All Golds v Newcastle Thunder KPL1 2016 - FINAL_2
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union safely, and for those<br />
carrying injuries or disabilities.<br />
Small wonder that so many<br />
rugby league clubs in the<br />
UK, Australia and New<br />
Zealand (where the game<br />
began) are now recognising<br />
the importance of having a<br />
Masters section.<br />
I was invited along to what<br />
was basically a reunion<br />
game for players from the<br />
old Redditch Halcyons,<br />
Worcester Saints and<br />
N.E.W Ravens sides. I really<br />
couldn’t understand how it<br />
was possible to play “noncompetitive<br />
rugby league”<br />
- surely a contradiction in<br />
terms if ever there was one.<br />
And how was it possible for<br />
old codgers like me (then<br />
aged 55) to play against fit,<br />
fast and huge blokes in their<br />
late 30s?<br />
I had read the rules, seen<br />
how different age groups<br />
wore different colour<br />
shorts and understood<br />
the modifications from the<br />
normal rules of the game<br />
designed to give greater<br />
levels of protection with age;<br />
but surely it couldn’t really<br />
work in practice?<br />
35 to “seasoned” 65 year<br />
olds wore huge grins as they<br />
formed the traditional postmatch<br />
huddle and posed for<br />
photos. Many were playing<br />
with old mates they hadn’t<br />
seen, let alone played with,<br />
for decades, including my<br />
brother who could never<br />
have dreamt he would be<br />
celebrating his 50th birthday<br />
playing rugby league<br />
(unbeknown to his wife!).<br />
Every sport has more explayers<br />
than current players<br />
and rugby league is no<br />
exception.<br />
Historically once rugby<br />
league players, be it<br />
professional or amateur,<br />
could no longer meet the<br />
physical demands of the<br />
game their only option was<br />
to take up rugby union and<br />
they were lost to the game.<br />
In June I will be joining 40<br />
other players on a tour to<br />
France where we will be<br />
playing new Masters teams<br />
from Toulouse, Carcassonne<br />
and Avignon, whilst on 26<br />
June there will also be a first<br />
Masters RL festival in Wales<br />
at the home of South Wales<br />
Scorpions.<br />
In August we welcome the<br />
touring Australian Masters<br />
and next year the GB Masters<br />
will tour Australia and New<br />
Zealand coinciding with the<br />
World Cup.<br />
The “Spirit of Masters” is<br />
really all about cameradarie<br />
and having fun; the essence<br />
of social rugby. The official<br />
Masters motto is “we don’t<br />
stop playing because we<br />
grow old; we grow old<br />
because we stop playing”. It<br />
could just as easily be “old<br />
enough to know better but<br />
still daft enough to do it<br />
anyway”.<br />
29<br />
Well, after 50 minutes of<br />
running more than I had<br />
in the previous 30 years,<br />
it all made sense and I<br />
was absolutely hooked.<br />
The game ended, like<br />
every Masters game, in an<br />
honourable 0-0 draw – no<br />
matter how many tries are<br />
scored.<br />
<strong>All</strong> of the 30 players, ranging<br />
in age from a fresh-faced<br />
Masters RL enables those<br />
players to stay with their first<br />
love and carry on playing<br />
with their mates for many<br />
years to come. It means they<br />
remain actively involved with<br />
their clubs. It also introduces<br />
newcomers into the game<br />
at any age - the chairman of<br />
Masters RL played his first<br />
game of rugby league at 62;<br />
it is ideal for rugby union<br />
vets no longer able to play<br />
For more information about<br />
Masters RL go to http://www.<br />
mastersrl.co.uk/ or contact<br />
Andy Cave on 07946 384546<br />
Last year Medway Masters<br />
featured in a BBC “Get<br />
inspired” article. To see them<br />
in action and learn more<br />
about Masters RL go to<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/<br />
get-inspired/33279690<br />
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