A RUGBY TALE ALAN DICKINSON

A RUGBY TALE

BY ALAN DICKINSON (58-67)

While I have pursued a lifelong career as a stockbroker, it was a love of tries, rather than trades, which has brought me much joy.

My journey began in ‘61 when I was 12 years of age. Recollections are dimmed with the passage of time but memories of my first competitive match for the RGS remain clear; Colin ‘Claude’ Dales (Staff 50-86) –what a gentleman –taking us on a bus to our first fixture. I was nervous; Blaydon U15’s were VERY physical.

Fast forward to the school rugby tour of ‘67. I was in the lower sixth at the time and was part of a very strong 1st XV. The late, great John Elders (57-82 & 92-96) was our coach and as we had a powerful pack including the formidable back row of Campbell, Duff and Dempster together with a strong half back combination (Fairbairn and Williams). It was no surprise that ‘10 man rugby’ was often the norm. Consequently, I never saw much of the ball, a pattern I have to say seemed to follow me.

Shortly after that, the selectors from Old Novocastrians RFC, as it was known then, may have seen something they liked in me as I was picked to play for Old Novos 1st XV against Northern at McCracken Park, towards the end of the 1967 season. I was only 17 and as my opposite number was a former England trialist I soon discovered the gulf between school and club rugby.

I left the RGS 1n July 1967 on a Friday and started work as a stockbroker the following Monday. I could, and probably should, have gone to university but it was my choice in the end to go straight into business; a decision which may have contributed towards my early retirement 34 years later.

I represented the Northumberland Society for 15 years, sometimes doing four games a week; I must have done around 700 games.”

Back to rugby and Novos where I played 10 consecutive years for the 1st XV. During that time, I was team secretary which in those days involved sending out postcards and telephoning players who had not attended training on Monday evenings. I must pay tribute here to my late mother, especially on Friday nights (I was out) when the fan was proverbially hit by late cry offs. How lucky we are these days to have the internet and Whatsapp. I also did a stint as fixture secretary and with the help of Richard Deas, inaugurated mini rugby at the club. It is really satisfying to see how this has grown over the years and I now take pleasure in seeing my own grandchildren participate.

For many years I was on the committee in charge of the ground. Latterly, not only did I have to cut and mark the pitches but on Monday mornings had to clean out the downstairs changing rooms, toilets, showers and corridors - not the best start to the week, especially after a muddy weekend.

As I grew older, I slipped down the sides and spent many happy years playing for the old man’s team, the 7C’s. We had some wonderful times, perhaps the highlights being the tours to the Lake District where we stayed with our wives in quality hotels and played at grounds such as Ambleside. On one occasion playing there the game just stopped as a dozen or so hot air balloons suddenly appeared from behind a hill and flew over –a surreal experience.

I was elected President of Novos in 1999. We had excellent tours of Prague and Dublin during my term and I also have very fond memories of the (now not so frequent) dinner dances at various local rugby clubs where strong friendships were formed.

The highlight of my reign, however, was at Ryton in 2000. My youngest son Simon was selected to make his debut for the 1st XV. I was at the clubhouse having a beer with the officials when the bar door opened and the Novos’ captain appeared asking “Alan, have you got your kit”’. A car carrying players had broken down and they weren’t going to make it. I soon changed, donning the number 14 jersey. It was a close contest but in the second half Simon made a half break and floated out a lovely pass, enabling me to beat my man and score.

Liz and I attended the Tynedale dinner dance that night word soon got round about my exploits and needless to say I don’t remember much more about the evening. That isn’t the end of the story as a few years later I was officiating a match (for the Northumberland Referees’ Society) between Wallsend and Ryton 2nds.

During a break in the game a mature Ryton player came up to me and asked ‘“Aren’t you that old git who scored against us a few years ago?” I replied ‘“yes” and he said “we are still giving our winger stick about it now!”. I represented the Northumberland Society for 15 years, sometimes doing four games a week; I must have done around 700 games. Sadly, it was quantity not the quality of games which I am probably remembered for but I had a great time, it has kept me fit and I have received wonderful hospitality from all the clubs I have visited over the years. Thanks to Dave Charlton (a top Northumberland referee) who allowed me to referee the second half of the John Elders game at Novos in 2017, I did realise my ambition to referee Novos 1st XV at Sutherland Park.

I haven’t mentioned the many tours of Amsterdam and France which we all thoroughly enjoyed but there is a saying about what happens on tour! However, one of the funniest moments was almost certainly in France where the story involves a few of us ordering steak, receiving steak tartare, then ordering cognac and matches!

There are so many more, including such gems as breaking my collar bone at Gateshead Fell three weeks before my wedding and on another occasion arriving home on a Saturday evening with Liz, my wife, asking “have you forgotten something?”; ‘something’ being our youngest son Simon aged four months in his carrycot behind the bar at Novos!

Covid-19, of course, has resulted in a long period of inactivity. I have missed refereeing, I have also missed assessing which I had taken up prior to Covid but most of all have missed playing and the associated camaraderie which the team environment brings. The journey is not yet at an end. On 28 September 2021 I played for Novos’ Vets in a competition at Morpeth RFC. I was ‘rusty,’ being polite, but thoroughly enjoyed the evening playing against a lot of people who knew me from my refereeing days. I am pleased to report that I could move the following morning so am prepared to give it another go if selected. What a great game rugby is - I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.