Wimborne RFC Touring Team 1980’s – 1990’s
It could be argued that anyone could put an elite performance together for 80mins on any given Saturday, 5 days however appears to sort the men out from the boys!
It became a bi-annual event to promote the brand of Wimborne RFC across Europe during the Easter Weekend, Sancerre of course being the venue of much missionary work. Touring became so competitive, if my memory serves me correctly one year, we had a Yard of Ale qualifying time prior to you being able to secure a seat on the bus!
That being said, let’s have a look at my all-time Touring 15:
Manager: V Foster
Press Secretary: P.Baglow
Honorary Pinkie Poo : M.Hayter
- Amos
- Sponge Dawson (Kitty Manager)
- David
- Tobitt
- Van Den Akker
- Kerley
- Pantlin
- Edwards
- Bottwood
- MacIntosh
- Watkins
- Wickenden © Judge & Jury
- BWhitby
- Whitby
- Collumbine
- Dawson
- Mead
- Philpot
- Mortimer
- Baglow
Few absolute stars amongst this menagerie:
C.Amos- Played his first game on tour, drank under the table by a 15 year old female Gypsy on the Grappa
T.Pantlin- Came up short on his beer kitty donation sure the Doberman remains incapacitated to this day
A.Edwards – Top Tenor
H.Bottwood – “Biter Bottwood” loved a game he could get his teeth into!
Wix – Lead from the front both Judge and Jury when the need arose.
The Flying Whitby’s – Father and son graced the turf on many occasion, who will remember the Battle of Caen
J.Collumbine- always ready, human pharmacist wherever he went
A.Mead – Certainly proved an endurance athlete, when it came to the bus, he didn’t care which bus he used.
M.Hayter – proved invaluable liaison for our town twinning event and certainly developed a taste for chocolate mouse
B.Dawson – I believe there is either a monument to Barry on the side of a motorway in France or a 60ft high Rhododendron
V.Foster – I would like to have a drink with my friend David Oliver – Oh Dear!
There are of course so many stories, now folklore, which underpin the values of our club, many of these came from Tours away, the friendships built and the camaraderie went a long way towards the season ahead – great times now so sadly missing from the game.
As always these are just my views, please feel free to comment on Facebook, and I would like to invite you next week to enjoy my team of “Enforcers”. That happy band of people who only needed a referee to kick the game off, would not have played many games under today’s rules - I can assure you!
