..or at least they were in 1956, as is proven by this photo. It was handed to me by Len Taylor, who was captain of the team and can be seen in the centre holding the ball. Len (a sprightly gentleman, now in his 80s) was kind enough to come down and watch a league game in June and brought around ten of his clan with him. After a feisty game between Barbarians and Battersea (that the babas just nicked 3-2) we headed on for a pint. Over a couple of Youngs, Len recalled some marvellous tales of rugby netball in its heyday, pointing out that back then there would regularly be crowds 3-4 deep behind the ropes to watch. Len was delighted to see the game still being played and reckons that without modern distractions like PlaySatations and 3D home cinema systems we’d have as many people watching today. He then slipped off home to fire up the latest edition of Rugby World Cup 2011 on his xbox 360. Len – pleasure to have you and your family down. Make sure your grandson brings his boots next time!
Here’s 2011 Len (with ball) with the Battersea team in June…
