ‘Dale’s lead to twenty points.
With four minutes remaining of proper time lock Lee Acton scored a consolation try for the Vale, racing through a startled Rochdale defence, James Hodder converted with another drop kick but even in an extended period of stoppage time the Vale, who were running out of ideas, were unable to mount any convincing attacks with enough force to derail Rochdale’s passage into the final.
A place in the semi-final of the Brian Leigh Lancashire Trophy and third place in North One West now enter the Vale of Lune’s record books after a season that had produced its fair share of ups and downs, but as always the statistics do not reflect the roller coaster ride that had taken place during the 2012/2013 season.
Most certainly emotions have at times been twanged like elastic bands as the come hither looks of promotion beckoned only to be dashed with some stumbling, bumbling performances that allowed other front runners to elbow the Vale aside, but without such elements sport would be a pretty one dimensional experience.