MM8 lowres final

Middlesex 

MATTERS 

COUNTY MEMBERS’ MAGAZINE 

Spring 2014 

MIDDLESEX RUGBY – DEVELOPING RUGBY IN LONDON £1.00 

World Cup fever 

Join ‘The Pack’ and be 

part of the action 

WIN... 

Tickets for an Autumn 

International at Twickenham 

are up for grabs 

Bad for the health 

The hidden dangers of 

dietary supplements and 

the mysteries of concussion 

Brand new Day 

Wasps and England star Sue Day 

on her role as Wasps’ first 

female president 

Plus: 

Club Scene 

County News 

Dick Best 

Big is beautiful 

Enfield Ignatians, the little club with the big ideas, 

embark on their Big Day Out to Allianz Park 

www.middlesexrugby.com 

1

Spring 2014 

COUNTY MEMBERS’ MAGAZINE 

Middlesex Matters is the official 

magazine of Middlesex Rugby 

Issue 8, Spring 2014 

ISSN 2045-1245 

Published by 

PK1 Twyford Avenue Sports Ground, 

Twyford Avenue, Acton, London W3 9QA 

t: 020 8896 3400 f: 020 8896 9264 

e: countyoffice@middlesexrugby.com 


Editor: Lonsdale Leggett-Flynn 

Feature Writer: Sally Morgan 

Contributors: Dick Best, 

Creative Direction: Boomerang Design 

Editorial Office 

t: 020 8744 0007 

e: editorial@middlesexrugby.com 

Advertising 

WorldWide Media Solutions Ltd 

t: 07951 385520 

Photography 

Photographs courtesy of Brian O’Connor, 

the RFU and the Middlesex clubs 

Design 

Boomerang Design 

The Studio, 29 Grosvenor Road 

Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 4AD 

t: 07771 935678 

e: studio@boomerangdesign.co.uk 

www.boomerangdesign.co.uk 

Print 

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication 

may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system 

or transmitted in any shape or form or by any 

means electronic, mechanical, photocopying 

or otherwise, without the permission of the 

publishers, Middlesex Rugby (Middlesex 

County Rugby Football Union Ltd). The views 

expressed in this magazine are not necessarily 

those of the publisher. 

Warm up 

Volunteering is 

the name of the 

game 

Another Six Nations Championship almost under our belts, and we’re well 

on the way to World Cup stardom in 2015. Never let it be said I’m not an 

optimist! Despite a rocky start in Paris, where let’s be honest, we were robbed, 

Lancaster’s men have been impressive thus far, triumphing over the Aulde 

Enemy in the bug-infested Murrayfield quagmire and dominating on a perfect 

pitch in the first home fixture against Ireland. Back to HQ again this Sunday to 

do my patriotic duty and cheer loudly as Team England bags the Triple Crown, 

then I’m off to Rome for the final battle of the tournament where a win in 

against Italy will snare us the Championship. 

The Champagne’s already on ice. Don’t make me eat my words! 

Meanwhile, back to matters in hand. Middlesex Matters, where volunteering 

is the name of the game. The Rugby World Cup is now just 18 months away, 

and the RFU has launched schemes to recruit volunteers to help make the 

tournament run smoothly, volunteers to ensure that we’re all going to reap 

the benefits at club level, and young volunteers to whip up enthusiasm and 

encourage new participants to the game. Middlesex will be rewarding its own 

volunteers again at an awards evening in June and is seeking nominations 

from clubs now. And the RFU President’s Awards scheme is also now taking 

nominations. We tell you how you can get involved. 

Sally Morgan went to Twyford Road, the home we share with Wasps FC, to 

talk to Sue Day about her role as the first ever female President of Wasps, and 

the career choices that took her there. We also spent the day at Allianz Park 

with Enfield Ignatians, the subject of our club profile, as they embarked on 

their Big Day Out. And we turn the spotlight on health matters, looking at the 

role of dietary supplements and other non prescribed medication in sport. Still 

on the subject of health, concussion is a hot topic at the moment and we look 

at how best to handle incidents both on the pitch and afterwards. 

As usual, we bring you news of the clubs around the county and we look 

back at the achievements of Team Middlesex U16s who swept the board 

earlier this season with three straight wins. We also take a look at some of the 

developments in the women & girls’ game. 

By the way, is anyone convinced that the new scrummaging rules at elite level 

have made a difference? It seems to me that scrums are collapsing just as much, 

but that there are fewer of them. The referees must be loathe to award a scrum 

because of the amount of game time they take up. If somebody doesn’t sort it out 

soon, we’ll all be playing rugby league. 

And another thing... What’s with all the 

fireworks? It’s not as though the likes of 

Twickenham or the Millennium Stadium 

have to compete for our business. If we want 

to watch Six Nations rugby, we’re a captive 

audience. We don’t need pyrotechnics to 

entice us through the turnstiles. And there must 

be more deserving ways to spend the budget. 

Lonsdale Leggett-Flynn, Editor 

Please send any items for inclusion in our news pages to news@middlesexrugby.com 



3

contents 

5 County scene 

All the latest news from 

Twyford Avenue, including the run 

up to the Rugby World Cup 

11 On the ball 

In his regular column, the 

outspoken rugby pundit and 

former England coach 

Dick Best tells it like it is 

12 Pills & spills 

Lonsdale Leggett-Flynn 

looks at the dangers of taking non 

prescription medication 

14 The lineout interview 

Wasps and England star Sue Day, 

talks to Sally Morgan about her 

dual careers in rugby and in the 

City and becoming the first female 

president of Wasps 

p16 

Ignatians’ 

Big Day Out 

at Allianz Park 

16 Going large 

Lonsdale Leggett-Flynn and 

Jonathan Landi spend some 

time with Enfield Ignatians, the 

little club with the big heart and 

even bigger ideas 

20 Club scene 

Round up of news and 

activities at clubs throughout 

the county 

25 Between the posts 

Your chance to give us your 

feedback on Middlesex Matters, 

rugby in Middlesex, and rugby 

in general 

27 Up for grabs 

Win two tickets for an Autumn 

International at Twickenham in 

our prize Word Fit competition 

p14 

Sue Day with 

the Wasps’ 

old guard 

p12 

Dietary 

supplements 

& concussion 

Spring 2014 

Cover picture: Rudy, the Enfield 

Ignatians’ mascot with Ed ‘Big 

Show’ Barber at Allianz Park 

MIDDLESEX RUGBY – DEVELOPING RUGBY IN LONDON 

Join the RWC2015 Pack 

RWC2015 chief exec Debbie Jevans leads The 

Pack with JW and volunteers from Grasshoppers 

County 

news from 

scene 

Twyford Avenue 

Strong roots at Staines 

England Rugby 2015 Ambassador Lawrence Dallaglio went back to his roots at 

Staines, the club that first introduced him to rugby. He was there to launch the ‘Two 

Years To Go until the Rugby World Cup’ celebrations. “Staines was my first ever rugby 

club and I’ve got some wonderful memories here. It’s really nice to be back,” he said. 

Middlesex 

Club 7s 

Following changes at the RFU, the Middlesex 

Sevens competition has been opened up to 

clubs from the new RFU Area 2. The 

competition, which will take place at 

Richmond Athletic Ground on Sunday 4th May, 

has traditionally been open to clubs from the 

old London & South East area, and the new 

entry criteria brings clubs from Berks, 

Bucks, Herts and Oxfordshire into the mix. 

“We have sevens rugby at every level, for men, women and students” explains 

Sevens chairman David Gershlick, “and we hope to have plenty of new clubs joining 

us at our end of season sevens festival.” 

download entry forms at www.middlesexrugby.com/club7s 

RWC2015 has launched ‘The Pack’, the World Cup volunteering 

programme which will select 6000 volunteers to welcome the Rugby 

World Cup to England. 

75% of those volunteers will be recruited from rugby clubs, 

recognising those who dedicate their time to rugby week-in, weekout 

and each club is being asked to nominate two volunteers and a 

reserve to join The Pack. 

Volunteers in The Pack will mainly assist with the spectator 

experience and transport although there are a small number of other 

roles in accreditation, workforce and operations. Volunteers will not 

be pitch side, but all the roles are critical to the success of RWC2015. 

The Pack registration process opens online on the RWC2015 

website on March 17th, so clubs must have nominated their volunteers 

by this date. The window for registration is just one month. 

Volunteers registering their applications will be invited to attend 

‘Try Out’ days where they will be given information, try on uniforms 

and have informal meetings to get a feel for what’s involved in being 

one of The Pack. 

for more info visit www.middlesexrugby.com/rwc2015 

IN BRIEF... 

The 2014 Volunteer Appreciation 

awards evening will take place on 

Friday 27th June at London Welsh 

RFC. Clubs are requested to submit 

their nominations for the individual 

awards and the President’s VII 

awards. For more information and to 

download nomination forms, visit 

www.middlesexrugby.com/ 

volunteers 


5


Clean 

sweep for 

U16s 

In their last graded pool game of the 

season, Team Middlesex U16s showed 

their true metal by outplaying a very big 

Hertfordshire side. The 26-19 victory 

means that the U16s have now won all 

three of their pool games this season, 

beating both Eastern Counties and 

Sussex and scoring a total 82 points 

including tour tries from each game. 

Just 41 points have been scored 

against them. 

London Wasps Academy Manager 

Matt Davies attended each of the 

games and was impressed with the 

talent in the Middlesex squad. “Much 

praise must go to coaches Dan Ap 

Dafydd, Zoran Higgins and Stephen 

Atkinson for the preparation of a very 

well coached side” he said. 

Middlesex president Michael Barnes 

added, “The U16s have been a credit 

to the county, their schools and their 

parents both on and off the field, and 

I congratulate them on their success 

this season.” 

RFU President’s awards 

Reaping the rewards 

County 

news from 

scene 


The RFU President’s Awards have been redeveloped for 2014. There are now six 

new categories that embrace key areas of the game which together contribute to a 

successful, vibrant club and help to deliver opportunities in all areas of the game. 

The seventh new category is the “President’s Choice” Award and this year, 

RFU president Bob Reeves has selected the theme of “Beyond Rugby” stating: 

“Many people have talked about the capacity of rugby to change lives for the 

better. This new award will go to the person or people who have used rugby as 

the focus of a project to transform lives and/or communities and as a vehicle 

for social change.” 

Nominations are requested by Friday 11 April, and the awards will be 

presented on 1st June, at a luncheon hosted by the Bob Reeves at Twickenham 

Stadium, prior to the England v Barbarians game. 

for more info visit www.rfu.com/presidentsawards 

Volunteering has become the name of the game, with the RFU and RWC2015 seeking 

volunteers to help with the running of the World Cup, Middlesex Rugby putting forward 

volunteers from clubs as Cup Champions to ensure that clubs benefit from the legacy 

of the World Cup as well as Young Rugby Ambassadors to stir up enthusiasm in the 

clubs. And the clubs themselves rely on an army of volunteers for their very existence. 

But it’s not just a question of ‘take’. There’s plenty of ‘give’ too, with rugby 

administrators recognising the importance of thanking those hard-working 

volunteers without whom the game would simply crumble. 

Middlesex rewards volunteers from clubs at an annual Awards dinner, with 

winners selected from the volunteers nominated by their clubs for their special 

achievements. There is also a long service award presented to long-standing 

volunteers who made an outstanding contribution to their club for 30 years or 

more, and a President’s Medal which is presented annually to one county 

volunteer chosen by the president for their contribution to the county. 

The RFU offers facilities for club volunteers with match tickets to be treated to 

free hospitality prior to the home internationals. The county’s own volunteers, 

the men and women on the committees, are occasionally nominated to attend a 

number of RFU run events throughout the year, and invitations are extended by 

the RFU for two Middlesex ‘blazers’ to attend each international match at HQ. 

And the RFU of course runs its own awards scheme, the President’s Awards, in 

recognition of all the work put in by club volunteers. 

There are plenty of volunteering opportunities at both club and county level, and 

in addition to the rewards outlined, there is of course the warm glow that comes 

as the result of ‘putting something back in’. 

for more info contact peter.baveystock@middlesexrugby.com 

Take the bus 

The Middlesex Bus is booked out for the summer, but is 

still available free to clubs during the season. The iconic 

double decker bus is a great way to attract attention 

and help with recruitment. Contact smudgebs@aol.com 

IN BRIEF... 

If any ladies out there are considering 

taking up sport but think that rugby may 

be too physical, how about easing in 

gently with a bit of netball? England 

Netball is running introductory sessions 

for ladies of all ages and abilities. For 

more information email 

Harriet.Olliffe@englandnetball.co.uk or 

check out /www.englandnetball.co.uk/ 

Back-to-Netball 

Girl power reaches Middlesex 

WOMEN & GIRLS 

THE GRIFFIN CUP 

A new Middlesex competition for women’s rugby will launch in this season. The 

inaugural Griffin Cup competition, for teams playing in National Challenge 2 and below, 

including those not yet entered in a league, will take place during May and June. 

The competition has been devised in response to the needs of the many emerging 

women’s teams across Middlesex, and club members from East London and 

Kilburn Cosmos were instrumental developing the concept. 

In common with other Middlesex Rugby cup competitions, the Griffin Cup will fall within 

the remit of the Competitions Committee, and be run by a specially formed subcommittee 

administrated by Paul Quinn of Kilburn Cosmos. It is part of a long term 

strategy to develop and grow women and girls’ rugby both at grassroots and elite level. 

The competition is named in recognition of the services to the women’s game by 

Deborah Griffin OBE, a founding member of the Rugby Football Union for Women 

in 1984 and captain of the first English club team at Finchley RFC. Deborah 

currently represents the women’s game on the RFU Council. 

Middlesex Rugby is working closely with the RFU to develop opportunities for 

girls to play rugby across the county. 

Growing the game for women and girls is top of the agenda for the RFU. 

Their Growth Strategy for this section sees the Union set to work with 200 

grassroots clubs over the next four years, improving opportunities for female 

players. RFU women’s rugby development officer Clare Cooper is excited about 

working with Middlesex to put the plan into action. “The energy in Middlesex is 

great, and we need to take advantage of that to encourage more girls to give rugby 

a go. We are increasing the options for women and girls to take part, whether it’s 

Tag-rugby, Touch rugby, occasional 7s, or full-contact competitive rugby, there is 

now something for everyone”. 

Central to the development of women and girl’s rugby at grassroots level throughout 

Middlesex is Louise Latter. Her role is to provide key communication between 

clubs and county, and ensure that relevant support, development and competition 

opportunities are available so that girls who want to play rugby can play rugby. 

The first steps are in place and Middlesex has already run two girls’ 

development sessions for all girls age 9 – 17, regardless of experience or ability, one 

at Grasshoppers, the other at Wasps. Coaches were provided by the RFU and the 

clubs, and the aim was to provide a fun and enjoyable learning environment, where 

girls can give rugby a go for the first time, or develop their skills further. 

for more information about GIRLS’ rugby contact louise.latter@middlesexrugby.com 

Cup Winners: Manchester University 

for more info or to enter contact paul quinn AT PQDAFFY@AOL.COM 

NEW DIRECTION 

Tony Gear has joined Team Middlesex 

as director of women & girls 

representative rugby. His role will be 

pivotal to ensuring that there are 

opportunities available for players to 

develop their skills at representative 

level and to access the player pathway. 

One of his first tasks will be to 

resurrect the county ladies programme 

starting with two matches against Kent 

away on 4 May and Herts at home a 

week later. 

6 www.middlesexrugby.com 

www.middlesexrugby.com 7


School’s out at Allianz Park 

Middlesex President Michael Barnes presents the U14 

Plate to Grey Court School with the help of Saracens 

player Petrus du Plessis 

The finals of the Middlesex Schools’ competition took place 

at Allianz Park over three days last week, the first time the 

competition has been played at the premiership ground. 

The opportunity to play at the Saracens’ ground 

rewards the efforts put in by the schools in reaching the 

finals and Saracens stars Ryhs Gill, George Kruis and 

Petrus du Plessis were on hand to assist Middlesex Rugby 

president Michael Barnes with the presentations. 

The competition, organised by Middlesex Rugby, 

now attracts nearly 100 teams with participants from 

state schools as well as traditional rugby playing schools, 

giving school teams at U14, U15 and U16 age groups the 

chance to play each other. The early rounds are played 

during the Autumn term across two levels – the Middlesex 

Schools’ Plate for developing rugby schools and the 

Middlesex Schools Cup, which includes an U18 level, is for 

established rugby playing schools . 

County 

news from 

scene 


Picture this... 

We almost made it to press without a picture of Middlesex committee man 

David Gershlick, but this was just too tempting. Any suggestions as to 

what the Old Vulgarian might be describing to his bemused audience? 

Going retro... 

New for this season, Middlesex Rugby has 

added this stylish retro T shirt to its range of 

branded merchandise. The design, featuring 

the new logo and shield, compliments the 

existing clothing and kit and it is planned to extend 

the range to include items such as rugby jerseys, 

sweatshirts and hoodies. 

The new cotton T shirt is available to buy online 

now from official kit supplier Tacklebag for £15. 

http://shop.tacklebag.co.uk/rugby-clubs/middlesex-rugby/middlesex-rugby-t-shirt 

Finals day organiser David Hiles commented, “It was 

obvious that playing at the Saracens ground meant a great 

deal to the players, coaches, parents and supporters. It has 

given the competition the prestige it deserves. 

“A high standard of rugby was played throughout and 

it was especially encouraging to see the level to which all 

three Plate finals had been elevated” continued Hiles. “It’s 

great what success in sport can do for struggling schools.” 

The games were played to an excellent standard with 

St Benedicts winning at U18 and U15, London Oratory at 

U16, and Harrow School at U14. 

Middlesex Rugby has underlined its commitment to 

increasing the support provided to the Schools Union to 

promote inter-school rugby in the region. The County will 

be providing administrational and financial support as well 

as help with the organisation of schools festivals, cup games 

and sevens tournaments. 

U15s in action in the final of the Schools’ Cup 

IN BRIEF... 

There are now more ways to keep in 

touch with all things Middlesex. 

Follow Middlesex Rugby on Twitter, 

@MiddlesexRFU or like us on Facebook, 

facebook.com/middlesexrugby 

WORLD CUP FEVER 

Cup Champions launch 

A star-studded launch event at 

Twickenham Stadium last September was 

the stage for rugby clubs in Berkshire, 

Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, 

Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Oxfordshire 

to begin nominating their ‘Cup Champions’ 

for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. 

England players Joe Launchbury (2nd left) 

and Alex Goode (far right) took their places 

alongside the World Cup, along with Cup 

Champions Paul Quinn (Kilburn Cosmos), 

Remy Martin and Shellie Tungelund (both 

Witney RFC). 

YOUNG RUGBY AMBASSADORS 

RWC Ambassador Will 

Greenwood with a group of 

Young Rugby Ambassadors at 

one of the regional launches 

Young Rugby Ambassadors 

from Middlesex at the launch 

of the campaign 

www.rfu.com/takingpart/volunteer/youngrugbyambassador 

CUP CHAMPIONS 

Following the Cup Champion launch event at Twickenham in 

September, Middlesex Rugby held its first RWC 2015 Cup Champions 

meeting at the East India Club on 15 January. 

Of the 30 clubs already signed up for the Cup Champions role, 15 

attended the initial meeting, which involved a presentation of what 

RWC 2015 means and the aims of the legacy around the RFU’s two 

major themes of building capacity and increased participation, as well as 

open discussions specific to club issues and objectives: 

Each club will now feed back how they would define what their club 

will be / look like / feel like after the World Cup in 2015. 

Clubs are being asked to nominate their ‘Cup Champions’ – 

volunteers with the energy and enthusiasm to bring new participants 

into rugby, welcome back lapsed players and join together with 

business, charities and county sports partnerships in publicising the 

2015 World Cup. 

Ideally, each Club’s plans should include the forming of a club 

RWC 2015 sub-committee to manage new sponsorship opportunities, 

increase in participation (players, coaches, teams), the planning of 

special events to celebrate and enjoy the competition and liaising with 

local schools and communities. 

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 26 March again at the East 

India Club and clubs can still put forward Cup Champions for their club. 

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT LOUISE.LATTER@MIDDLESEXRUGBY.COM 

Young Rugby Ambassadors from Grasshoppers, 

Ealing Trailfinders, Haringey, Ruislip and Wasps 

have been appointed by the RFU in the lead up to 

the Rugby World Cup. The Young Ambassadors, 

aged between 16 and 20, are part of a programme 

to excite and engage young people in the build up 

to and legacy from the RWC2015, an initiative 

which underlines the RFU’s commitment to 

develop young volunteers throughout the game. 

The Young Rugby Ambassadors (YRAs) have taken 

part in workshops to discuss ideas for community 

projects to inspire people about rugby, explored 

different leadership and ambassadorial styles and 

shared information about RWC 2015. 

In the build-up to the tournament, the young 

ambassadors will be working in their clubs to 

pass on the latest news on RWC 2015 and get 

their local communities talking about rugby as 

well as helping to bring players in the 16-24 age 

group back to the game. 

Middlesex clubs met at Wasps 11th February to 

discuss how the mentors and YRAs can support 

each other. The next group of Young Rugby 

Ambassadors will be recruited by May 2014, 

along with adult mentors who will work with 

them in their clubs. 

8 www.middlesexrugby.com www.middlesexrugby.com 9

On the ball 

From the commentary box: Dick Best tells it like it is 

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Six Nations 

Six nations time 

again: a great time 

of year for me. 

Especially when 

England is looking 

so strong after the 

10 www.middlesexrugby.com www.middlesexrugby.com 11 

Autumn 

Internationals 

Dick Best coached Harlequins, 

England and the British Lions. 

He now runs his own sports 

sponsorship agency 

www.insiderugby.co.uk 

The England elite player squad is a great 

mix of old and new faces but as always, 

it will come down to who gives us the 

edge on the day. I’m still optimistic that 

England could win this year, after coming 

2nd last year. 

It’s a very open championship. Wales, 

England, France, and Ireland could all 

potentially win it. Wales are looking 

particularly strong and Ireland proved 

outstanding against the All Blacks in 

their last outing. I don’t see the Scots 

winning it but I do see them causing some 

upsets in Murrayfield. We have to work 

hard to make sure Rome doesn’t prove 

a banana skin for England, especially as 

the first game against France presented 

an unpredictable start. But nobody 

knows how the French are going to play, 

especially the French themselves! 

Stuart Lancaster continues to be very 

popular with both players and fans. He’s 

very public about who he selects with no 

hidden agenda, works extremely hard and 

expects no less from his team. For him, 

this championship is going be all about 

selection. He really needs to blood the 

fresh talent if he’s going to take the team 

forward. He’s already had some setbacks 

to deal with including Wade’s ankle injury 

and Yarde’s ruptured hip tendon. Both 

were serious injuries, indicative of just 

how demanding the sport has become. For 

exciting prospects such as Anthony Watson 

and Jack Nowell, this could be a chance 

for a run out. They both played really well 

in the Premiership and Heineken Cup. I 

certainly wouldn’t have any hesitation in 

taking these two exceptional players to any 

game. They have to be blooded somewhere, 

where better than Six Nations? 

A key player for England will be 

Owen Farrell. He’s come on far as an 

international player and his goal kicking 

will be crucial. England’s weakness, if they 

have one, will be not getting on the front 

foot. Scrum-half decision making is going 

to be critical; Lee Dixon, Danny Care or 

Ben Youngs, the choice of which scrumhalf 

is picked for each game is going to 

be really important. They in turn have to 

make good, quick decisions and use the 

possession effectively. 

We have a great captain in the form of 

Harlequins’ Chris Robshaw once again. 

He’s a sound player at the top of his game 

and an inspirational leader. He gets on 

very well with Stuart Lancaster and that 

harmony between coach and captain is so 

important in a successful team. The team’s 

moved on with both skill and fitness levels. 

Certainly the forwards playing against the 

All Blacks equipped themselves really well, 

showing we’ve got a pack to rival, if not 

better, anyone in world rugby. 

It feels as though we’re within 

touching distance of the World Cup 2015 

and we should definitely be looking at 

selecting players now for that time. We 

want to enter 2015 as a team with a strong 

chance of winning. For that to happen 

we have to start putting down markers 

now and playing a brand of rugby that 

excites people. Let’s expand the game 

even more, use the new scrum laws to our 

advantage and bring out all the young, 

unharnessed talent we have who are so 

keen to experiment and really push the 

game to the next level. 

Aviva Premiership 

Refereeing has taken a lot of stick 

lately. Ed Morrison, Head of Elite 

Referee Development at the RFU, 

stood down last year. I think as well 

as his desire to pass the reigns, he was 

frustrated by the contention caused by 

what the refs see on the field compared 

with what the cameras capture. I’d 

like to see video reffing brought in as 

standard: not only for tries, but also to 

assess foul play. It seems daft not to. 

We have amazing technology covering 

all angles of the game and somebody 

scrutinizes the footage anyway, so we 

might as well use it. If the game takes 

a little bit longer, so be it, if it means 

reaching an unequivocal decision. 

Getting to the pub five minutes later 

seems a small price to pay for a definite 

result that everyone’s happy with.

Spotlight 

Health Matters 

Pills & spills... 

Dietary supplements are no 

substitute for a balanced, 

healthy diet. Lonsdale 

Leggett-Flynn finds out 

about the hidden dangers 

The tragic death last September of Hampton School and Teddington 

player Chris Mapletoft (above) has brought the growing problem of young 

people and dietary supplements to the top of the health agenda, not just in 

Middlesex but right across the sport. 

Chris was just 18, a talented rugby player who was all set to head off to 

university, when he died as a result of taking a banned fat burning diet pill DNP. 

The drug was originally developed to counter obesity, but its use was 

abandoned after it was found to cause the body to progressively overheat. 

Symptoms include a high temperature, rapid breathing, an irregular 

heartbeat and dizziness. 

The RFU takes a hard line, condemning drug use in sport across the board: 

“It is harmful to the health of players, totally contrary to the spirit of rugby and 

the RFU is committed to protecting all players’ fundamental right to participate 

in doping free rugby.” 

The anti-doping regime at the elite end of the game is high-profile. The 

RFU operates a testing programme in partnership with UK Anti Doping, and 

with the RPA, provides pre-season education to players at all Premiership clubs 

and this goes some way to ensuring that players are aware of the dangers, and 

knowledgeable about which substances are banned and which are harmful. The 

two are not necessarily the same. The rules state that players themselves are 

solely responsible for any prohibited substance found in their system, whether 

or not there was an intention to cheat, or for that matter, whether the player 

was even aware that they had taken a banned substance. 

Players must be aware of the dangers and know 

which substances are banned and which are 

harmful. The two are not necessarily the same 

Importantly, there is no guarantee that a supplement is free from prohibited 

substances, even if they are not listed on the label. 

A number of recent cases have involved the banned substance 

Methylhexaneamine, which is present in a number of dietary or nutritional 

supplements, particularly those designed to increase energy or aid weight-loss. 

But given that dope testing is an expensive business, with individual tests costing 

around £500, testing can still occur lower down the ladder. In theory, any player 

may be tested any time, anywhere. But in practice, most testing tends to take place 

at elite level. “There is a balance to be struck,” explains RFU doping expert Richard 

Nunn. “We don’t condone [taking drugs] at any level, but most of the testing is 

FOR MORE INFO VISIT www.rfu.com/thegame/antidoping 

carried from international down to Level 3, in 

order to preserve the integrity of the sport at the 

top level, but we are testing more players below 

Level 3, and more academy players and we can 

act on intelligence received.” 

With testing less prevalent lower down 

the ranks, it is easier for players to consume 

whatever they choose without fear of 

contravention. So it is at the grassroots level 

where it is even more important to ensure 

that players are aware of the dangers of nonprescribed 

medication and supplements. 

At this end of the game, it’s the teenagers 

who are most at risk. For them, body image is 

paramount, whether their aim is to beef up to 

perform better on the field or to slim down to 

attract the opposite sex. Some of these ideals 

are sport driven, others social. 

The good news is that Leeds Metropolitan 

University starts a research programme 

commissioned by the RFU this season to investigate attitudes 

towards and use of dietary supplements – and banned substances 

– amongst adolescent rugby players, which should lead to better 

understanding of a problem that is becoming more prevalent. 

The bad news is that with trusted pharmaceutical and healthfood 

retailers selling products to enhance energy, increase fitness, 

speed recovery and aid weight-loss and toning, it’s very hard for a 

teenager to work out where the dangers lie. Supplements which are 

widely available from high street retailers and on the supermarket 

shelves are subject to rigorous testing, but there are grey areas. 

For example, Pseudoephedrine is a substance which falls into the 

matchday banned category, but which is present and unharmful in 

over-the-counter medication such as Nurofen and Lemsip Max. 

Players will gain little from using dietary supplements if they have 

not already optimised their hydration, diet, training and recovery 

practices. It is down to individual players, parents and coaches to 

be aware of the risks and be able to make well informed decisions. 

Apart from the obvious - don’t buy online, there is a plenty of advice 

available from the RFU and medical practitioners. Middlesex 

coaches, RDOs and CRCs can also offer help and advice. 

According to the NHS, the three major causes of 

concussion are being involved in a road accident, 

an accidental trip or fall, or taking part in sport. 

Professional rugby players and coaches in 

England will undergo a compulsory concussion 

education programme before the start of next 

season, and under the ‘Headcase’ banner, the RFU 

has embarked on a campaign to increase 

understanding and minimise risk at all levels of 

the game with an education programme to ensure 

that all stakeholders understand how to recognise 

and manage concussion. 

According to RFU chief medical office Dr Simon 

Kemp, “Concussion is acknowledged to be one of 

the most challenging sports injuries to diagnose, 

assess and rehabilitate.” A player does not need 

to be knocked out to have a concussion and 

identifying the symptoms is not always easy. 

Continuing to play increases the risk of more 

severe, longer lasting symptoms as well as risking 

other injuries, so any player who has received a 

blow to the head must be removed from the field 

of play immediately and assessed by the team 

doctor – even if they insist they are uninjured. 

Referees have been given wide ranging powers in 

this respect. Even where a player has been 

deemed fit to continue, if the referee has any 

concerns, he may order the player to leave the 

field for assessment. 

It is unrealistic to hope that concussion can ever 

be removed from the game completely but the risk 

can be minimised. As part of it’s Headcase 

campaign, the RFU has produced comprehensive 

guidelines for players, parents, coaches, match 

officials and healthcare professionals providing 

information, advice and resources on all 

concussion related issues. It is essential reading 

for everybody involved in the game. 

www.rfu.com/takingpart/playerhealth/concussion 


Lineout 

Sue Day talks to Middlesex Matters 

A brand new Day 

Below: England Days; 

Wasps’ winning ways; 

with former Wasps 

president Dickie Cargill; 

the old guard at Wasps 

For the first time in its 146-year history, 

Wasps FC has a female president. Sally 

Morgan talks to Sue Day, one of UK sport’s 

great female role models 

Wasps is Sue Day’s spiritual as well as her sporting home. 

Hailing from Stourbridge in the heart of ‘football country’, 

rugby was not even a blip on her radar until she left the ordinary 

state comprehensive where her parents had both taught, to study 

French and Spanish at Oxford. “I saw my first live rugby match 

at Uni,” she explains. “When I got the chance to play, I realised 

I was far better at this sport than any other I’d tried.” 

Day joined Wasps in 1996. During her sixteen years as a 

player, she won 59 caps and scored 61 tries for England. A fast 

and versatile athlete, she played as wing, centre and fullback. As 

captain of Wasps, she led the team to win the 2003 Premiership 

and a League and Cup double in 2005. In her first outing as 

England captain in 2007, Day led the team to victory in the Six 

Nations. She’s played in three World Cups and also captained 

England at the 2009 Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens. 

A year of studying abroad as part of her degree introduced 

Day to her first tea at Barcelona Uni. On her return to Oxford, 

Day joined the varsity women’s rugby club where she was 

fortunate enough to be coached by Canadian international and 

ex Wasps player, Gareth Rees. “I feel like I’ve come full circle,” 

she smiles. “To have started out being inspired by such a Wasps 

legend, then to play for them; to take over as President is a huge 

privilege and honour. I am black and gold to the core and feel 

immensely proud of how far this club has come.” 

Now 41, Sue Day restricts herself to only one regular game. 

“I play once a year with the Wasps Legends,” she says, “when the 

old club players go on tour to raise money for good causes. Last 

year, we raised £40,000 for various charities, which was great for a 

weekend of catching up with old friends.” 

Day has now returned to KPMG full-time as associate 

director, after working there part time throughout her 

international career. When she’s neither at work nor 

meeting her obligations at Wasps, she is championing the 

charity of which she is treasurer, Women’s Sports Trust 

(WST), a grass-roots movement of ordinary people and 

progressive organisations supporting women in sport. 

Day says, “Through WST we want to create bigger, 

better, stronger, more inspiring role models for young 

girls who want to get involved in sport. We raise money to 

award as grants and encourage greater engagement through 

participation, spectatorship and media coverage. While 

the sports world is far more open to women now, we still 

have a long way to go until it’s anywhere near equal.” She 

continues, “The sports pages are full of coverage of men’s 

sports but women remain underrepresented.” 

“Players are making their own 

clubs stronger as a result of the 

work we have done with them” 

A recent audit of the Sunday sports pages by the WST 

grants board revealed just how imbalanced media coverage and 

representation is between the sexes. Day explains, ”Women’s 

sports made up around 6% of coverage. To make a splash, female 

athletes usually have to be good-looking or half naked or both! 

We want women to be visible because of their achievements.” 

While facing such double standards has cultivated in her 

a healthy sense of humour, Day is keen to demonstrate the 

inevitable frustration it’s caused too. “When I was first starting 

out as a player our sponsor promoted the team by posing us all 

in posh dresses. It felt like we weren’t being taken seriously. We 

were playing to a high standard at an elite level and we’d much 

rather have focused on our abilities on the pitch.” 

Indeed, Day’s old team at Oxford recently produced a 

calendar where the girls posed naked apart from their socks 

and boots in locations all over the city to raise money for a 

mental health charity. I wonder what she made of that. 

“It’s a tricky one,” she smiles, “I respect the decisions made 

by a bunch of intelligent women in support of a good cause; 

although I would never have taken part because I’m far too shy. 

Personally I would prefer women’s sport to be promoted in other 

ways. There are many obstacles facing women who want to be 

taken seriously as athletes; so often people prefer to comment on 

appearance rather than performance. I’d much rather campaign 

for women’s Varsity teams to receive the same opportunity as 

men’s. Let them play alongside the men at Twickenham, for 

instance, and raise awareness of the game that way.” 

“What I most love about rugby,” Day enthuses, “is how 

size, shape and appearance don’t matter. Imagine a kid, 

slightly overweight, never been particularly good at anything, 

suddenly finds themselves on the rugby field as a prop – the 

most important member of the team. Imagine what that can 

do for someone’s self esteem.” 

Supporting the club as it strengthens the pathways for 

aspiring players is one of Day’s greatest rewards as President 

of Wasps. “Literally every blade of grass is taken up on 

Sunday mornings with very young kids wanting to play. You 

can’t beat an early start in terms of attaining skills. Kiwis can 

pass from both hands before they can talk! Now we too have 

girls like Emily Scarratt coming through who’ve been playing 

since they were tiny.” 

Yet even with all these new opportunities, it’s still easier 

to fill the boys teams than the girls. “Boys can become 

professional players if they’re good enough,” says Day, 

“something which is not currently an option for girls, 

however committed they are.” 

“It’s pretty tough at international level,” she says. 

“Because women’s rugby is still amateur, many players 

settle for part-time work rather than have a career or put off 

having a family so that they can play. Men can have a family 

more easily because they don’t need to take time off. And 

they get paid by their team.” 

Is professional women’s rugby something Day can see 

in the future? “Give it another hundred years,” she laughs. 

“For now, women will keep playing because they love it. And 

I want to help them do that.” 

for more info visit www.womenssporttrust.com 



15

Club profile 

Enfield Ignatians 

Thinking big... 

Everything at Enfield Ignatians is 

big, from their disasters to their 

triumphs. Lonsdale Leggett-Flynn 

finds out all about the small club 

with the big heart 

First, their ground was bulldozed to make way for the M11, 

prompting a fragmented and nomadic existence. Then, 

having finally settled in to new accommodation at Donkey 

Lane, the clubhouse they had lovingly built was razed to 

the ground in an arson attack. Pretty big disasters. Yet just 

a week after the fire, the big-hearted Enfield Ignatians were 

fielding four sides and, in that same season, giving it large 

in the quarter finals of the Pilkington Shield and being 

crowned undefeated champions of Middlesex Two. 

There are no small measures with Ignatians. Everything 

they do is on a grand scale, from circumnavigating adversity 

to planning tours and organising days out. 

After the motorway construction forced them from their 

home in 1973, Ignatians leased two pitches from Enfield 

Council. “It was a major upheaval” recalls club president 

Martin Baker, who still makes the occasional appearance for 

the Fours at the impressive age of 63. “We had to resort to 

pubs and clubs to entertain the opposition.” They’re big on 

largesse too, so it can’t have been ideal. 

Then they leased a ground at Winchmore Hill which 

had a clubhouse, but no pitch. Also not ideal. 

But the club had big plans and big powers of persuasion. 

Eventually, permission was granted for the construction of a 

new clubhouse and changing rooms at the Donkey Lane site, 

where things looked to be set fair until the fire in 1995 that 

threatened to destroy all their good work. 

“It took a massive effort all round to get over the fire 

and rebuild our club” recalls Baker. “We were devastated, 

as it was only a few years since we’d completed the new 

clubhouse at Donkey Lane. But the Ignatians are made of 

stern stuff and we were determined to beat it.” 

Beat it they did, and in a very big way. Within a year, 

a bigger and better clubhouse had been built and by 2005 

successive promotions propelled the blues and golds to 

London Two North East where they’ve been omnipresent 

ever since – albeit with one or two brief flirtations with 

the North-West league. They achieved their best league 

placing in 2011-12 with the playoffs in their sights, but 

finished third. 

In that same season, they won the Middlesex Bowl and 

reached the quarter finals of the RFU Intermediate Cup. 

Ignatians made the final of the Middlesex Cup in 

2008 in the County Final that almost didn’t take place 

after a freak weather front did its utmost to ruin the 

party by depositing a large quantity of unseasonal, 

overnight snow on the Enfield playing fields. But a flurry 

of April snow wasn’t going to dampen these big spirits. 

They reached for their brooms, cleared the pitch and 

were only narrowly beaten by the Civil Service Club, 

playing two divisions higher. 

The club has regularly produced players of county 

standard, and a few who have gone on to bigger and better 

things such as the Sanders brothers, Dennis (Saracens) 

and Phil (Wasps) who remains an integral part of the club, 

helping with coaching and playing occasionally for the Fours. 

Big strides on the pitch then, but the ‘big’ theme 

extends to the players too, if you count the ten foot stuffed 

clown who accompanied the Ignatians on tour but went 

missing at Cheltenham. Rumour has it that he still plays 

in their back row, though when challenged, a nonplusses 

Cheltenham spokesman expressed surprise at Ignatians’ 

indignation, countering that surely the club had at least 

another 15 clowns at their disposal. 

Yet it is a curious episode in the 70s which remains 

forever etched in Ignatians’ folklore, when a little known 

New Zealander called Mark Donaldson lost his bearings 

and wandered through the clubhouse door. 

Originally earmarked for another club, Donaldson ended up staying all 

season at Donkey Lane. He was eventually capped for the All Blacks but 

never forgot his time at Ignatians and later donated his international shirt 

to the club. The inscription records that Donaldson, having reportedly 

taken one look at the Ignatians pack and refused to play behind it, was 

dropped after one game. As misjudgments go, that was a big one, but this 

is not a club to do things by halves. 

Enfield Ignatians places a big emphasis on its supporting cast too and 

fields four senior teams most Saturdays. The decision to relaunch its youth 

section in 2004 was an inspired one and their organic growth since then 

has paid big dividends. The bulk of the current first team squad are not 

only local lads but also former colts. 

In addition to a dynamic junior section – the U15s are chasing a third 

consecutive league title and the U17s a third successive promotion – the 

club has successfully solidified its foundations by adding a thriving minis 

section and the RFU Accreditation that followed was a natural sequel. 

Things in Enfield happen on a big scale off the pitch too, where big 

plans and big ambition come to the fore. Although he retired as chairman 

at the end of last season, a lot of the off-field success can be credited to 

Glyn Jones. “We have invested a great deal in our clubhouse and facilities 

over the last few years, including new floodlights and storage with financial 

help from the RFU, but we have also made it a priority to invest in our 

people, leading to more and better referees and coaches.” 

There are no small measures with 

Enfield Ignatians. Everything they do 

is on a grand scale 

One of those coaches is Emile Hertz, now in his fourth season with 

the club. “We’ve got some good young players coming into the setup” he 

boasts, “and the aim is to get promotion to London One within the next two 

seasons.” With the help of Middlesex skills’ coach Steve Atkinson who is 

playing a big role in club development, this looks like a realistic ambition. 

A relatively new broom, youth chairman Harold Pritchard, known 

to his charges as ‘HP’, joined the club in 2005 and has his own style of 

bigging it up. He has been a catalyst in some of Ignatians’ biggest and 

boldest projects, and masterminded last summer’s Big Tour to South 

Africa, when 63 club members embarked on the club’s most ambitious 

tour, encompassing six matches, a mountain, an island and a large amount 

of team bonding. At least that’s what they’re calling it. 

Against all the odds, and some fairly sizable obstacles, Enfield 

Ignatians have come a long way since their inception as Old Ignatians 

in 1949, when their prime purpose was to provide rugby playing 

opportunities for former pupils of St Ignatius College at its original Park 

Lane base in Tottenham. They overcame flattening, fire and now flooding 

– in common with nearly every other club in the country, their pitches 

have been waterlogged – and they even survived a brief spell when they 

decamped across the border into Essex. 

But what’s clear is this is a club with an enormous heart, big ambitions 

and no shortage of big personalities to match. 

Big day out 

The Big Day Out is the biggest and boldest project 

Enfield Ignatians have ever pulled off. On the 1st 

March, the entire club decamped to Saracens’ 

ground at Allianz Park for the day, along with coach 

loads of supporters and opposition clubs, to play all 

their weekend’s league and Merit Table fixtures. 

The club organised a similar outing last year, but this 

year’s Big Day Out was bigger and better than ever, 

“the largest and most exciting event in the club’s 

history,” according to the club’s publicity guru Jonathan 

Landi, not that he needed to add any extra PR spin. 

The first game kicked-off at 9.30 am, the prelude to 12 

hours back-to-back rugby during which all teams from 

minis to seniors, took to the famous Saracens’ pitch. 

“Every single of the 500 players in the club, 

ranging from four to 64, got a game against 

different opposition,” boasts HP, the brains behind 

the giant-sized extravaganza. 

The finale was a floodlit London 2NE league clash 

against Saffron Walden, and just like any other 

high-profile match at Allianz Park, players were 

cheered onto the pitch to a rousing sound track and 

the cheers of their team mates, the teams lined up to 

sing the National Anthem, led by Saracens vocalist 

Emily Yarrow, in front of a packed grandstand and all 

the action was broadcast live on a big screen. Despite 

losing 20-16, the professional theme continued with 

the Enfield captain and his opposite number giving 

post match interviews for the Sky cameras. 

Earlier in the day, Middlesex Rugby president 

Michael Barnes presented the RFU Accreditation 

plaque to club president Martin Baker, and local MP 

Nick de Bois presented cups to all the winners of 

the youth games. 

Top: Ignatians First XV v Saffron Walden 

Left: Making a break for it... Minis tag player 

Ben Villamor, U17s Dillon Adabie v Barnett and 

IVs stalwart Stephen ‘Moose” Renny v Hackney III 



17


Centurions... 

Centurions at Chiswick have been awarded commemorative 

caps by the ultimate centurion Jason Leonard. 

Having been capped 114 times for England and five times 

for the British and Irish Lions, no-one is better qualified than 

Leonard to present centurion caps to those who have played 

more than 100 First XV matches for Chiswick. 

The presentation took place at the Chiswick clubhouse 

after their London 2 League Match against Beaconsfield. 

The pre-match lunch was attended by 37 centurions who 

had achieved the 100 cap milestone in previous eras, 

either playing for Chiswick, or for the club in its former 

Far left: Shane 

Donaldson, who 

organised the 

presentation and 

persuaded Leonard 

to do the honours, 

is presented with 

his cap by the most 

famous centurion 

of them all 

Left: Chiswick 

centurions 

incarnation as Old Meadonians. Five current First XV 

players also received caps. 

Trevor Smith has played 552 times for the First XV. “It 

was fantastic to see so many old friends and the highlight was 

to be presented with my cap by Jason Leonard” he beamed. 

“What a great guy he is, excellent to talk to and patient with 

all of us fans who wanted a few moments with him.” 

Club president Steve Kick added, “It was a wonderful 

occasion for the club to celebrate the achievements of so 

many fine players that have represented our club during 

our 55 year history”. 

Club 

news from 

scene 

the clubs around the county 

Honours for Mangan 

A university scholarship to support a paralysed student has 

been set up in memory of Hammersmith & Fulham player Stuart 

Mangan who suffered a devastating spinal injury. Mangan was 

paralysed from the neck down in April 2008 as a result of the 

injury which he sustained while playing for the Hammers, 

where he is considered an inspiration. The former scrum-half 

never regained sensation below the neck and was only able to 

breathe with the aid of a ventilator. 

Originally from Cork, and a graduate of Rockwell College and 

UCC, Mangan displayed incredible courage in dealing with the 

monumental challenge of his injury. Sadly, however, in August 

2009 he developed pneumonia and died at St Mary’s Hospital in 

Paddington in the presence of his parents, Brian and Una, and 

his three brothers Keith, John and Barry. 

Mangan’s family gathered at the University of Limerick in 

December where details of a scholarship established in memory 

of the Cork man “who truly loved life” were unveiled. 

The €25,000 a year scholarship was established to support a 

paralysed sportsperson in fulfilling their educational potential at 

UL for up to four years. 

The Stuart Mangan Scholarship includes not only financial 

support but the support of a number of mentors including Keith 

Wood, Denis O’Brien and Stuart’s brother Keith. 

“Stuart was a great encourager and he would be delighted to 

help anyone to overcome their challenges,” Keith Mangan said. 

The scholarship is part funded by the W2 Fund established by 

Ruckley’s rules 

Wood to support sport-related projects for young people. 

The former Irish rugby international said at the launch: “I 

got to know Stuart’s family in the weeks following his 

accident and recognised that Stuart’s strength was a trait 

that ran through them all.” 

Last season, the Hammers Vets squad travelled to Dublin to 

play in the curtain-raiser match for the Ireland Legends v 

England Legends – both teams playing for the Stuart 

Mangan Memorial Cup. The Vets managed to raise over 

£45,000 for the fund. This season the Stuart Mangan 

Memorial Cup fixture returned to the Twickenham Stoop, in 

February; England Legends v Ireland Legends. 

IN BRIEF... 

The Lensbury Club in Teddington and 

St Mary’s University, Twickenham 

have been selected as a combined 

venue for one of 65 approved World 

Cup training camps. 

Little Hammers with balls... 

The Hammersmith & Fulham minis show off their new BMW balls. Under 

a new sponsorship agreement with BMW Park Lane, all the balls at the 

club, from First XV match balls to those used by the mini section, are 

branded by the Park Lane BMW dealership. 

Tarting up Teddington 

Teddington is finally to get its new clubhouse. The awarding of a grant from the RFU 

and a loan from the Rugby Football Foundation completes the funding the club 

requires, and building work commenced in January. The walls went up, blew down in 

the high winds, and are now up again. 

After an exhaustive application process the RFU awarded the club a grant of 

£76,000 and the RFF an interest free loan of £100,000 to top off the club’s own 

fundraising efforts, bringing the total amount raised to over £630,000. 

Club chairman Gareth Cross is grateful for the support the club has received. “A 

heartfelt thank you to the RFU and RFF for helping and advising us and making our 

much needed new clubhouse become a reality.” 

Grasshoppers Rugby Club has just launched the RFU’s new mini 

rugby initiative Kids First Rugby, a new approach to the way the 

game is played at clubs which puts the child at the centre, 

developing at the child’s own pace so that more children 

experience success. 

Grasshoppers was selected as one of 20 clubs countrywide and 

is the first in Middlesex to participate in Kids First Rugby. 

With the official England Rugby Ambassador for the 

children’s game, English bulldog Ruckley, in support, 

Grasshoppers will adopt the new rules of play which put 

the child at the centre of training and playing. 

Tony Robinson, RFU Player Development Officer, ran the initial 

introductory sessions with coaches, managers and parents and 

said: “Grasshoppers already have a great set up at mini and junior 

level and this new initiative will help ensure their young players 

have a great rugby experience. The two sessions we’ve run so far 

have been very well received, with coaches and parents impressed 

by the new approach and keen to see the young players benefit 

from getting to know Kids First Rugby and Ruckley”. 

Grasshoppers chairman for mini rugby Leroy Arbouine added: 

“We are very keen to ensure that all our players get the very 

best experience, and we couldn’t wait to roll out Kids First 

Rugby in this our tenth season of mini and junior rugby. 

The coaches are very enthusiastic about learning the 

different techniques and making sure that we put the 

child at the heart of everything that we do. Everyone 

is very excited to 

meet Ruckley too.” 

Not to be left out, 

Ruckley had the last word: 

“Rugby is fun and I love to see 

all my friends enjoying playing,” he 

said. “It’s the best sport in the world, 

with lots of tries and exciting team action. 

I can’t wait to meet all the players at 

Grasshoppers.” 

for more information visit www.rfu.com/ruckley 




Training with the stars 

Chris Robshaw and Connor O’Shae turned out for 

training as usual last December, but not with their 

team mates from Harlequins or the England set-up. 

The England and Harlequins captain and 

the Quins head coach made the journey to Old 

Streetonians to launch the QBE Hit Squad, an 

initiative to take quality coaching to grassroots clubs. 

Old Streets were selected by the RFU to host 

the launch following the recent qualification of six 

of their players as QBE Level Two coaches. The 

club has run two courses this season at their newly 

RFU accredited centre on Hackney Marshes and 

the recent results on the pitch reflect the impact that 

good coaching can make. 

Old Streets coaches Nick Barham, Alex Webb 

and Bast Down presented the session with the 

help of the two high profile visitors and players 

were treated to the insight of their professional 

knowledge of the game. 

The initiative is part of the Rugby World Cup 

2015 legacy to grow the game through quality 

coaching. It will provide an opportunity for clubs 

from four regions around the country to get a 

similar experience with the likes of World Cup 

winners Jason Robinson, Mike Tindall and Neil 

Back covering Middlesex. It is hoped that the QBE funding for 

courses will result in 2,015 additional Level Two coaches by 2015 

when the World Cup comes to England. 

The two hours of coaching was followed by a Q & A session 

where Robshaw and O’Shae were keener to engage with the Old 

Streets players than with the media who were there to get interviews 

and photos for the QBE Hit Squad launch. 

for more information visit www.qberugby.com 

Finchley’s double 

sided heritage 

Finchley’s cantilevered stand is the latest in a series of buildings to be granted 

Grade II listed status by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. 

Opened at Finchley’s Summers Lane ground in 1930, it is the oldest reinforced 

concrete cantilevered grandstand in Britain. 

In addition to its use of advanced concrete engineering the stand is also one of 

the very few double sided stands in existence, serving two different clubs. 

The stand is important on several counts. Reinforced concrete cantilevered stands 

started to appear at continental racecourses during the early part of the 20th century. As 

engineers became more confident using the material, the roof spans, and the number of 

seats they sheltered, grew steadily larger, from a few hundred to a thousand or more. 

The stand at Finchley formed the centrepiece of a general sports ground laid out 

by Finchley Urban District Council. Next door to the ground was a large lido, with 

two pools, built between 1931-34, but demolished in 1994. 

Costing around £3,000, the Summers Lane stand and the ground as a whole was 

officially opened on Saturday December 30 1930 by the Secretary of the Football 

Association, Sir Frederick Wall. Percy Harrison kicked off the inaugural match. 

FOND 

FAREWELLS 

Old Hamptonian Subhash Kamarth 

died unexpectedly on Saturday 4th 

January. 

A well know character, Subi (pictured 

below) was a key member of the club 

for over 40 years and will be greatly 

missed by his many friends at 

Hamptonians and in the Middlesex 

rugby community. 

Members of Pinner & Grammarians 

paid tribute to two club stalwarts who 

died in January. Geoffrey Nuelle was a 

player and Clubhouse Secretary in the 

70s and 80s and Fred Runacres, the 

last president of the former Pinner 

RFC and the first of Pinner & 

Grammarians RFC, died aged 91. Fred 

was a former Pinner player and 

secretary of the Harrow and District 

Rugby Referees Society. 

Pat W Sykes of Wasps FC & England 

also died in January. Pat won seven 

caps for England, and was also a 

Middlesex Rugby vice president. 

Club 

news from 

scene 

the clubs around the county 

Diplomatic immunity 

IN BRIEF... 

Saracens Amateurs are the latest 

Middlesex club to be awarded RFU 

Accreditation, along with Enfield 

Ignatians, Teddington and Old 

Isleworthians, bringing the tally of 

accredited Middlesex clubs to 25. 


A new trophy donated by former Prime Minister of Japan Yoshiro Mori was presented to 

Kew Occasionals by Japanese Ambassador His Excellency Keiichi Hayashi. The trophy 

commemorates the tenth anniversary of the death of Ambassador Katsuhiko Oku, a 

former member of the club, who was killed whilst on diplomatic duty in Iraq. 

Sarries’ rugby camps 

During the Easter holidays Saracens will be hosting three separate courses for young 

aspiring rugby players at Allianz Park, varying from a two day skills clinic to specific 

kicking clinics. Each course has been specifically designed to enable participants to 

cover all aspects of rugby within a professional and fun environment. 

Content is spread across six fundamentals of rugby; SAQ, handling, decision making, 

offloading, tackling/tagging and breakdown management and all content is specific to 

each age group ensuring that all those in attendance develop at their own pace. 

Participants will be given the chance to showcase their skills within plenty of game play. 

7 / 8 April and 16 / 17 April: Two Day Skills Clinic (6-16 year olds) 

15 April: Kicking Clinic (10-17 year olds) 

TO SECURE A PLACE VISIT www.rugbycamps.com 

RETAINING TALENT 

The first match of what is planned to be an annual challenge between Teddington and 

Twickenham Under 23s took place at Twickenham’s Parkfields ground in December. 

Played in honour of Chris Mapletotf, the Teddington and Hampton School player 

who tragically died last year just before starting his degree course, the intention 

of the challenge is to attract players back to rugby who may have gone off to 

university and college or simply given up the game after youth level. 

Despite both sides level pegging into the final 20 minutes, the home team ran out 

winners with a final score of 46-24, and their captain Jasper Bhamra was 

presented with the Chris Mapletoft Trophy by Chris’s mother Lesley. 

The huge turnout of players and spectators from both clubs points to this 

becoming a popular fixture in the rugby calendar. Teddington will host return 

fixture in Bushy Park next Christmas. 

IN BRIEF... 

Ben Ward is to succeed Mike Cudmore as 

coaching director at Ealing Trailfinders 

from June 2014. In the meantime Ward 

will continue his role as head coach while 

working to prepare for next season. 

The appointment underlines the club’s 

strong commitment to producing and 

developing their own coaching talent and 

allowing that talent the chance to flourish. 


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Grasshoppers joins the pack 

Grasshoppers is a club built on the strength of its 

volunteers, so it provided a fitting venue for England 

2015 Ambassador and Rugby World Cup winner 

Jonny Wilkinson to launch ‘The Pack’ – the volunteer 

programme for Rugby World Cup 2015. 

Wilkinson was joined at the launch by seven 

Grasshoppers volunteers, including director of external 

affairs Louise Latter, who wasted little time in trying to 

recruit the global rugby star! 

“It was incredible to have Jonny Wilkinson sitting 

next to me in our relatively modest changing rooms,” said 

Latter. “I apologised that our facilities weren’t perhaps of 

the standard he was used to, but he laughed and said I’d 

be surprised, as ours were actually much better than some 

he’d been in within professional rugby!” 

Wilkinson also took part in a coaching session for 

Grasshoppers’ volunteers. U18 player Tom Sherwen, who 

is one of Grasshoppers’ four Young Rugby Ambassadors 

tasked with communicating about the World Cup and 

bringing back 16-24 years olds to the game, enthused: 

“It was a privilege to meet Jonny Wilkinson, who I have 

admired for years. 

“It’s fantastic to see the community game working 

hand-in-hand with people at the top of the elite game.” 

Grasshoppers RFC epitomises the volunteer spirit 

within rugby union; from negotiating the lease of their 

ground, to designing the clubhouse, funding the first 

bar, running the shop and providing referees, first 

aiders and coaches for the juniors – volunteers provide 

the foundation for its existence. As part of the club’s 

commitment to volunteers, it has a volunteer co-ordinator 

and a volunteer strategy in place. 

Leroy Arbouine, who embodies the Grasshoppers’ 

volunteer spirit, is part of the club’s executive committee. 

He said: “There was a real buzz around the club following 

the launch because it brought home that the Rugby 

World Cup is just around the corner, temporally and also 

geographically.” 

 

 

 

 

Bomber Command visits P&G 

 

 

The life and times of former P&G 

Keltie was accompanied at the lunch by 

 

president Bill North were remembered the sole surviving member of that crew, 

 

by more than 60 players and guests at a mid-upper gunner Dennis Bartlett, now in 

 

lunch in January hosted by current club his 90s, together with Geoff Grey, a 

 

president David Hiles. 

former Pathfinder pilot with 61 Squadron, 

 

One of the guests was writer Chris and his wife June an ex war time nurse. 

 

Keltie, the author of the book “Riding in Since North died two years ago, Kielty has 

 

the Shadow of Death” about North’s updated his book to record meetings with 

 

remarkable war time experiences as a Prince Charles, the belated unveiling of the 

 

young 20 year old. 

Bomber Command Memorial and the 

 

In June 1944 the Lancaster that North meeting that he, the veterans and the North 

 

 

was piloting was shot down near Rouen family had with David Cameron at No 10. stood in silent tribute to two other club 

 

in northern France. North, although badly Hiles commented, “The visit by the 

members who died last week, Geoffrey 

 

wounded, managed to crash land his comrades of our beloved former president 

 

Nuelle, player and clubhouse secretary 

plane in the dark in a field near Les is probably one of the greatest honours in the 70s and 80s and Fred Runacres, 

Andelys. All the crew survived but spent ever bestowed on the club”. 

the last president of the former Pinner 

the remainder of the war in a POW camp. In a day charged with emotion, guests RFC and the first of P&G RFC. 


In touch 

Your chance to have your say 

THE LENSBURY 

Between the posts 

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The Lensbury is full of surprises, nestled on the banks of the River 

Thames and near Twickenham with an history of hosting away teams and 

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and award-winning spa. With 173 unique bedrooms and a hearty cooked 

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Book online or call our reservations 

team on 020 8614 6400 

Send us your news and views on rugby in 

Middlesex. We’ll send a couple of tickets for 

Middlesex Club 7s for every letter we print 

Changing times 

Sir 

Whilst sorting out old books 

in preparation for a house move, I 

came across this in a book published 

by Marks & Spencer back in 1987, 

‘Rugby – A Way of Life’ containing 

a picture of this old poster which I 

thought may be of interest. 

I wonder where the original is? 

Is it the Middlesex Archives which at 

one time were kept by David Hudgell 

until his demise. 

I wonder also what would 

happen in the current era if Team 

Middlesex were pitted against the 

mighty All Blacks? 

Graham K Lee (Middlesex Rugby 

Facility Coordinator) 

Brian Martin is now the Middlesex 

Archivist. Perhaps he can shed some light 

on the whereabouts of the original. Ed 

Scrum dilemma 

Sir 

Continuing the conversation about 

scrummaging, at the end of the Saxons 

game against Scotland last year we were 

pressing on the Scots’ line and winning 

Soapbox corner 

Sir 

Following your comments regarding the “booze runs”, how disappointing 

to see nothing had changed at the England v New Zealand game last Autumn. 

Having received an accidental Guinness shower from rowdy fans behind us, I got 

to wondering what on earth is happening to our once measured and understated 

approach to our game? Why must we be subjected to fireworks and throbbing 

heart beats throughout the match? Must we follow the American lead in pursuit 

of “whipping up” enthusiasm? In American football they need this; the play on the 

field is never as fierce or committed as rugby in the UK, so they have to hype it up! 

Twickenham does not need it – consider for a moment the unorchestrated singing 

of “Sweet Chariot” and the lusty rendition of the National Anthem. 

Twickenham administration, GET WISE! Bin the marketing hype; cut out 

tens of thousands carelessly spent on “entertainment” that the true rugby fan 

does not value. Spend the money of the youth programmes, or make tickets 

more affordable. Whatever the outcome, get rid of the flashy hype that adds 

absolutely nothing to the Twickenham experience! 

Ron Migliorini (Thurrock RFC) 

Dear Disgruntled of Thurrock. You may have a point. Ed 

Email the editor at editorial@middlesexrugby.com or write to: The Editor, Middlesex Matters, 

Middlesex Rugby, PK1 Twyford Avenue Sports Ground, Twyford Avenue, Acton, London W3 9QA. 

in the scrum. The Scottish front row 

was penalised and the prop was given a 

yellow card and rightly retired to the sin 

bin. The Scots had used all their front 

row subs, so uncontested scrums had to 

be implemented. 

The result was that the English 

domination of the scrum was negated 

and we went on to loose the game. This 

cannot be fair. The opposition were 

guilty of foul play, were penalised and 

were better off as a result. 

Why not sin bin the offender and, 

if there is no sub available, allow the 

offender back on for the next scrum 

and sin bin another forward. 

Just a thought, I may have missed 

a point as my knowledge of the Laws 

of Rugby Union are marginally worse 

than my knowledge of ancient Greek. 

John Gunner (Rosslyn Park) 

It seems that even with the much 

heralded rule changes governing 

scrummaging at elite level, the issue of 

collapsing scrums has not been resolved. 

This one will no doubt run and run. Ed 

International 

interruptions 

Sir 

There is a simple solution to the 

irritation of interruptions at international 

games that requires no adjustment to bar 

opening times. It works like this: 

Any spectator leaving his seat 

during the first half will be readmitted 

at half time. 

Any spectator leaving his seat 

during the second half will be 

readmitted at the end of the match. 

Entrances to seating areas will 

remain open until 10 minutes after 

the start of the match and the start of 

the second half. 

Those wishing to see the game will 

be directed to the nearest TV screen. 

This solution is not too far 

removed from what presently happens 

at Wimbledon so it should meet the 

approval of the Chief Executive. 

Penny Trigg (by email) 

24 www.middlesexrugby.com www.middlesexrugby.com 25 

The Lensbury, Broom Road, Teddington, TW11 9NU 

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Before 

After 

Congratulations to Lynn Hay of Old Streetonians who won the Sudoku competition in the last issue. She will receive two 

Autumn international tickets. In case you got stuck, the answer to the puzzle was ‘GRUBBY GAME.’ 

Send your answer and your contact details The County Office, Middlesex Rugby, PK1 Sports Ground, Twyford Avenue, Acton, London W3 9QA. Correct entries will be collected and 

a winner drawn on 30 April 2014. The Editor’s decision is final. Winners will be notified by phone or email. The winner’s name, and the answers to this competition will be 

published in the next edition of Middlesex Matters. 

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