That was the cry before lockdown when the Auld Greys walking rugby players were going through their paces at Kendal RUFC and Ian Cunningham was letting his enthusiasm run away with him. Now, with rugby back on the pitch, he’ll be out there again leading the return to the game he loves.
Daddy is the affectionate nickname given to Ian by his playing friend Judy and taken up by his team mates. Everyone loves playing rugby with Ian and they think, as he reaches 80 this month, he must be one of the oldest active club rugby players in England.
With a soft Irish lilt, he greets everyone as he arrives for training in a Six Nations shirt displaying the badges of the competing countries, together with his customary shorts, hat and, in winter, gloves on cold rugby afternoons in the Lake District.
His rugby back story is typical of many. He was a schoolboy in Northern Ireland when school rugby was very strong and participation widespread. At The Royal School, Dungannon, he says on Saturday mornings they fielded six teams from U13 to 1st XV, competing against other Ulster Schools.
He was a pupil from 1952 to 1960 when you could kick direct to touch from anywhere, lineouts were a bit of a free for all and much of the game was played in channels close to each touchline.
Ian played flanker in a really good school team which, in the 1st XV, made it through to the Ulster Schools Challenge Cup final, a feat only repeated once since. The game was played at Ravenhill, now the Kingspan Stadium, and although he narrowly lost the game against a top Belfast school, Ian’s passion for Ulster rugby was undiminished.
He went on to play club rugby with Coleraine, before moving to progress his profession as a chartered surveyor in England. Life’s responsibilities then took priority, and although a keen enthusiast and avid supporter of his province and country, most of Ian’s rugby was played from an armchair. When Murrayfield was rebuilt, Ian and his wife Audry purchased debenture seats and he has visited Edinburgh for rugby matches many times since.
In retirement, Ian and Audry settled in the lovely Lakeland town of Kendal in 2002 and when, in 2018, invitations went out to the older generation to visit the brand new rugby ground at Kendal rugby club, Ian was one of the earliest to join the walking rugby, as well as one of the more skilful.
Auld Greys had 35 players pitching up to play when lockdown eased, five of them new members of which three were women, including an 80-year-old who was introduced to rugby for the first time. The attendance has been so strong they are planning on training some additional group leaders.
Walking rugby is a game for all sizes, shapes and abilities, and for both sexes, with playing alongside more seasoned players like Ian. As members of the rugby club, Ian and The Auld Greys are increasingly making their presence felt and were delighted to see rugby resume. Ian can’t wait to have a pint in hand, watching the first fifteen on Saturday afternoons.
He was back on the pitch again with a rugby ball in his hands as soon as outdoor sport was given the green light and was certainly enjoying the camaraderie. He may be reaching 80 but he doesn’t intend to hang up his boots any time soon!
With Ian’s birthday on 19th April, local radio and TV are taking an interest in this rugby Daddy.
If you have a walking rugby team interested in playing the Auld Greys, please email Paul Want at pjwant@yahoo.co.uk.
