Yarp Rugby Tour 09

The Effingham & Leatherhead U16's left mid afternoon on Friday 23^rd October to embark on their Yarp Rugby Tour 09. The destination was ‘Norf Cornwol' and they were soon underway after  team manager David Lawrence had decided to arrive late, following a gruelling long drive from his house some 200 yards away.

 

Following a 6 hour trip full of films "yarp" and songs "my 1 skin", we arrived safely in Juliet's Well Holiday Park in Camelford. After a quick debrief and room allocation, the dads found the bar, while the lads plotted and schemed things to do to Clive Marsh. The night ended with Chris Morris looking round the car park for a place to sleep and Clive returning to find his duvet taped to his mattress...what a start!

 

Our first port of call was a match against local giants Truro, who boasted 8 county players and a strong record of winning. The Eagles, unaware of the quality of the team they were playing, started strongly and the game was deadlocked with neither side able to breach the others defence and it looked this way for most of the first half until Sam Maycock, decided to give away a penalty by charging round offside and hitting the scrum half while the ball was still in the ruck. They converted the penalty and went 3 -0 ahead. This didn't deter the spirited Eagles who responded well and forced a penalty in the Truro half. Jack Gamble stepped up and slotted one of the longest kicks of his career to date to put the tourists level going into half time 3-3. While on tour, it is the Eagles policy to play all players and so Effingham changed 8 players at half time. With a combination of not being mentally prepared, decimating the team dynamic and Truro leaving their A team on the pitch meant that they were able to hit the second half with the same pace as they finished the first which totally surprised the new players and the flood gates opened. The final score was 45 -3 to Truro so was a definite game of two halves!

 

Undeterred by the loss, and determined to enjoy their ‘Pasty Hostility' sorry hospitality (Thanks Keith Gamble) the lads and dads stayed and tried to drink and eat them out of Pasties and Betty Swallocks, however with Padstow beckoning and tour manager Nigel Maycock full as a newt , the Eagles left and went on to cause havoc in Rick Steinsville. With the lads off buying gobstoppers and BB Guns, the dads hit a local tavern and managed to upset Mrs Stein, who took objection to Jon Whellams uncanny knack of the local lingo "Yarp2 and David Zulu Warrior Tod's singing. A lovely Stein Moby Dick and Chips followed and then back to camp for Dan to do his world famous, one night only Elvis performance. The night finished with Clive finding all his gear taped to the ceiling ...well done Tim Parsons.

 

Sunday morning and off to Wadebridge Camels, who took advantage of the Eagles injury riddled team. With just enough players, lack of sleep and food, Eagles struggled to get into the game and Wadebridge managed to win 22-7. With no time to stay, it was off to Polzeath to catch a few waves. Unfortunately, the waves were more like frothy ripples but everyone was pleased to be out in the sea, with the winter sun beating down made for a great afternoon. After a quick change it was off to the famous Polzeath Atlantic Doom Bar for some well earned Cheesy Chips and Doom Bar Ale. Unfortunately, they had run out of chips and Doom Bar, but they managed to throw together a batch of hot snacks to stop the lads eating each other before dinner.

 

Sunday evening was tour dinner and court session. At Carruan Farm, Mike specially opened his farm restaurant for the Yarp tourists and laid on a lovely meal (gravy all down his back) and then allowed us to convert it into a court session. With an amazing debut as judge by Ben Lazarevic and a couple sterling toilet singing performances from Alex Lincoln it was a session to be remembered.

 

Monday was coasteering day...looking like a group of human cannon balls, we descended on Port Quin and clung to the rocks some 50' above the raging sea. With blood dripping from severe flesh wounds and Clive blowing chunks as the water shot up his huge bugle, it was a fantastic day of cliff jumping, tomb-stoning and dodging sharks.

 

If the tour wasn't exciting enough, the rather subdued coach journey home ended in excitement when a car decided to jump a red light as our coach went through the junction. This was close but the car following it who had also jumped the light caused our uber cool driver, Super Steve to hit the brakes and with all 34 tourists now sitting in the front seats, he managed to avoid the collision! If either vehicle had another coat of paint it would have ended in tragedy most likely for the car driver who now only has 8 lives left.

 

With mummies waiting with baited breath for their little cherubs to return, the Yarp tour finished back where it started at Eagles HQ.

 

As tours go I can only say..."Yarp ...a good one!"

 

Yarp 09 Tourists:- LADS: Ben Lazarevic, Luke Blythe, Lewis Armstrong, George Bayman, Luke Blythe, Adam Buck, Benoit Bush, Joe Cox, Chris Dennehy, Dan Evans, Matthew Evans, Remy Fuchs, Jack Gamble, Charles Lawrence, Alex Lincoln, Will MacKay, Rob Marsh, Sam Maycock, Connor Morris, Tim Parson, Alex Stephens, Jack Taylor,  James Tod, Jack Whellams

DADS: Daniel Blythe, Nigel Maycock, David Lawrence, Jon Whellams, Clive Marsh, Tom Bayman, Chris Morris, Keith Gamble, Paul Lazarevic, John MacKay, Phil Stephens, David ‘Zulu Warrior' Tod, Cliff Parsons, Dudley Cox.