|
Dorking 310 British & Irish Lions 5
It was
always going to be the biggest match up of the season. The
British Lions had gone for the Big Guns selecting seventies’
superstar David Duckham MBE as skipper for the reunion at
the Big Field track in Brockham. Duckham’s strategy was
obviously to leverage local knowledge with the selection of
Dorking member and resident John ‘JRC’ Young CBE from the
1959 tour on the wing, Ranmore Resident Mike Roberts another
seventies Lion tourist to New Zealand along with Duckers in
the back row and with NZ and South Africa tourist Bob Hiller
jetting in from Teddington to feature at full back. DD
played his selection ace chauffeuring in from Woking at fly
half the hero of the Lions’ 89 tour to Australia, who also
made to trip to NZ in ’93, current England Elite Rugby
supremo Rob Andrew.
To
ensure significant span of stories from across the ages
Duckham had also selected three so called Lion Cubs - sons
of latter day Lions with memories of their famous fathers’
Lions’ experience; Rhys Williams and David Jenkins son of
Vivien who was for many years also the rugby writer on The
Times.
In face
of such a strong line up Dorking Rugby Club had itself gone
for broke in the talent department. Former Chairman and
Harlequins hooker David Judd returned from rugby semi
retirement with Surrey County duties to mastermind the
planning for the full on fixture. Judd had insisted on
bringing in his own boot room team to the Club for the event
which comprised Welsh schoolboy international Jim Evans,
Dorking Derelict and one time Old Gaytonians loose head
Gavin Leathem and newcomer Charlotte Irvine whose most
recent events planning experience had been at Chelsea FC
arranging Stamford Bridge ‘parties’ for John Terry, Wayne
Bridge and various wives and girlfriends. As usual Judd had
prepared for all eventualities.
To match
Duckham’s Sons of Lions selection, Dorking had promoted John
Aarvold from the Big Dog Golf Society to reminisce about the
career and experience of another Dorking British Lion,
John’s Dad the celebrated Sir Carl Aarvold. To complete the
visitors line up Duckham had spread a wide net and included
two ringers, former Fijian captain and current High
Commissioner to London Pio Bosco Tikoisuva and All Black
great, the legend that is Zinzan Brook to share their
reflections on what it was like to play against the famous
British Lions. Not to be out done by the inclusion of
overseas talent based in the UK, Dorking responded by
enlisting the support of Ali Raj from Newdigate to provide
some Bangladeshi spice to the home line up
In turn
the crowd on the night matched the high quality line up with
three hundred and ten guests enjoying first Duckham’s pre
match warm up routine and then interviews of the
aforementioned sons of Lions. Each of son of Lions had
brought with them one of their father’s original British
Lions jerseys, remarkable for first being blue and secondly
for the relatively small sizing relative to the proportions
of the modern day player. Memorabilia also included the
actual balls from these sepia days which Rob Andrew marveled
at how the modern day player would cope with in effect a
hand -stitched medicine ball. All three thrilled the guests
with tales of innocent fun filled days, with John emerging
as MVP from the first half with his conjecture of how the
large group of single young men tended to pass the time on
the seven week cruise to the tour destination.
The half
time entertainment comprised a cameo ‘heads and tails’
contest orchestrated by Professor Judd in the form of his
career and an appearance on the podium from current Dorking
Chairman Shaun Grady who was at pains to avoid any confusion
by pointing out that neither he nor his father for that
matter had played for the British Lions, Frank having chosen
instead to play for Oldham St Annes, which for the avoidance
of any doubt is in Oldham.
 After
a decent Dorking debut from Ali Raj, the big furniture came
out onto the pitch for the second half. Duckham skillfully
shimmied, dummied and choreographed memory and recollection
from the massed bands of the famous and the talented,
without, just as we remembered it, ever having to go into
contact. Duckham skillfully coaxed Mike Roberts to confess
Welsh hooker Bobby Windsor’s home furnishings were to this
day exclusively made up of towels and bedding from the great
hotels of New Zealand and Australia and still boasts a
dining table back in Brynglet from the Johannesburg Hilton.
Bosco spoke authentically about the brotherhood of rugby and
the life lessons it can teach while Rob Andrew mixed his own
Lion’s memories with answering questions in his capacity as
Martin Johnson’s gaffer on the state of English rugby and
the prospects for Team England in the Six Nations and
beyond. Bob Hiller played a charming and entertaining game
identifying playing for the Lions as the highlight of his
personal career, while Zinzan struggled to come to terms how
anyone would consider there to be any higher honor than
playing for the country of one’s birth. Yet it was left to
our very own John Young who, as is legendary, timed his run
perfectly with graphic and detailed and lengthy description
of showing the great Don Clarke the outside in scoring a try
in the second test against New Zealand at Wellington in
August 1959 and an admission of an early dalliance with
player image rights licensing accepting a forty fags a day
life times’ product placement on behalf of Rothmans Tobacco
plc.
The
fixture went well into injury time. Taxis from Abacab to
take our ‘celebrities’ home had plenty of waiting time as
the VIPs then enjoyed each other’s and the guests’ company
well into the wee small hours reflecting on a marvelous
match with some spectacular performances. Speaking in the
media village before heading home to Hampton Wick, England
hero Bob Hiller said: “I thought that it was a great evening
for all concerned. I certainly enjoyed myself immensely and
I thought that it was one of the best rugby evenings I have
been to. Duckers was on great form and it was good to see
him again.The cab worked brilliantly in both directions-many
thanks”.
British & Irish Lions: David Duckham ( Coventry,
England, British Lions ) Bob Hiller ( Oxford, Harlequins,
England, British Lions) Rob Andrew (Cambridge, Wasps,
England, British Lions) John ‘JRC’ Young (St Edmund Hall,
Oxford, Harlequins, England, British Lions) Mike Roberts
(London Welsh, Wales, British Lions)
British & Irish Lion Cubs: Rhys Williams, David Jenkins
and John Aarvold
Lion
Hunters: Pio Bosco Tikosuiva (Harlequins, Fiji) Zinzan
Brook (Harlequins, New Zealand)
Dorking RFC: David Judd, Jim Evans, Gavin Leathem,
Charlotte Irvine, Penny and Brownie, Sallyann, Ali Raj,
Horse Mountain Wines, Abacab Dorking Taxis
Man
of the Match: JRC Young CBE
Most
Promising Newcomer: John Aarvold
Mike Woolley's Excellent Photos....»here
The Chairman |
