Defeated but undaunted

Watched Maidstone RFC play Cantabrigians today in the London Regional Final of the Senior Vase. Maidstone ran out easy 57-7 winners and now face a match against the winners of the Western Regional Final for the right to play at Twickenham in the Senior Vase Final.

This is the first time I've been to watch Maidstone RFC (or Football Club as it should properly be known) for a while. Most of my weekends in the winter are taken up with refereeing or watching referees so there is little opportunity to get down to Maidstone.

However, this weekend was an "Old Boys" weekend with players from the past meeting up for lunch, watching the Maidstone game and then staying on to watch the Wales England match. That result was the only down side of the day.

I played for Maidstone between 1976 and 1992 so it is ovee 20 years since I last turned out for the club. (still got the shirt in my wardrobe) So it was a great opportunity to renew acquaintances from my time at the club and look at the club photographs on the wall featuring a very young edition of myself. A very enjoyable day, lots of beer, lots of catching up with old friends (who all seem to have weathered very well)

Talking about the weather - another terrible day, cold wet and windy. I took over 300 shots on rapid fire and thought you'd like to see something different to the other rugby shots I've posted. The is one of the Cantabrigians players at the end of the game.

I was hoping to get a shot similar to the famous Fran Cotton photo of some years ago. (see http://www.colorsport.co.uk/comment/sports-views/mudman) I've never seen players so muddy at the end of a game.