Dear Marauders

So the end of 2011 is nigh. From a Malta Marauders point of view , it was a reasonably successful year.
Finishing runners-up in the Malta Veterans Tournament was a definite plus, and all the players enjoyed the weekend in general, and in particular meeting such a diverse group of Vets from all over Europe.

The comprehensive victory over Milan Old Blacks was another highlight, and showed that when we get a half decent squad together, we can play entertaining, flowing rugby and score lots of tries.

We also had an excellent third half in the clubhouse after our game with Derbyshire Barbarians, when we were royally entertained by the vast repertoire of songs from the visitors.

A couple of negatives – first the economic situation caused some visiting teams to call off their visits to Malta. Let’s hope we’ll see them here in the near future.

Secondly we tried, but failed, to get enough available players together for our planned tour to Italy to enter the Civitavecchia Vets tournament in the summer. Let’s hope it’s the first and last time we fail to go on tour, as it’s part of our raison d’être. Judging by the number of players who have just turned 35, or are just about to, I hope it’s the last year we will struggle for numbers.

What does 2012 hold? Well, planning for the tour to the Dubai 7s is already well under way, and we intend to enter two teams in the Veterans 10s tournament that runs concurrently. Get your name down on the Facebook page if you’re interested in coming – either as a player or spectator.

To try and get ourselves into shape for this event, Marauders will be putting up a Saturday 10s team to play some of the other 10s development teams at Marsa. The plan is to play once a fortnight, so if you’re interested in participating, I’ll be putting up a Facebook page shortly.

Lastly, we will be holding a Marauders Awards Dinner-out sometime in the new year. Therefore I’m looking for nominations from players for the following categories:

Best forward and best back age 35-39, best forward and best back 40-44, best forward and best back 45 or over. Please send your suggestions by email.

It just remains to wish all Marauders the very best for the festive season.

Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year – and, most importantly, Happy Marauding!

Phil G