Pop was a Warwickshire referee who also taught at Barkers Butts for most of his adult life, and was involved with Old Boys club. He retired in the mid seventies, so wasn't around when Backy or Leon or Danny Grewcock played for them. Despite all this, going to actual matches wasn't something that we ever did.

My parents planned a large family; in fact they hoped for an entire fifteen but after one boy who showed no aptitude for sport of any kind, and four girls, they gave up. Girls didn't play rugby when I was young which is a shame 'cos I think I would have made a very passable front row forward. (Good low centre of gravity!)

We spent more time on horse related activities than rugby, though I do remember Pop taking me to see the Tigers play the Baa Baas one Boxing Day. We sat at the Welford Road end of the Crumbie and the seats were not comfortable. I enjoyed the game but I can't remember who won.

By that stage in my life (I'd have been about ten or eleven) I was familiar with rugby through watching the six nations on TV, and having the benefit of a referee in the room I picked up a reasonable grasp of the laws. These were the glory days of Welsh rugby and England were nowhere as far as I can remember.

When I went away to college I still enjoyed rugby but tended to keep it quiet as it didn't really fit in too well with the punk / art student / feminist / biker image that I was cultivating at the time. The Hooray Henry aspect of the college rugby club was something I wasn't into and I didn't have a TV so didn't get to see much on the box. I was living in Sunderland at the time, which is not known as a hotbed of rugby of any description.

I know this is taking a long time but I will get to the Tigers eventually!

When I did get a telly I was exposed to the joys of Rugby Special for an hour on a Sunday afternoon. This was the point at which I was forced to make a decision about which team I wanted to support and because of my family's local links (they lived in Lutterworth) and my memory of the excitement of a real live match at Welford Road I chose Tigers. (The telly was only black and white so it wasn't for their lovely strip!) And for a long time that was all the rugby I got to see, I followed their fortunes in a sort of semi detached manner, then things started to change.

In 1997 I moved from Sunderland to Huddersfield, still not noted for Union but at least the ball's the right shape!!! In 1998 the qualifying games for England's group in the world cup were held at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield so my sister and I got tickets and went along.

That Christmas when I was down at my dad's my sister suggested we get tickets to go and see the Tigers so on Boxing Day (again) we went to see them play Bedford. All this was a bit radical, going to live games. I'd known a few people who went to divball in the Northeast and it seemed a bit of a pricey pursuit.

I was pleased to note that the cost of attending Welford Road was well within the modest means of a housing officer, and the atmosphere at the game was great. Once bitten by the bug we couldn't stop and at the end of the season having attended several more home games, and the end of season game against the Barbarians at Twickenham we decided on season tickets and we haven't looked back.

We go to all the home games and travel to away games sometimes; regularly to Franklin's Gardens as my older sister married a Saint (not literally) and has brought her children up to be Saintanists. We do the northern clubs as Huddersfield is handy for them and we can make a weekend of it.

Last season we tried for all the premiership grounds that we hadn't already visited but we still haven't done the Madjeski Stadium. The L.I. game was on 2nd of December and I broke my ankle on 5th November and was completely housebound for two months (thank god for the Internet commentaries). Of course now with the movement to new grounds there'll be s a whole lot more places to travel away to.

We went to the cup final in Paris last year and had a fab time, 'tho' the morning of the match whilst walking along the Seine into the centre of Paris I fell (sober) and cut my foot. I was in a very sorry state and had to return to the hotel. I was trying to make sure the taxi driver didn't notice that I was covered in mud and blood.

Luckily we'd set out early so after cleaning myself up we made it to the game (I'd never have been forgiven if we hadn't). We went to the final this year in Cardiff and whilst flying my kite in Bute Park on the morning of the match I had my bag stolen by a mad Staffordshire Bull Terrier, who managed to strew all my belongings across the cricket ground before her owner managed to catch her. (Luckily the tickets were in my sisters bag.)

If we get to the final next year and nothing awful happens to me before the game I'll be convinced that we'll loose. Thought that Cardiff was a great venue for the game and that the Irish fans were fantastic, so friendly and sooo drunk!!!

Am currently suffering from withdrawal symptoms and am counting the days till 30th August when we play Leeds. So hope that next season is as good as last one was. See y'all at Welford Road!!!

Come on you Tigers!!!

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