First Visit to Kingsholm
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
15p for just a couple of pages. Obviously the players name but the Editors comments were always different, and invariably humorous i think that alone made you feel part of the club somehow.
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
"beachy - George Cole was a hero of mine - scrum half and latterly full back who was deadly with his straight on toe-poke place kicking. In those days, there were no such things as kicking tees, but we made a sort of semi-circular mound in the mud by digging our heel into the ground, on which to place the ball ...
Saw him many times at Coundon Road, and I also had the pleasure of hearing Peter Jackson speak after dinner at a club function."
Westy, yes, both George Cole and Peter Jackson were amongst the best players of their era and Coventry was certainly regarded as the top club in that time. My cousin turned out a number of times on the wing for them a few years later until a career ending injury
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
MarcusRann wrote:First visit sometime in the mid 80s with school. RC Hannaford was our biology teacher and arranged. Then a few games through the 90s I worked in hotels and restaurants and there weren't many games on a Tuesday afternoon- my only day off. I remember one game vs Newcastle late 90s and one something like NZ under 21s vs South west students. I also bought my first copy of ShedHead. It had a a pic of PSA or Ludo with a chant of Le Glawstair on the front. Then for 10 years I lived in London so saw Glos more often away at Sarries, Wasps at Loftus Road, Quins and a few chastening visits to Twickenham.
Thought you were an OR. I think you were in upper 6th when I was in 4th year. I was also introduced to Gloucester in late 80s through Rendcomb and later was coached by Nigel Scrivens at the RAC. I was in total awe having watched him, Brain, Sims and Etheridge do battle in the second row.
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
Before the game a few Welsh supporters shinned up the goal posts to tie leeks to the crossbars. Of course, due to our nearness to the border, there were probably
as many Welsh supporters as English
I remember less about the actual game but 2 players stood out ,even to my then very limited knowledge of rugby , Bleddyn Williams and Haydn Tanner.
Unfortunately for the last year I feel that I will no longer be able to tackle the steps in the Shed or the stands so will have settle for my armchair in front of the TV with a large single malt.
Re: First Visit to Kingsholm
It wasn't a bad crop of players for those years. Ben Maslen went to play a season at Glos and his brother Dan was scrum half for Cambridge - and got knocked out cold at Twickenham. Gareth Davies played at Bath etc.
I also seem to remember P S-A turning up at a ORs match. There was a shortage of players so he stuck his boots on and played.
I did 3 years at RAC but didn't play. I had the dubious honour of sharing a house with the giant Richard West. 6ft10 and drove a mini.