Wales Rugby League legends support Big Welsh Derby in Cardiff

By Ian Golden,

Three of Wales and Great Britain’s top stars from the 1990s will be supporting the Big Welsh Derby on Saturday 4^th June when South Wales Scorpions meet North Wales Crusaders at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park (kick-off 5pm).

Dai Bishop, Phil Ford and Gerald Cordle will all be speaking at a special pre-match hospitality dinner in the Gareth Edwards Suite at the famous stadium about an hour before kick-off of the Scorpions – Crusaders clash as the big day builds to its climax. The event will be hosted by Scorpions’ general manager Gerald McCarthy.

Bishop, with four Welsh caps from 1991-92 and was man of the match in the first, the famous 68-0 win over Papua New Guinea in 1991. He also played rugby union for Wales, was a Great Britain international and turned out for Hull Kingston Rovers and London Broncos.

Ford, who scored four tries in 10 appearances for Wales, played for Warrington, Wigan, Bradford, Leeds and Salford, and famously scored a length of the field try for Great Britain against Australia in Sydney. His nephew Lloyd White now plays for Widnes Vikings and Wales.

Cordle played club Rugby League for Bradford for all bar one year of his professional career, that being the old South Wales club in their lone season in 1996 at the Arms Park. Another Great Britain international, he won eight caps for Wales, scoring two tries.

Bishop, a radio pundit in South Wales for a number of years, is looking forward to being at the big event.

“I’m delighted to be a guest at the Big Welsh Derby on June 4^th,” he said. “It all sounds like it’s going be a fantastic day. The good thing about it all is that it celebrates Rugby League at all levels in Wales, with a community game, a junior game and then the big encounter between the Scorpions and Crusaders.

“I’ve always kept up to date with Rugby League in Wales and I’m a big supporter of the sport that did so much for me. I think it’ll be a big success, like it was last year, and I’m looking forward to meeting up with Phil and Gerald to speak there.”

The day starts at 12.30pm with a Conference League South match between local rivals Valley Cougars and Torfaen Tigers before Super League Academy side Salford Red Devils give South Wales Scorpions’ under 20s their biggest test yet at 2.30pm. The Big Welsh Derby between Scorpions and Crusaders in Kingstone Press League 1 concludes the day.

Hospitality tickets are priced at £30 per person or £250 for a table of ten. This ticket includes access to all three matches plus the celebrity dinner featuring the three former Wales and Great Britain stars. They can be bought by going to www.scorpionsrl.com.