Wiltshire Warrior Dragon

In future, THG, if you see a bird circling suspiciously near you, rattle an empty crisp packet at them - never fails!

On 25 January, 1964, I attended my first ever rugby league match, Wigan -v- Fev at Central Park. My school mate, Ian Ibbotson from Atherton, took me (I lived in Astley then) The first time Boston touched the ball he just managed to get his fingertips to a poor pass - too high and behind him. It went into touch. The next time he touched the ball he held on to it and went through, as much as round, his opposite number to score a try. I was a lifelong Billy fan. His death, so soon after that of his wife, makes you think that maybe you can die of a broken heart. RIP, great man.

Thanks, Martyn. Your speculation is, frankly, depressing and scary. Were it to come to pass, I think I would be bidding RL a fond farewell. I would cancel my Sky Sports subscription and use the money saved to go to Basingstoke Bison ice hockey home matches, as I used to do before we got Sky. Back then, Basingstoke played in the UK's top flight, but realised that regular defeats and lowly league places were a depressing experience for fans. Put another way, they realised that they couldn't compete financially with the likes of Belfast, Nottingham and Sheffield playing out of much larger arenas and hence packing in more fans. They now play in the second, semi-pro tier of UK ice hockey. It's a tight league, with any team capable of beating any other on the day. The odd, RL cultural dislike of playing each opponent more than once doesn't occur; repeat fixtures are part and parcel of ice hockey's culture. I never found myself thinking that I couldn't be bothered to drive the 40 or so miles to Basingstoke because I had already seen the visitors there earlier in the season. In the forthcoming season, Basingstoke will be one of eleven sides in the NIHL National Division and play all the others five or six times. Repeat fixtures? So what - bring it on! As ever, there is no promotion to the Elite League. It actually makes winning the NIHL National Division something of merit in its own right, not just a vehicle for promotion as soccer has and some RL fans wish for. At the finals weekend, few, if any, will think it is frustrating that the winning side doesn't move up. Sorry, going off thread...!

I agree. There seems to have been an unexpected (by some) consequence of the vindictive and pernicious basis on which the established, English SL clubs agreed to let them into the competition (as mentioned by posters above, they were that TO XIII only get 50% of the funding of all other SL teams except York; and they have to pay all travel costs for all their fixtures against English clubs) That consequence is that they have stuck with the core of their well established championship winning team, not least of all, I imagine, because they couldn't afford to do otherwise.. Players added were not, on paper, outstanding, but have developed well and clearly integrated fully into the side., which plays with a fluidity based on a lot of collective experience. There is self evidently a great - to use an English phrase - esprit de corps about TO XIII! Much has been made of the absence of Lewis and TPJ from this game, but it should not be forgotten that TO were missing one of the best SL fullbacks this year and one of northern hemsiphere, pro RL's best goal kickers for the last few seasons - OAB and Jake Shorrocks.

A question from the south of England, Kiggy. What does 'very rainy' mean?

You are the reincarnation of Alfred the Great and I claim my 5 danegeld pounds!

Agreed - and, in a sense, it made up for a disappointing hurling final.

But wouldn't that imply children of 15 regularly and routinely becoming pa\rents?

Those who shouted and petitioned must feel flushed with success.

Two rather overused words just now seem to be 'iconic' and 'empathy'. I just struggle to believe that all the objects, etc., said to be iconic really are. For many, I feel that 'notable', for instance, would be a more realistic word. I have understood what 'sympathy' means for decades. I came to 'empathy' rather later in life and, indeed, looked it up in a few sources to try to understand how it differed from 'sympathy'. I now conclude that, particularly just now, 'empathy' is being overused and inaccurately used, when 'sympathy' is the word that should be being used.

Worked well for me this evening. Drained the green veg perfectly. Like GYJ, I thought this seemed an over-hyped event. I saw at least one description of it as a 'once in a generation event'. Given 1999, this prompts the question, "How long is a generation?", but answering that here might take us off-topic!

Solomona Faataape from Les Dracs to St Helens next year. Club Statement – Solomona Faataape - Les Dragons Catalans

Some people are so impatient!

Sir Billy Boston is 92 today, though, sadly, I don't suppose he will have a very happy birthday, given the very recent passing of Lady Boston.

His keen wit as shown on this forum!