Anyone for rugby?
Adam Hirschovits contacted me recently and asked if I could post something about his local rugby club. Always happy to oblige, I suggested the best person to write about it was probably him. So he did:
“UCS Old Boys Rugby Football Club (“UCSOB RFC”) was founded in 1892 by some ex-pupils of University College School. However, it was not until 1979 that UCSOB RFC started playing its home matches in West Hampstead, which has always been our spiritual home.
We train and play our Saturday home matches at UCS Playing Fields, Ranulf Road, NW2 2BH. Training is every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-8.30pm and matches are on Saturday afternoons.
These days, the 1st XV competes in the highly competitive London 2 North West league – a remarkable feat given the size of the club. Its 2nd and 3rd teams compete in the Hertfordshire leagues, with the occasional friendly for our 4th XV.
The great appeal of UCSOB RFC is that it can cater for all your rugby needs: if you are looking to train hard and join a competitive and ambitious club, then our 1st XV could be for you. Our 2nd and 3rd XVs bring together young players who wish to challenge at a higher level, those who have been at the top and fancy something a little less intense, and those who are just there to take part and enjoy the camaraderie!
We have been fortunate enough, over the past three years, to have had two ex All Blacks represent us (Taine Randell and Anton Oliver), one of whom just wanted a run-out with his mates, and ended up playing in the 4th XV!
After our Saturday matches (all in and around London), players tend to stay in our (subsidised) bar, and if you’re not interested in moving very far, you can always find a group of people happy to walk home via a bar crawl along West End Lane.
So, whether you are a serious competitive rugby player looking for a new club, or someone who has never played before but would like to give it a try, come down to one of our training sessions and get involved. Everyone who wants to play will get a game.
If interested, please contact Geoffrey Boxer on g.boxer@ucl.ac.uk or on 07984 467189.”
And before you ask, I checked with Adam, and the teams are men only at the moment but naturally women are welcome to join in the post-match drinking!