A Grand Evening Out

Was it really a year ago that I sent out the plea for funds to sponsor the ComeOnYouSaints.com chosen player? And weren’t you all magnificent in your response. Throughout the year our logo has been seen below Joe Gray’s picture in every home programme and our lucky VIPs enjoyed a wonderful lunch and view from the balcony at the Llanelli Scarlets match. And so to the final chapter of this year’s sponsorship – an invitation from the club to join Joe at the Shirt Sponsors evening on the 12^th May and to be presented with his playing shirt. How could I possibly decline?

We were initially greeted by Courtney Lawes at the door – Andrew Kendrick reckoned he was the bouncer for the night (didn’t see the Bourgoin scrummy bounce too much after his encounter with Courtney!). At five foot nothing, I got dizzy looking up that high!  We joke with Lennie Newman about the Tom Smith Testimonial game the previous weekend and he reckons he hasn’t recovered yet and we chat about the Brian Mujarti signing from the Stormers which had only just been announced that day. The club were a little worried – the Stormers still had until the following Friday to make Brian a better offer to keep him but the news had leaked out early. This was precisely what had happened with the Victor Matfield signing and at the 11^th hour Lion Brewery had come up with the necessary funds to keep Victor in South Africa. As we now know, there were no 11^th hour funds for Brian and he will be heading towards the Gardens later in the year.

I was fortunate enough to have met Joe a few weeks earlier at the end of season dinner when he was the player assigned to the table that St Marlowe had booked.  A more easy going and relaxed young man you would be hard pushed to find. And so it was this same relaxed, happy young man who joined my husband, Alan and I at our table along with Barry Everitt and his sponsors. Barry, being the old hand, was full of stories all evening. Like the mess they all got into after winning the silverware at Twickenham last year and how his lovely Eden Park suit ended up screwed up in a ball at the back of his garage. It has only recently been recovered, cleaned and donated to Barry’s brother to wear.

The formal presentation of the shirt (safely stored for the Editors to decide what they want to do with it) and the obligatory photograph is swiftly followed by supper.  We chat about the Hood’s tight control over their diet and there is some speculation he may even have had a hand in the menu this evening. It is rumoured that we were to be offered steak and ale pie but the pastry would have been deemed too fatty so stew and chicken curry are order of the day.  In the queue behind Euan Murray for pudding I jest with him that he may wish to resist as he’ll only pay for it tomorrow. He insists that he already paid for it today in training. They are on a tight training regime to get them ready for the ECC Final which is just 10 days away and Joe gives an insight into the analysis, weight training and full contact training that will be taking place before that final. The younger lads play their full part by trying to mimic the opposing team in training matches to allow the squad preparing for the game to counter attack and defend against certain styles of play.

Joe planned to have surgery on a niggling shoulder injury on 1^st June and this was going to leave him little time to squeeze in any sort of holiday but he was looking forward to getting rid of something that’s been annoying him since last November and should be back in full training again before the start of the new season. I hope the surgery went well Joe and we wish you a speedy recovery.

We are in the very unusual position this year of having the opportunity to sponsor the same player for a second year (yes, Joe is staying with us!). ComeOnYouSaints.com sponsorship has been a bit like the kiss of death for some young players but not this ime. Joe is keen for us to continue to be his sponsors (I think he’s secretly impressed and humbled that a group of supporters all dip in and raise the money themselves) and after I talked to him about our work with the British Heart Foundation he would welcome the opportunity to get involved with the walk next season (unless he is playing that day, of course). The club have reserved him for us at the same price as last year, £1,150 + VAT. So, over to you good people. Should we continue to sponsor this excellent, hard working young player who is definitely a prospect for the future? Besides which, I still need to find out if he loves or loathes marmite and what his choice of biscuit is. Further details on how to get involved in this enterprise will be forthcoming very shortly.

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