Mother nature did her best to prevent the Boxing Day festival of rugby at Ross RFC, deluging the pitches under five foot of water. Fortunately, however, only three players are shy of a yard and a half in stature, so they were suitably attired with armbands and rubber rings and the way was free for the battle to commence.

In the blue were the Mature cheeses, men of a certain vintage, their playing days forged in the eighties and nineties pre-professionalism, when the ball was often an unnecessary distraction, preventing one from getting to know one's opponent through the medium of thuggery. Full report in this week's Gazette.