Directions to Amesbury

For those of you making the trip down to Amesbury on Thursday evening, for the game against Harvard Business School, the game is going to be played at the New England Soccer School, with map to be found here. It's an all-weather pitch, so the game goes on, rain or shine...well, actually it'll be dark, but you know what I mean.

Even though I just gave you directions, the team will be meeting at the Park 'n' Ride on marginal way at 6pm to travel down together. If you plan to play but can't make it to the meet-up, please give me call - 329.3630.

KO is 8pm, with three 30-minute periods planned, so everyone who attends will get some minutes. The whole purpose is to get a look at everyone, so bring your best game. Every spot is up for grabs.

Video Game Junkie

Still got a hankerin' for some low-tech on-line rugby fun? Is your wrist still functioning after all those hours of Flicknkick?

Well, my pals at the Beeb have now come up with England Academy which allows you to hone all of your skills before taking on the rest of Europe in your very own Six Nations.

Stupid sound effects notwithstanding, its a little something to pass away the hours between practices...

New Fixture Added

In an effort to provide some early competition before the Spring season shifts in to high gear, we've been able to slot in an extra fixture for March 16th against Harvard Business School at Amesbury Sports Complex (where we played Middlesex).

The 16th is, of course, a Thursday, so kick off will be at 8pm, and we'll be forgoing the usual fitness training at the PAC. Expect to leave Portland some time between 6 and 6:30 that night. In order to get everyone on the field, the format will be non-traditional, and probably something like 3 30-minute periods with rolling subs.

For those of you who played HBS in the Fall, you may recall their legendary hospitality, where they served up three slices of pizza between us all, so be sure to bring your own snacks.

Ocean Spray

For those of you who enjoyed Tuesday night's shakedown, we've got plenty more of that in store for you, with more time and space on tap for Tuesday's throughout the month. Make a note of the of the 8pm timeslot and make it a point to be there.

To double up the fun, we're bustin' out "Saturdays at the Beach" starting this Saturday, @ 9:30am. This gives us plenty of sandy acreage to tear up, and a good couple of hours in which to do it, before the tide comes in and spoils the fun. The particular beach in question is Higgins Beach, and you can find directions to it here. I'm not your mum or anything, but I'd suggest you dress warm and in layers, and bring some dry clothes for after. Exposure and hypothermia are only funny when they're happening to someone else.

Lastly, peep that Practice Schedule closely you land-lubbers, since tides change, and we won't be there at 9:30 every week. If you arrive to find the beach full of water, then you've f'd up. Come back in 6 hours.

Oh, and one more thing...fitness training is still going full bore on Thursday's at the PAC. The beach will be more fun if you're not coughing up a lung. See you tonight. I gots a new CD.

A Boy for the Boyers

Congrats are due to Matt Boyer and his wife on the arrival of Charlie Boyer, who showed up on Feb. 21st I'm told. Young Charlie tipped the scales at 6lb 11oz. and stretched the tape to 20 inches, which puts him in the 97th percentile for weight and 62nd percentile for height, for those of you keeping score. Alas, we already have too many players on our club with those kind of proportions. Can somebody have some lanky kids with wheels on please?

So Charlie, as is customary now, I'll point out some of the people with whom you share a birthday: the prolific, legless WW2 flying ace, Douglas Bader; blues crooner, Nina Simone; Norwegian king, Harald V; man-loving producer, David Geffen; C-3PO "actor", Anthony Daniels; Harry Potter baddie, Alan Rickman; Democrat disguised as a Republican, Olympia Snowe; talented drunk, Kelsey Grammar; talent-less drunk Billy Baldwin; Triple-Crown winning pony, Affirmed; Tony & Emmy winning walrus, Tyne Daly; B-movie screamer, Jennifer Love Hewitt; roly-poly Welsh slapper & Gavin Henson's girlfriend, Charlotte Church.

15 on 1

Jonesing for some rugby?

Try this really rubbish on-line game here.

My best score? 8250, since you asked.

Of course, that took hours of practice.

Roll on Springtime.