PLAYING FULL-BACK IN RUGBY UNION, 1960s...

The Full-back…

Shirts of narrow maroon and dark blue hoops

With royal blue generally muddied shorts:

A 1960s full-back, cautiously deep,

A last line of defence of sorts…

My remit was to hover, to lurk

And wait for the inevitable punt,

Carefully watch it drop through rain,

Catch it if possible then avoid the hunt…

The growling, grimacing opponents were

Chasing the blathered wet oval ball

And I’d either boot it away to find touch,

Or run into the posse and fall…

Yet tackling was what I enjoyed most of all,

One on one with just me to beat

But I realised in time that to make the first move

Would leave me prone on my seat…

It was better to wait for the runner

To have to make a move of his own,

Allowing me to cover his feints

Then grab his smelly legs with a groan…

As we tumbled down into the mire,

I’d somehow wriggle and twist

To prevent being fallen upon by the ball carrier,

His legs clamped tight in my fists…

I always wanted to be a scrum-half,

So I could pass the ball out with a dive;

I did spend some time in the scrum as a hooker,

A rough place in which to thrive…

Being ambidextrous was useful for me as full-back though,

For I could kick the ball with both feet, 

Yet I really wanted to play soccer

But my school didn’t offer that treat…

Sometimes the ball was walloped over my head,

I would turn and rush back to collect,

Slither onto it with my back to the boots

Of the chasers wanting me wrecked…

Or I’d maybe get time to recover

And towards a sideline turn round,

Then volley the leather egg safely away

Before being caught and dragged viciously to ground…

Pete Ray

January 2017

IN THE GARDEN, SHARD END...

& AGAIN...

FRONT, SEATED...

WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO...

IAN PRICE & ME BEGAN AT KEGS ASTON WITH SHORT TROUSERS...

THEN HAND-ME-DOWNS FROM COUSIN STEVE...

GETTING TALLER...

Playing full-back in those days was not an offensive position, more of a defensive covering role. I was lucky to be able to kick with both feet and I was able to catch OK, as well as somehow finding tackling a challenge but weirdly enjoyable. The images show how I changed at King Edward’s GS Aston during my time there…

I played hooker in the first game won by the school team against the Aston Old Edwardians’ adult team and I was hammered during the game, lost every hook attempted bar one and oddly ‘against the head’, from which we scored the winning try…

Sadly no soccer was played and that was cruel for lads like me who had played Primary Schools representative soccer.

At college I played fly-half in one of the rugby teams and when I wasn’t watching Aston Villa play, I played a defensive role in one of the soccer teams…

There had been no Sunday football for kids in those days and I KNOW I missed out badly…