You never know in this great sport of ours when you're going to bump into someone and this was certainly the case back in October when watching a match in Thorne, on old mining town near Doncaster. I was there to see Argaum youth product Tom Belli playing for his Leeds-based club Roundhegians, but didn't realise the Argaum connection with their Yorkshire 2 opponents Thornensians. It is the club that Dave Johnson, Argaum captain in the 1989-90 season, joined after leaving Plymouth more than 25 years ago.

Plymouth Argaum 1st XV 1989-90

I bumped into Dave, his wife Lynn and son Evan on the small terrace and we had a good natter about rugby whilst watching the match. Although our careers at Argaum didn't intersect, I met Dave and Lynn at PAPPA2 and knew that he was a prominent scrum-half at the club in the mid to late 80s. He played in the Havill Plate Final against Tavistock in 1986-87 and then skippered the side in his final season in 1989-90. We actually don't have a huge amount of material for that era but Dave has kindly sent on some team sheets from that final season.

More of these can be found at the 1989-90 Argaum Scrapbook Page

He is obviously an integral part of Thornensians having played for them and coached junior sides over a number of years. As well as being club safeguarding officer, he also coaches colts on a Sunday, although even with these club roles I noticed that that he was still charged the entrance fee to the match! Evan has followed his father as a very useful scrum-half although a dislocated shoulder sees him as a frustrated spectator for the time being.

I was very impressed with the clubhouse and facilities which had been extended over the years with the aid of grants and there was certainly some ideas to take away as we look to reshape our own clubhouse. On the field the match was highly competitive and a pretty decent standard (somewhere around Devon & Cornwall/Western Counties I estimate) but on the day the home side couldn't overhaul the lead that Roundhegians had built up in the first half. We hope to see both Dave and Lynn at further PAPPA events in the future, where perhaps I can get them back the pint that I owe them!