Match Reports First Team
Sat 18th Sep - Bank Quay Bulls 46 -V- Roose Pioneers 14
Sat 25th Sep - Lancs Cup - Wigan St Cuthberts 22 -V- Bank Quay Bulls 43
Sat 9th Oct - Lancs Cup Qtr Final - Rylands 0 v Bank Quay Bulls 32
Sat 23th Oct - Lancs Cup Semi Final - Blackbrook 21 v Bank Quay Bulls 24
Sat 30th Oct - NWC Cup 1st Rd - Bank Quay Bulls 35 v Pilkingtons 22
Sat 6th Nov - Ulverston 10 v Bank Quay Bulls 52
Sat 18th Sep - Bank Quay Bulls 46 -V- Roose Pioneers 14
BANK Quay Bulls continued their unbeaten start to the North West Counties Amateur Rugby League Division One season with a top-notch performance.They were a class above their hard working opponents and they scored tries via Paul Cragg, three, Billy Rowan, Phil Braddish, goal kicker Damon Fishwick and Ste Caley, two.
The best performers for Bank Quay, who travel to Wigan St Cuthberts for a Lancashire Cup clash on Saturday, were Lee Westwood, Damon Fishwick and Cragg. Back to top
Sat 25th Sep - Lancs Cup - Wigan St Cuthberts 22 -V- Bank Quay Bulls 43
BANK Quay Bulls progressed to the Tetley's Lancashire Cup quarter-finals with a comprehensive win against a Wigan team from one division higher in amateur Rugby League's North West Counties ladder.Wigan did not know what had hit them as Bulls stormed into a 37-4 interval lead.
Wigan were fired up at the start of the second half and, aided by a number of penalties, they scored three converted tries.
But on the hour mark Alan Clare ensured the Bulls would be in the bag for the next round with his second close range effort of the game.
Paul Cragg was one of Bulls' best performers and he scored a first half hat-trick of tries. His second was the finishing touch to a 50 metres break by Phil Braddish, who was another of the team's top performers.
The other try scorers were Stan Phizacklea and Dave Hughes while the outstanding Damon Fishwick banged over all of the conversions. Back to top
Sat 9th Oct - Lancs Cup Qtr Final - Rylands 0 v Bank Quay Bulls 32
BANK Quay Bulls reached the semi-finals of the Tetleys Lancashire Cup with a comprehensive win against near neighbours Rylands.They put in one of the best performances in the club's history.
Bank Quay dominated the game, which was played in front of a large crowd, from start to finish and the result represented the Division One side's second premiership scalp of this season's cup campaign.
The try scorers for Bank Quay were Paul Cragg, three, Phil Braddish and Craig Millington.
Damon Fishwick knocked over six goals while Braddish and Jimmy Astbury ran Cragg close for the man of the match award. Back to top
Sat 23th Oct - Lancs Cup Semi Final - Blackbrook 21 v Bank Quay Bulls 24
A RAPIDLY rising and highly ambitious team from Warrington has reached a blue ribbon amateur Rugby League cup final for the first time.Giant killers Bank Quay Bulls will face higher division outfit Orrell St James in the Tetley's Lancashire Cup showpiece final in December.
Their confident passage through the competition has already included three defeats of higher level teams, including their dramatic away scalping of St Helens big guns Blackbrook in a thrilling semi-final on Saturday.
The outstanding achievement has been hard-earned by an award winning team that only became established seven years ago.
Club secretary Neil Baxter says: "We're still awaiting a venue for the final but the scheduled date is December 28, which has impressed the players because they usually go out on Christmas Eve and don't wake up until January 3 - they didn't know there was anything in between!"
Joking aside, he adds: "We've always been labelled a pub team compared to the likes of Crosfields and Woolston but this is a massive achievement and especially for a club that is only seven years old. Bank Quay hadn't even been in the semi-finals of the competition before."
Baxter highlights the secret behind Bank Quay's success saying: "The scenes were unbelievable at the sound of the final whistle on Saturday. Bank Quay only hit the front for the first time with four minutes to go. The team was nine points behind with 12 minutes left and to come back in the way that they did was an outstanding effort. The team spirit is fantastic and these players do not know when they're beaten. They're all winners and they work for one another 100 per cent."
The two other North West Counties Premier Division sides to fall to Mick Fishwick's crack outfit in the Lancashire Cup were their Warrington arch-rivals Rylands in the quarter-finals and Wigan St Cuthberts at the last 16 stage.
Their manner of victories against the higher-placed clubs has been impressive too. Bank Quay won at St Cuthberts 43-22 in September while they slammed Rylands 32-0 earlier this month, which indicates that Bulls could be quite a force in the top flight.
Bulls are currently unbeaten in North West Counties Division One following last season's capture of a fifth promotion since starting out in Division Six A in 1998/99.
Baxter says: "Reaching the Lancashire Cup final is great but the aim since the start of this season is to gain promotion to the Premier Division.
"The players want to be playing against the best teams every week and I think the performances against the three Premier Division sides in the Lancashire Cup show they could handle that level."
Bank Quay's achievements have twice been recognised by team awards in Warrington Sports Personality of the Year.
Blackbrook 21
Bank Quay Bulls 24
BANK Quay Bulls reached the final of the Tetley's Lancashire Cup with a third successive win against Premier Division opposition and with a display of team spirit which typifies the club.
Bulls created the first scoring chance when Paul Cragg, arguably the best half back in Warrington, sent Phil Braddish clear only for a desperate cover tackle to stop a certain try.
In the next set of tackles Blackbrook went the length of the field to score a converted try to take the lead.
A penalty goal increased Blackbrook's advantage but it was Bulls who were making the openings.
A Damon Fishwick penalty goal got Bank Quay on the scoreboard and as the first half was drawing to a close Billy Rowan side-stepped the covering defence to score Bulls' first try. Fishwick's conversion levelled the scores for the break.
Early in the second half Blackbrook crossed for a converted try and then added a drop goal to take a seven-point lead.
Two Fishwick penalty goals kept Bulls in contention but a mistake from a re-start gifted Blackbrook the ball and they punished Bank Quay with a converted try.
Bulls also had Fishwick despatched to the sin bin and many in the large crowd began to think it was not going to be Bank Quay's day.
Bank Quay began to lift their game despite being a man short and, almost immediately after Fishwick's return, man of the match Lee Westwood put Neil Smith over in the corner. Fishwick's superb touchline conversion put Bulls' three points behind with nine minutes remaining.
With props Jimmy Astbury and Phil Braddish making good yards with the ball and centre Bryan Cragg having his best game for Bulls, Bank Quay went all out for the win.
Four minutes from time Braddish carried three would-be tacklers over the line. His try gave Bulls the lead for the first time in the match and when Fishwick added the extra points Bulls were in no mood to let the victory slip. Back to top
Sat 30th Oct - NWC Cup 1st Rd - Bank Quay Bulls 35 v Pilkingtons 22
LANCASHIRE Cup finalists Bank Quay Bulls reached the second round of the North West Counties Cup after a hard fought encounter against the unbeaten Division One leaders.Bank Quay were eight points ahead with 10 minutes to go but after Pilks equalised it took a converted debut try and drop goal from Chris Mellor to sink the visitors.
Man of the match Paul Cragg completed the try scoring with the last play of the game and Craig Fishwick kicked his seventh goal.
Bank Quay's other try scorers were Fishwick, Neil Smith and Ste Caley.
On Saturday Bulls are in League action at Barrow outfit Ulverston.
The second team will be playing at Longshaw Street in a North West Counties Bowl first round tie against Widnes Tigers.
Both games will be kicking off at 2pm. Back to top
Sat 6th Nov - Ulverston 10 v Bank Quay Bulls 52
BANK QUAY BULLS MADE THE LONG TRIP TO CUMBRIA & CONTINUED THEIR UNBEATEN START TO THE SEASON WITH AN EMPHATIC VICTORY.ULVERSTONS INTENTIONS TO TRY & PHYSICALLY KNOCK THE BULLS OFF THEIR STRIDE WAS EVIDENT IN THE FIRST MINUTE OF THE GAME. WHEN A HIGH TACKLE LED TO BOTH TEAMS HAVING A PLAYER SENT TO THE SIN BIN.
THE BULLS WITH STOOD THIS APPROACH & WENT IN FRONT WHEN QUICK HANDS THROUGH THE BACKS PUT BILLY ROWAN IN AT THE CORNER. DAMON FISHWICK WAS UNABLE TO ADD THE CONVERSION. BANK QUAY WERE PLAYING SOME SUPERB RUGBY & INCREASED THE LEAD WITH A WELL WORKED UNCONVERTED TRY BY CHRIS MELLOR.
ULVERSTON CONTINUED TO TRY & BE INTIMIDATING. WHICH RESULTED IN THEIR PLAYER BEEING SENT OFF FOR A NUMEROUS OF HIGH CHALLENGES. THE BULLS THEN CUT LOOSE WITH CARL TURNER, DAMON FISHWICK & PAUL CRAGG TWICE ALL CROSSING FOR TRIES. AS BANK QUAY SHOWED THEIR TALENTS TO THE FULL. THREE CONVERSIONS TO DAMON FISHWICK & ONE TO HIS BROTHER CRAIG HAD THE GAME WON AT THE BREAK AS THE BULLS LEAD 32-0.
BILLY ROWAN CROSSED FOR HIS SECOND TRY EARLY IN THE SECOND HALF. ULVERSTON THEN CROSSED FOR A COUPLE OF TRIES & A CONVERSION AS THE BULLS SLACKED OFF IN DEFENCE.
BANK QUAY FINISHED THE GAME AS THEY HAD STARTED. WITH PAUL CRAGG GETTING HIS HATRICK TRY, WHICH DAMON FISHWICK CONVERTED. THEN PHIL BRADDISH SCORED AN UNCONVERTED TRY FROM A DAMON FISHWICK KICK. WITH THE LAST PLAY OF THE GAME JIMMY ASTBURY & PAUL CRAGG INTER PASSED FOR ASTBURY TO SCORE THE BULLS TENTH TRY. STE CALEY PUTTING OVER LEE WESTWOODS TEED UP CONVERSION TO COMPLETE THE SCORING.
BEST FOR BANK QUAY WERE PAUL CRAGG, PHIL BRADDISH & DAMON FISHWICK.
SATURDAY SEE?S THE BULLS FIRST TEAM AT HOME TO WIGAN ST PATS WITH THE SECOND TEAM AWAY AT WIDNES ST MARIES. BOTH THE MARK NORRIS BUILDING SERVICES NORTH WEST COUNTIES LEAGUE GAMES KICK OFF AT 2:00PM. Back to top