By Glen Leat
February 6 2003

Bath head off to Kingsholm on Saturday safe in the knowledge that if both teams play to form it will be an easy home win for Glawster and Bath will be stuck on 23 points from sixteen games and head off to the Six Nations break in a very perilous position.

You only have to glance at the following extract from the current league table to see the massive gap between the two teams, but these stats do not do justice to the massive leap the Cherry and Whites have made this year and the totally awful displays Bath have delivered over and over again.

P W D L BP PTS 1  Glawster 15 12 1 2 6 56 Massive Gap!!!! 11  Bath 15 4 2 9 3 23

Over the past couple of years Bath fans have wondered whether things can get any worse - and then they do. It's only when you look at the Bath -v- Glawster head to head stats below that you realise just how far we have fallen; despite our appalling recent record we have still won 72% of the league encounters so it was our heritage to beat Glaws in these competitive encounters. That heritage has now been squandered and it really hurts. Mind you to be fair, the Shed Heads have suffered years of gyp from us and they must have been wringing their hands in despair as we would sneak wins from losing positions - enjoy it lads because it won't last for ever and the natural order of things will be restored!

As I write the team has not been announced , though we do know that ludicrously the Wales management have nicked Gareth Cooper and Gavin Thomas for training. What can you say about this? I know international rugby is important for some people, but those of us who live rugby week in and week out it is our club rugby that matters! Unluckily for Glaws and England Phil Vickery is out through injury but as a die hard Bathonian I pay my biggest respect to the Vickster by being relieved at his absence.

I don't expect we will win this match but I do hope our boys play sufficiently well to get the Shed going - they must miss Victor these days as he was always good value for the Shedites. Perhaps Jonathan Humphreys can take on that mantle and wind them up a bit.

Click on to the Glawster site for their perspective on things.

Click here to read about the encounter between Bath and Glawster earlier in the season.

In preparation for this clash let's have a look at a few recent statistics:

Biggest Win

Player Greats

(Bath Results First)

Date  Result  Venue Season: 2001-02 08 Feb 2003 - Kingsholm 28 Sept 2002 21- 21 The Rec Season: 2001-02 04 May 2002 12- 68 Kingsholm 08 Dec 2001 12- 9 The Rec Season: 2000-01 24 Feb 2001 50 - 16 The Rec 09 Sep 2000 22 - 21 Kingsholm Season: 1999-00 08 Apr 2000 36 - 16 Kingsholm 10 Oct 1999 33 - 20 The Rec Season: 1998-99 02 Jan 1999 7 - 23 Kingsholm 26 Sep 1998 21 - 16 The Rec Season: 1997-98 18 Apr 1998 17 - 27 Kingsholm 11 Feb 1998 47 - 3 The Rec Season: 1996-97 30 Apr 1997 71 - 21 The Rec 21 Sep 1996 45 - 29 Kingsholm Season: 1995-96 10 Apr 1996 10 - 16 Kingsholm 16 Sep 1995 37 - 11 The Rec Season: 1994-95 04 Mar 1995 19 - 19 The Rec 01 Oct 1994 15 - 10 Kingsholm Season: 1993-94 12 Feb 1994 16 - 6 Kingsholm 02 Oct 1993 46 - 17 The Rec Season: 1992-93 13 Feb 1993 20 - 0 Kingsholm Season: 1991-92 29 Feb 1992 29 - 9 The Rec Season: 1990-91 06 Apr 1991 17 - 15 Kingsholm Season: 1989-90 23 Sep 1989 6 - 13 Kingsholm Season: 1988-89 24 Sep 1988 19 - 9 The Rec Season: 1987-88 30 Nov 1987 16 - 9 Kingsholm