My Passion

I was a relative latecomer to the game, only starting to play competitive matches when I was 15 years old and at school at Bradford Grammar.

When I went to Newcastle University I made the 1st XV team in my second year and was privileged to play alongside a number of very talented players who would later go on to play professionally.

After returning to Yorkshire in 2000, I dropped by my local team at Bradford & Bingley Rugby Football Club - The Bees - which is based in Bingley, close to where I live, and have played for the club ever since. Highlights have included winning the Powergen Intermediate Cup at Twickenham in 2004 along with various tours of Jersey and Edinburgh.

One of the most bizarre games I have ever been involved in was in Estonia in 2005 when I, along with two other members of a stag party, ended up playing for Estonia against Lithuania following a night out.

Watched by a crowd of one man and a goat, it would be fair to say this game was not on a par with the international standards of the Six Nations but we were rewarded with an Estonian baseball cap for our efforts.

During the summer of 2006 I spent several months playing for Vail Rugby Football Club in Colorado, whilst my wife worked as the team’s physiotherapist.

The pitch was nestled in between Gore Range and Vail Mountain and at about 8,150 feet above sea level the high altitude was great for my fitness levels.

When I came back to the UK I continued to play in a semi-professional role for Bradford & Bingley RFC and at the same time enrolled at Law School.

At 35 I am one of the oldest, or as I put it, “experienced” players in my squad.

Luckily, being a prop, experience tends to outweigh youth when it comes to the core skills of scrummaging and line out lifting.

My passion for the game has never faded and nothing compares to the game.