PAST stars from VS Rugby and Rugby Town will start their Diamond Jubilee celebrations on Sunday when they face Leicester City’s heroes of yesteryear – plus members of the band Kasabian and special guests.
Rugby Legends will meet Leicester City Legends (kick off 2pm) in the first of two charity games at Butlin Road to celebrate 60 years since the club’s first fixture.
Valley Sports, as they were then known, played Dunchurch Lodge in Division Three of the Rugby & District League on September 8 1956 and won 7-0.
To commemorate the landmark, Rugby Legends will also tackle a Coventry City Legends team on September 11 and an. anniversary dinner including players from their 1983 FA Vase winning team and through the decades, will be held on Friday September 9.
One of the Valley club’s original founders and its first secretary, Keith Coughlan is looking forward to remembering Valley’s rich history.
He said: “The 50th anniversary was well-supported in 2006, and we are hoping that it will be the same this time round too.
“We should have many ex-players travelling from across the country and also internationally to be here for the main weekend of celebrations – including some of the line-up from that first game.”
The Foxes squad includes Muzzy Izzet, Julian Joachim, Steve Walsh, Steve Guppy as well as former Leicester Tigers and England rugby World Cup winner Martin Johnson and Tigers team-mate Steve Booth, ex-Commonwealth and European champion boxer Rendall Munroe, who fought for the WBA super-bantamweight title, plus Kasabian’s bassist Chris Edwards and guitarist Serge Pizzorno.
There will also be the chance for two Foxes fans to play alongside their heroes. For £30 each, the two supporters will play for 15 minutes each.
The games will also be raising money for a variety of good causes: Rugby Myton Hospice, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, Friends of St Cross hospital in Rugby plus Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Admission is £6 adults, £3 for over-60s and £1 for under-16s.
The Rugby squad, organised by former players Tony Clarke and Craig Herbert and managed by ex-boss Billy Jeffrey, includes some of Midlands’ non-League’s greats such as Terry Angus, Dale Belford, Mark Rosegreen, Mick Shearer, Robbie Beard, Kieran Sullivan and victorious Vase team member Martin Haskins.
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