Magic Mike

Noting that my cousin Pat played in a Manchester United team along with Bobby Charlton in the 70s (Icons passim) reminded me that another cousin, Mike Murphy, was playing rugby for Cardiff a few years later.

Idly googling I found an article called "The Greatest Cardiff win ever?" on the WRFU website about a game Mike played.

January 8, 1977: Cardiff 25 Llanelli 15

Llanelli arrived at the Arms Park that day with the unbelievable record of only one defeat in 32 cup-ties and tournament winners four years in a row from 1973.

Led by Phil Bennett they had star names like J J Williams, Ray Gravell, Roy Bergiers and Derek Quinnell in their ranks. But Cardiff had great players of their own such as Gareth Edwards and Gareth Davies at half-back, Barry Nelmes, Alan Phillips and Gerry Wallace in the front row and a captain par excellence in Gerald Davies.

Thus, when I was a lad a had a cousin who played for Man U alongside Bobby Charlton and another cousin who played alongside Gareth Edwards and and Gerald Davis for Cardiff against a Llanelli team led by Phil Bennett, yet at the time it didn't seem very remarkable, or indeed all that interesting, to me.

I can't get enough of that sort of thing now. What a peculiar little chap I must have been.