Caldy's Head Coach Matt Cairns set out a survial plan ahead of Thursday night's training session. I caught a snippet of the eloquent speech from the Commander of the armies of the North

"Whatever comes out of that changing room we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we survive" 

The squad has prepared with a diet of Maximus Decimus Meridius Pot Noodles. 

A good article Islander. At present it is bucketing down, and it has been for most of this week. Paton Field will be slightly softer underfoot than it was at the start of September.

Are all your forwards 7ft and 150kgs as we have been led to believe?

https://caldyrugbyclub.com/2022/10/that-friday-feeling-7th-october-2022/" rel="nofollow - https://caldyrugbyclub.com/2022/10/that-friday-feeling-7th-october-2022/

Just read it ........honest and truthful but without any reference to Pot Noodles it isn't complete.

I assume you and Corporal Carrot are travelling islander? If so I will introduce you to my good friend Pen 15 who always brings a hip flask filled with something deliciously warming to gurgle down at half time. One of his 'hip flasks' which snuggly fits Pen 15's extraordinary large hips ......holds over a gallon of the best single malt whisky.

Pen 15 is the most hospitable of men and I will ask him if he will bring sufficient for you two and 3 or 4 of your colleagues who will be most welcome to join us for a half time libation.

Kind Regards

Big Eddie

A glorious morning at the beautiful Paton Field Stadium. 

Recently back at hotel BE for an overdue power-nap after overdoing it with the locals celebrating their Eurovision selection - who should we contact with a request to delay KO?!

Virtually everything to do with Caldy is routed through a chap called 'Cooky'. Cooky can arrange almost everything that is reasonably requested, although Cooky's definition of reasonable is normally a tad more restrictive than most. Anything that is likely not to be in Caldy's interests is regarded by Cooky as an unreasonable request.

Unfortunately I too have been denied by Cooky. I asked that Caldy stock up on 3 pallets of Bombay Bad Boy Pot Noodles for the Brobdingnagian Big Boys but Cooky said no on the grounds that there was no budget available.

So regretfully I have to tell you and Mrs Islander that you will have to make do with the following lunch time menu:

Roast beef, roast potatoes, broccoli, carrot and swede mash and plentiful gravy

Apple and seasonal berry crumble with lashings of custard

If you are on the top table Graham will indulge you with a sporting aperitif and a Bordeaux or Malbec.

If you are not on the top table please ask for Barrie and he may sort you out a few glasses of Louis Roederer's 2013 Cristal Champagne which Barrie regards as the only drinkable aperitif for his sophisticated palate. Barrie regards the harmonious interwoven maturity and freshness of the 2013 vintage as perfect for long ageing. 

Sorry to be the bearer of such disappointing news about the Pot Noodles

In the early 90s I was running a public company based in Birkenhead. We were negotiating to buy a business based in Atlanta, Georgia from Telecom Australia. Telecom Australia were likely to be privatised and the big US investment banks were falling over themselves to ingratiate themselves with Telecom Australia (now Telstra).

Merryl Lynch sent across 3 Ivy League crisp suited investment bankers from their New York office to negotiate with us. It was their first trip to the UK. After 2 and a half days of negotiations it was clear to me that we were not going to purchase the business but I wanted to see these impressive young men leave with a favourable view of the Liverpool area. 

For their last night I offered them either:

- an evening in Chester with all the history and Roman ruins that city has to offer or

- tickets to an escorted evening (escorted by a mad keen Blue scouser) Everton v Millwall FA Cup tie followed by a night out in Liverpool's bars and clubs.

The senior investment banker (and the most starched Ivy Leaguer) plumped for the 'Soccer'

Next morning at the 9 a.m. round up and debrief in my office, the suits and crisp white shirts were gone. Stubble, bleary eyes and unsteady gaits greeted me. It was clear that the three investment bankers hadn't been to bed.

I asked the senior man if they had enjoyed their night out in Liverpool.

"Eddie, that was just the greatest se*ual experience of my life. For all our sakes we just need to do this deal"

If your lads are somewhat less than fresh we will understand.

 Thanks to Bob Cooke for information on Taxis I hope you find the Liberation Ale left for you  behind the bar. Great win for Jersey but they certainly worked for it.

Always like to arrive early at a new ground, and fortunately there were bar staff - and home secretary Roger - on duty as the sun nudged past the yard-arm. Interested to hear about Caldy's history, the battles with RFU, National Trust, local authorities to improve the facilities, and the day Waisale Serevi played at Paton Field.

After a most decent lunch - the roast beef was spot-on, albeit rather industrially carved at the table by the visiting chairman - it was a chance to join Robbie Fowler and the other 1,893 spectators for a game that was evenly-contested throughout the 1st half. Managed to miss a 25th-min YC for Reds, just as Caldy stretched their lead to 12-5, and it was important for visitors to not only hold their own during the sin-bin period, but claim a 2nd try to make it almost level at HT.

The 2nd was a different story, with the Reds upping their game and 3 tries between mins 47-62 to effectively end the contest. Caldy's lineout had started to malfunction, altho' their discipline held up and they did have more try-scoring chances, but could only take one of them in penultimate minute. Both sides were warmly applauded for their endeavours.

Caldy could/should take heart from having been up against the largest pack in world rugby, and the fact that they have already shown an ability to compete. 7 points from 5 games is 7 times as many as the Reds had at this point on our Champ debut 10 years ago, and I would be surprised if Caldy didn't rack up plenty more wins as they find their feet.

Good to see the non-playing Reds in attendance, star-struck kids asking for autographs, star-struck Reds posing for selfies with Robbie, and plenty of visiting supporters meeting their friends/rellies. Replacement prop Monty Weatherby was the only man in the Red XXIII to have played at PF before and brought a huge mob of adoring fans from his old, relatively-local, club Sandbach.

The atmosphere is the clubhouse was good too, with an old-fashioned down-in-one contest between each sides' MoM - Caldy craftily selected a Jersey back, who of course lost, and there was a good buzz both inside the clubhouse and out on the terrace as the sun slipped below the Welsh hills. Great to chat to plenty of home supporters, many of whom have already booked the March return date in their diaries - the Ravers CI tour promises to be large, and loud.

The hospitality even extended to finding myself at the bar behind a gentleman who was ordering 3 'Jägerbombs' - the nice bartender explained that they were £3.50 each, or 4 for £10, and somehow the 4th one ended up with yours truly, just to wash down the earlier beers and most reasonable red wine that president Graham had served with lunch. The lack of a hand-pulled local ale was perhaps the only point at which I'd suggest the whole day dipped below optimal.

We eventually poured ourselves into taxis and returned to the Liverpudlian Smoke, which was a story in itself! Great day at a wonderful, hospitable and proudly old-fashioned rugby club.

Who would have thought it, when we only have 27 seats/benchs 

We were delighted to be 12-10 up at half-time, but Jersey's class came through in the 2nd half 

It was great day at Paton Field and the Caldy lads should take heart from a sound performance 

 

I sense that even if we had met, I wouldn't be allowed to talk about it on here - a bit like the 1st rule of Fight Club. But hope March, with 'Tour Rules' in operation, may bring such an opportunity?

I am delighted that everyone from Jersey enjoyed the Paton Field experience and I have to say that your fulsome report on the game and the occasion was as eloquent and accurate as the Jersey Chairman's pre match talk. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjiCygXjSe2/" rel="nofollow - Caldy RFC on Instagram: "𝐓𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐬 @jersey.reds Check out our trylights from Saturdays match against @jersey.reds in front of a bumper crowd at Paton Field. Ft. Ankle Breaker from Captain, @jj_dickinson 🕺 Try scorers: 𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗹𝗲, 𝗕𝗶𝗯𝗯𝘆, 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 #Ravers"

Sorry Seagoon, think it’s part of Jersey Reds TV economy drive due to the cost of living.  Went to the Reds v Coventry match last month and thought we had been ‘ nilled’ 40-0, until I remembered we had scored two converted tries and I had been at the game!   It’s nothing personal, it’s just how they do it.  

Don’t let it put you off the Championship experience.   See you on the 29th. 👍

Same when Coventry visited. Bad form.

Please BE, don’t worry & I hope the +ve warm feedback that O wanted to convey was apparent in my main piece 

those seriously big lads are the biggest in English rugby and probably in World rugby

Take that tongue out of your cheek, Big Eddie 

Workerbee,

I was not suggesting that Cooky was the only volunteer.....there are lots and lots, but I was suggesting that if someone wanted one point of contact to discuss a major issue such as the quality of the beer or the absence of Pot Noodles......at the moment Cooky would probably be that person......or perhaps Barrie!