My life flashed before me!
I started playing for Bath whilst still a schoolboy at Bryanston in Dorset. To set the scene, I was a fast runner (10.4 seconds for the 100m) and given this ‘god given’ speed I viewed rugby as non-contact sport, it served me well.
During my first or second season we were playing Newport at home on the Recreation Ground and at some point in the second half I found myself caught up in a ruck, a new experience and not particularly pleasant. I’d left the ball behind me and my arms were pinned to my sides as the Newport pack drove over. To be honest I had the impression they were not looking to avoid any contact of their boots on my body, but, worse was to come.
As I appeared on the Newport side of the ruck, with my arms still pinned, Mike ‘Spike’ Watkins the Newport hooker and captain of Wales at the time loomed large in my vision.
He bent down, grabbed my hair (which I had in those days) with his left hand and looked straight into my eyes. It wasn’t a ‘loving’ look and this was confirmed as he clenched his right fist and drew it back.
I remember the moment as if it were yesterday, the captain of Wales was going to literally ‘punch my lights out’ and then it happened… he smiled and said, ‘ahh, you’re not worth it,’ (I could not have agreed more) released my hair and ran off across the pitch no doubt chuckling to himself, knowing I’d probably pooed myself, (I think I probably did!).
‘Spike’ and I have spoken many times about the incident and to this day, even though he now lives in Thailand, I send him a Birthday message every year and sign off with.
My Eternal Thanks
Tricky xx
Memory added on July 4, 2021
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