A story this week from a player who only recently joined the VP ranks. Allan made several front row appearances in Sarries’ successful 2019/20 campaign, and his motivational attitude helped to influence games from beyond the sidelines too.
As a Currie RFC schoolboy in 1980’s Edinburgh, I never felt I was much of a player,having the physique of a racing snake and the hands of a clock. Spells in Murrayfield schoolboys enclosure gave me the bug as a fan, watching the last of the amateur internationals. University at Glasgow gave the chance of the odd game for Glasgow Jordanhill Hillhead RFC, the odd inter-university club game and I filled out out enough to be reasonable as a flanker.
When I moved south to work for YARD, Ltd, in 1992, I found a warm welcome in Corsham RFC, playing second row (Wiltshire lads were a bit short) and occasional flanker. Highlights included Bath combination plate and Dorset Wilts champions, playing across Southern counties (from the south coast up to the Cotswolds, and east to Windsor Castle). A season at Allen Glens RFC as number 8 back in Glasgow, allowed me to score more points than my whole English career, before I returned to Corsham. Filling out again due to frequent weights and canoeing, I found myself playing more and more second row and at prop.
Moving to Bath to finally join the Admiralty as a Naval Constructor, the trip to Corsham became more challenging, especially when work moved to Bristol. I did to play for AbbeyWood civil service in Bristol leagues and to sit on the bench for the national Civil Service side! Eventually Messers Lawrence, Pylesy and Rimmer felt a prop playing for Sarries, the team on my doorstep, was a good idea! The comradeship I have had from Bath Saracens since joining in 2006 is best summed for me by our performance with 10 men in 2012 against Cricklade with the help of the river as winger along the touch line. WARNING: This tale will take longer to tell in a bar. As a prop, the little battles in each set piece were my proudest, (or a breather as the hair-gel boys call it). Remember the set-piece wins games, the glamour of scoring we leave mostly to the backs! The seasons for Sarries as loosehead or tight are my fondest as are the friends, I still hold.
