Firstly, apologies for the tardy publication of this week's missive which was entirely
due to the authors participation in the 'Old Farts' Christmas lunch at the rugby club.
The participants are players, supporters and officials of the club, roughly aged
between 60 and 90 who meet annually to discuss the advantages of the three-point try,
leather studs and lace up leather balls.

It includes the 'presentation' of the Danny Breen memorial trophy. Danny was
the larger than life steward in the 70s and 80s whom we lost some 30 years ago.
The trophy is ‘presented’ to the first participant who exited this mortal coil between
the annual lunches. It's the trophy no one ever accepts and no one wants to win. I'm
happy to report that nobody got their name on the plaque this year.

Onto rugby, today sees our last home 1 st XV fixture before Christmas with some 360
people attending lunch. So, let's hope we're all suitably entertained.

With the first round of matches completed in this season's campaign, we find
ourselves sitting firmly in the middle of the table in sixth position, two places and
three points behind this week's opposition, Shelford.

Shelford took the spoils early season up in Cambridge with a convincing win and are
in a rich vein of form having beaten Tring, Southend and Sudbury in their last three
outings, although prior to that they suffered the defeat at the hands of Amersham
and Chilern.

This week's encounter will hopefully be a very different affair as we all know the
artificial surfaces are not where we play our best rugby. Our pitch took a bit of a
beating last week, courtesy of very entertaining second team victory against
Southend but Martin and his posse have done another great job despite the
inclement weather, in reviving the pitch for this week's encounter.

We have a few changes this week with Fadz starting at prop in place of the
unavailable Basra and James Bovaird getting his first start as he and Finn Bloomer
rotate the bench.

Banner returns after his annual service and Corcoran has recovered from last week's
injury that saw him leave the field early.

The influential Thacker returns to the second row and Alex Kay continues his
nomadic positional existence with a return to the wing.

You may notice a difference this week as we shall be trialing broadcasting some
music at strategic moments of the day. The chances of it all going to plan are
probably pretty slim so please bear with us. Like all things we will get it right
eventually.

Here's hoping for another cracking game.

See you there, mine's a Guinness.