On Wednesday I finally fulfilled my promise to go and watch William Prideaux play rugger. He is in the the Colts 'A' team for Stowe.
Although 60 miles away, it is motorway practically door to door so it is a swift and effortless journey. But the weather was appalling and it looked like dusk when we arrived at 2pm.
Both teams put up a terrific battle and Stowe went on to win with a 17 to 5 lead. William Prideaux played very well and suffered badly for his courage when he made a cracking flying tackle . I had been bellowing from the touch-line, like a ranting lunatic, that no one was tackling properly ....and despite a throat so sore that it had taken me twice to hospital that very week...I carried on. The next thing I know is that William has a real case of possible concussion and immediately after the game is taken to sick bay. Here nurse checks his vital signs and he is kept in over night. Coach comes in to say that he was just singing William's praise in the after game de-brief and it was only then that they realised that William wasn't in the changing room; coach was also pleased to say that William had been nominated as 'man of the match' - which is fantastic but I do wish that perhaps I hadn't bellowed so much. Cameron, William's friend who had been to stay with us in Norfolk during the summer holidays, got it on this occasion.
In sick bay a funny thing happened. Entirely through feature and face recognition, I met the son of friends of mine. Archie Walters is the son of Alex Walters who I have known since 1975 when we met at school...I think we went on an art trip to Florence in 1977 with my Pa. Archie's mother Caroline I have known since 1982 and had become close to her brothers Edward Bulmer (from UEA which from today has been put on the world map because of leaked emails to do with global warming) Mark and Hugo. I often stayed and had frequently shot at their lovely country house at Puddleston. I had also hooked up with Edward and Caroline in Courcheval when they were based in Meribel circa 1986. Finally, I had also known Archie's stepfather - James Dean- since 1982 when I stepped out with his stepsister Sarah Allen and had frequently stayed at their house East Mere in Lincolnshire as well as the house in Perthshire called Percy. I think it freaked Archie out a touch to have this chap in sick bay talking about all those nearest to him over a thirty year period. All he was doing was waiting patiently to be discharged by nurse having survived a bout of the old swine-flu. Still, he has each of his parent's natural charm. Talk about a chip off the block.
Its amazing to think the trouble you can cause by going to watch a rugger match...
Although 60 miles away, it is motorway practically door to door so it is a swift and effortless journey. But the weather was appalling and it looked like dusk when we arrived at 2pm.
Both teams put up a terrific battle and Stowe went on to win with a 17 to 5 lead. William Prideaux played very well and suffered badly for his courage when he made a cracking flying tackle . I had been bellowing from the touch-line, like a ranting lunatic, that no one was tackling properly ....and despite a throat so sore that it had taken me twice to hospital that very week...I carried on. The next thing I know is that William has a real case of possible concussion and immediately after the game is taken to sick bay. Here nurse checks his vital signs and he is kept in over night. Coach comes in to say that he was just singing William's praise in the after game de-brief and it was only then that they realised that William wasn't in the changing room; coach was also pleased to say that William had been nominated as 'man of the match' - which is fantastic but I do wish that perhaps I hadn't bellowed so much. Cameron, William's friend who had been to stay with us in Norfolk during the summer holidays, got it on this occasion.
In sick bay a funny thing happened. Entirely through feature and face recognition, I met the son of friends of mine. Archie Walters is the son of Alex Walters who I have known since 1975 when we met at school...I think we went on an art trip to Florence in 1977 with my Pa. Archie's mother Caroline I have known since 1982 and had become close to her brothers Edward Bulmer (from UEA which from today has been put on the world map because of leaked emails to do with global warming) Mark and Hugo. I often stayed and had frequently shot at their lovely country house at Puddleston. I had also hooked up with Edward and Caroline in Courcheval when they were based in Meribel circa 1986. Finally, I had also known Archie's stepfather - James Dean- since 1982 when I stepped out with his stepsister Sarah Allen and had frequently stayed at their house East Mere in Lincolnshire as well as the house in Perthshire called Percy. I think it freaked Archie out a touch to have this chap in sick bay talking about all those nearest to him over a thirty year period. All he was doing was waiting patiently to be discharged by nurse having survived a bout of the old swine-flu. Still, he has each of his parent's natural charm. Talk about a chip off the block.
Its amazing to think the trouble you can cause by going to watch a rugger match...