By Billy Thornton
Well, here we are at what would normally be near the end point of the 2020/21 season. I am sure that we all hope that the light that seems to be appearing at the end of the tunnel does not mutate into the headlight of an east bound Trans Pennine Express coming out of Standedge Tunnel to knock us back again!
Looking back on my first season as President, even through the rosiest of tinted spectacles, I must admit it has not gone exactly to my plan.
However if you had told me back in August that not one of our teams from the mighty Under 6’s through all the age groups up to our senior teams would not lose a game of rugby throughout the season I would have been so incredulous that I might well have spilled my beer in the bar!
But as we are not allowed in the bar yet let’s hope that Gaz’s boys can continue this record breaking unbeaten run during the forthcoming Ventur Cup.
Looking back through some old photographs (There has not been much else to do in lockdown) I came across this one of the 1980/1981 Colts team. It was taken down at our old ground at Waterloo where I spent many happy days. Memories of the old wooden clubhouse built on brick pillars which raised it up so that the money in the fruit machine could be more easily stolen just by cutting the floor round it, causing the whole machine to fall through!
I also have a very vivid recollection of a match winning try that I scored for that Colts team somewhere in what is now Morrisson’s supermarket on Penistone Road. I reckon if you have a look next time you are in there you may see the blue plaque near the fresh fish counter! I didn’t score many tries, a claim I’m sure most of the others in the team picture would be happy to vouch for. The try not the plaque that is. If they can’t then they probably have memory problems!
The photograph does prove one thing though. That is we had better hair styles back in those days. Yes I know. At least I had hair then!
