After having had a sneak preview of the new club website, constant badgering from Simon Knott (for the most part ignored), and yesterday’s purchase of a week one circle ticket (which made me finally realise that I am an ‘old boy’), I now feel in a sufficiently reflective and reminiscent mood to be inclined to write an end of season review.
For any prospective fresh reading this before you get to Warwick in a few weeks’ time, I’d like to put it on record that joining the UWMCC was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
My last year at the club, as President, was extremely different but, nevertheless, just as enjoyable as my previous two years at the club.
I ended the year content that the club had made a number of improvements as a result of the hard work of all the exec. From the new position of charity sec and the subsequent increase in activity in that area (a coaching in schools scheme, just to name one example), our new coaches Richo and Spiro, entrance into a new indoor league and our new sponsors Kingfisher, I feel satisfied that the club is in a good place to be taken forward even further by Knotty.
Icing on the top of the cake was the nail-biting varsity victory over Coventry and the 1st XI retaining its place in the BUCS Premier Division. The latter was a truly outstanding achievement considering the reputations, resources, and facilities at the disposal of our opponents.
There were disappointments too. I felt the 2nds , 3rds , and 4ths , were good enough to have achieved promotion, but all, ultimately, fell short. On a different note, I was left frustrated by our failure to gain a place on the Monash tour to Australia. This left a sour taste for sometime as apparently our presentation focused ‘too much on cricket’ and ‘lacked passion’. I could not have disagreed more with these two appraisals. My own view, for what it’s worth, is that a university sports club should be about playing sport and winning, with everything else coming secondary to that. In that regard, I believed that the UWMCC made an excellent case and is why it is the best club on campus. Finally, despite thinking it might have been possible, I never summoned the courage to attempt to wrestle the club record back off Jono by attempting ‘Five’ – I think his time might just be safe for a while yet!
However, on the ‘secondary stuff’ the UWMCC doesn’t fair too badly at all. Again, if any fresh are reading this deliberating about whether to join the club, its social side is entertaining to say the least. From a cricket ball with ex-England cricketer ‘Foxy’ Fowler, several filthy Millenium Balti experiences, countless pints of purple at circle on Wednesday nights, Adoptions, Domestic Tour, Sports Ball, and a handful of trips to Kasbah, the social calendar was as varied and messy as possibly imaginable. The UWMCCFC also continued its proud tradition. Throughout my deficiencies at centre back were certainly well covered by Fresher Povey!
I leave the UWMCC with many abiding memories, good friends, and (through excessive consumption of purple) a rather larger chin and gut than when I arrived.
So, on that note, I’ll see you week 1 for circle!
Robbo
(Jarvis’ Other Half, Poor Man’s Jono, Purple Connoisseur, Pop fanatic)