18-11-2003
GB's Ashes dream crushed by Kangaroos

There was heart-break for the Great Britain Rugby League team at the KC Stadium last Saturday as they suffered defeat at the hands of the World Champions Australia in the second Test of the Think! Road Safety Ashes series.

After the Kangaroos took the first Test in Wigan the previous week, only a victory would keep the Great Britain Ashes dreams alive and hopes were high when the Lions found themselves 20-8 up after 40 minutes.

However after failing to convert any further chances the lead gradually slipped from their grasp, and at full time they found themselves on the wrong end of a 23-20 scoreline, dashing their hopes of reclaiming the Ashes after 33 years in the hands of the Aussies.

Singing and cheering throughout, the 25,147 strong KC crowd created an amazing atmosphere for this crunch match and despite the disappointing result, the event was a roaring success for the KC Stadium and for the Rugby Football League.

The RFL put on a slick event in conjunction with the Stadium Management team and in addition to the action on the pitch, provided fabulous entertainment to warm-up the crowd before the game in the form of a ‘Little League’ match between four local under 9’s Rugby league teams, and a 76-piece male voice choir accompanied by 2 tenors.

Across at the Vulcan Arena, to ensure that fans who missed out on tickets for the sold-out event didn’t miss any of the action, big screens were installed, and up to 400 people turned up to watch the build-up and to soak up the atmosphere of the live match.