Turk about real close-run title
HONEYMOON IS OVER NOW FOR ME AND MRS JONES SAYS JOSH
JOSH JONES made up for his Old Trafford heartache yesterday by getting married and receiving his first Great Britain call-up.
The Salford back-rower had postponed his wedding to Olivia by a week when reaching the Grand Final became a reality for Salford.
That meant meeting his Best Men within hours of full-time on Saturday night before travelling to the venue in Clitheroe.
He had planned to give team-mate Joey Lussick his phone while the wedding took place in case tour manager Jamie Peacock called as he was waiting at the altar. But the call came in the morning, allowing Jones to concentrate on his vows before preparing to head Down Under to face New Zealand, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
Jones (right) said: “The wedding was supposed to be last weekend but I said we were going to get to the Grand Final so we put it back. The honeymoon has gone, though – Olivia wasn’t very happy but she understands.
“Maybe she can join me over there and we can have it in beautiful Australia.
“The last shirt I had as a youngster before I signed for Saints was a GB one with ‘Gillette’ across the front. If I get to wear that shirt professionally it would be an outstanding achievement for myself.” Jones – who now joins Hull FC for 2020 as one of several players leaving the Red Devils – believes the club can inspire others in Super League to challenge for trophies after their superb run which ended in the 23-6 defeat by St Helens at Old Trafford.
He said: “For such a small club and a small city like Salford, we’ve been an inch away from doing something spectacular.
“If this doesn’t give other teams a lift to compete, then nothing will.”
Ruled out of the British tour squad through injury yesterday were Sean O’Loughlin and Saints winger Tommy Makinson. COLIN TURKINGTON sealed a recordequalling fourth British Touring Car Championship in the most dramatic of circumstances at Brands Hatch.
Honda team-mate Dan Cammish was in the driving seat until his brakes gave up and Northern Irishman Turkington, 37, took the chequered flag sixth – enough to win the title by just two points.
He said: “That was the race of my life. I was determined to get past Dan and I knew I could put the pressure on him. You can’t get this sort of emotion anywhere else.”