By Glen Leat
May 1 2002

So the big clear out has begun already with Mark Gabey leaving Bath for Worcester. The Digger may not have been a big points scorer for Bath but that probably had something to do with the fact that he struggled to secure a place in the side over the past two seasons despite playing some great rugby.

Jon Callard didn't seem to think Mark Gabey was an important cog in the Bath wheel and new coach Foley seems to be of a similar persuasion. What seems strange to this humble watcher of Bath rugby for thirty-odd years is that the Bristol fans were sad to see Digger go, London Irish felt likewise and the messages we have had on this site for over 18 months leads me to suspect that more Bath fans will be disappointed than happy that Gabey is leaving the Rec.

Mark Gabey is a strong work horse who can play in the middle and at the back of the scrums. He can run, jump, catch and tackle and has been the fans' man of the match several times this season, perhaps only beaten by Mike Tindall in this respect. To let this bloke go is total madness and casts serious doubt over the judgement of our current management.

Sorry you are going mate but thanks for your contribution (although limited by a poor selection policy).

Let's look at Gabey's record for Bath:

Games  Tries  Conversions  Drop Goals  Pen Kicks  Points Bristol 3 0 0 0 0 0 Gloucester 1 0 0 0 0 0 Leeds Tykes 2 0 0 0 0 0 Leicester Tigers 2 0 0 0 0 0 London Irish 3 0 0 0 0 0 Newcastle Falcons 3 0 0 0 0 0 Northampton Saints 1 0 0 0 0 0 Harlequins 2 0 0 0 0 0 Rotherham 2 1 0 0 0 5 Sale Sharks 3 0 0 0 0 0 Saracens 2 0 0 0 0 0 London Wasps 3 0 0 0 0 0

And let's look at his current BathRugbyERE.com Player Rating stats (based on your votes):

Last Match Season Rating

Mark Gabey 5.0 6.3