Vintage Year for Recruits
1981-82 was a vintage year for
recruitment. County Colts, Sean Kenwrick, Gary Smokin Williams, David
Chicken Hansen and John Lonie, all from Yardley School, provided a boost
for our Colts side captained by Ian Enoch Wallace from Queensbridge School.
Paul Gower, Darren Collingwood and Lee Perks from Sheldon Heath, Shannon
Killarney from Moseley Grammar School and Charlie Jenkins from Tudor Grange
all joined the club. In addition, the demise of Birmingham Rugby Club brought
in the outstanding quartet of Will Hart, Kevin Grant, Mike Young and Simon
Furze whose top class rugby experience was to benefit the team in the next few
years. Two other Yardley schoolboy three-quarters spent a season at other
clubs before joining us. Rob Masterson joined in 1984 from Old Silhillians and
Nigel Boothe in 1986 from Old Moseleians.
Rabbie Burns Country
The weather was bad in January
1982 causing a number of games to be cancelled but improved towards Easter
when we toured to Alloway near Ayr in Scotland. The hotel owner, a rugby
player himself, had organised a range of entertainments and seemed to enjoy
the tour more than we did. Matches were against Irvine, Cumnock and Dumfries.
Early in 1983, Mick Bloxham,
Beau Campbell, Steve Sidwell and Robin Sadler were selected to play for COBs
against Old Saltleians to mark the opening of their new clubhouse at Water
Orton.
Another great Easter Tour was
to Holland. When Steve Sidwell needed stitches in his nose after the game,
the doctor on the job was a Dutchman on secondment.
After chatting to Sid, he
arranged a tour for us to play his local Medical Hospital team, Obelix, in
Nijmegan, who provided an excellent nights entertainment after we had beaten
them 48-0. We then moved on to a tournament at Geleen near the Belgian border
where we won the Easter Egg Trophy.