Social GRUFC scoop award

GUERNSEY'S rugby players may have not finished top of London Four South-West on the pitch, but off the pitch they did. The league referees voted for the club that looked after them the best on match days and the Guernsey Rugby Club came out on top. They have been awarded a special prize.

'We have won the award for being the most congenial host by the rugby referees society,' said Guernsey RFC chairman Adie Le Page.

'On the island we have Wes Williams, who is a referee assessor, and he was asked to attend a referee's society dinner. He got an award and he was also given this award for us.

'Really, he is the real reason why we have won this award.'

On league match days, Williams picks up the referees from the airport and generally looks after them while they are on the island. The men in black also get fed with the two teams after the match.

Some referees prefer to go home straight after the game, but others, who are usually Williams' friends, stay the night to enjoy the rugby club's and St Peter Port's full hospitality.

Some teams also stay over and will socialise the greens-and-whites long into the night, but this is not unique to Guernsey.

Rugby is a paradox as on the pitch. Opposing teams will try to lump seven shades of the proverbial out of each other, but off the pitch they will all be found in the bar sharing a beer and a song long hours later.

'I'm 99% sure that there won't be any trouble after a game,' said Le Page.

'I've been a member of this club for 32 years and it been a long time since any team has had any trouble over here. Rugby is one of those games.

'When I was in the first team we had a chef, an advocate, a fireman and I'm a builder. Such a cross-section of society play the game and they all get on with one another.'