HOPEFULLY everyone will have been able to contain the excitement having been left with such a cliffhanger from last week.

I can understand the tension that you all must have felt, a bit like the pause before the announcement of who is to leave Strictly, or the Great British Bake Off.

Well, you need wait no longer as I can now reveal the first part of the list of players that have played over 500 games for the Club.

However, before that, I shall continue the theme of recollections from players both past and present.

This week we turn our attention to the Crediton Director of Rugby, Mark Gulley, who it would seem does not have any bad memories of playing rugby and indeed could fill a book with so many good ones.

It has meant that editing skills, such as they are, have had to come into play.

There are one or two themes that run through Mark’s memories, the main one being the enjoyment he gained through playing the game with mates.

In his early days of Junior rugby Mark recalled team-mates Eddie Yeandle, Chris Kibbey, Matt Chiverton, Mark Allder, Ali Ford, Mark Binks, Gary (Cider) Phillips, Chris Ford and Tom Robin. All were quality players and some went on to play senior rugby for the Club.

However, probably the best junior player he played with was James Watson (hopefully this will not cause mass outrage amongst the others!) and the best junior player that he opposed was Exeter player Martin Luke.

Apart from the players of course there was a huge commitment from coaches Eddie Trick, Barry Tucker and Miles Haggar. The playing memories are a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly, the good being the 17-0 victory over Barnstaple in the Jewson Cup Final in April 1992, the third successive year that Crediton had won the trophy.

The bad, possibly the tour to Wimborne although for what reason will remain unclear for the foreseeable future!

The ugly, well Mark recalls the 1992 Devon Under 16 Cup Final against Plymouth Albion at Beacon Park, a closely fought game and a chance for victory was lost when Mark dropped the ball over the Plymouth try line, the two Eddie’s, Trick and Yeandle provide constant reminders of the sad event at every available opportunity.

The toughest games that Mark enjoyed were both against Nuneaton, two really excellent games, we lost the first but won the second with a try that Eddie Yeandle falsely laid claim to …allegedly!

Moving on to the Colts, again great memories of team mates, Mark Bolt, Simon (Racehorse) Saunders, Jay Harris, Ben Breeze, Richard John, Ian Friend, Stuart Taylor, John Shelton, John Davie, Matt Cannon and many others.

Mark recalled: “We were brilliantly coached by Bernie Blatchford, Trevor Burridge, Mike John and John Appleyard.

“I was playing at fullback and really had an easy time of things, such good players in front of me.

“We won the 1993 Colts Cup final at Tavistock, Matt Cannon and Richard Appleyard scored tries and I converted one, it was enough to win the game 12-11.

“We celebrated pretty well in the changing room and I managed to achieve the impossible by getting a wee bit tipsy on Fosters, something that had never been done before.”

Mark continued: “Torquay Colts were always a tough side to play against but whilst in the Colts the best opponent I came across was Danny Thomas of Barnstaple, great player.

“The Colts team in those days was a really good side but one player you would always want in your team was Richard Appleyard.

“Colts tours were great fun and I remember on the way back from Cornwall we stopped in at Barnstaple to watch the Devon Cup Final and I watched the game wearing a smoking jacket and smoking a pipe. I was ill for days after that!”

Mark recalled: “When I moved into the Senior sides there have been so many great memories, high amongst them was becoming Champions of the Western Counties West league in 2001. The league was very tight and of course was badly affected by the Foot and Mouth Crisis.

“It was a brilliant season all round as the Second XV also won the Devon Merit Table, the only team ever to have won it with a 100 per cent record.

“We were one of a number of Clubs that were unable to complete our fixtures but at the time the league was brought to a halt, we were top anyway with two games outstanding, both against bottom placed Wellington.

“Withycombe in second place, Exmouth in third and Tiverton in fourth had each played all their games and so could not catch us anyway.

“We lost only twice, at Tiverton and South Molton and then had a rare 0-0 draw at Withycombe who always provided tough opposition and closely contested fixtures. They also had a player who was something of a nemesis for me, Nigel Symons, maybe not the toughest opponent but we both tended to play at inside centre and more often than not it was a bit niggly!

“Our first season in South West Two was a real eye opener especially the trips to Gloucestershire. Against the Devon Clubs, we knew what to expect after all we had played them many times before but Gloucestershire was a very different experience.

“There never seemed to be much rugby played as our opponents tended to prefer physical contact than actually play rugby, we often went home on the bus actually wondering what enjoyment they got out of the game!”

His recollections of Senior rugby again revolves around the enjoyment of playing with mates, he said “again the likes of Jay, Eddie, Ben Blackburn, Kibby, Bolty, Chris Crow and of course the Scheepers brothers all had massive influences on games and great players to have in your side and of course there was Martin Ash, another I would rather have in my side than against me, so committed.”

He added: “Fortunately, I have not as yet given up playing and I enjoy the occasional game in the third XV. Playing with the younger generation has been a real joy even if they don’t all train!

“This is grass roots rugby at its best with players of varying ages and abilities and is what it is all about and I hope to create many more memories, eventually achieving an ambition to play alongside all the Gulley boys by which time I anticipate that I shall have completed my very slow move from fullback to front row.

“I have to say that my favourite team-mate during this era of my career has to be the remarkable Andy Dafters who, at the age of we think 53-ish, still has the enthusiasm that he had 35 years ago, a huge encouragement to the third team players and just a great bloke.

“The toughest opponents in latter years were Okehampton Vets, they all seemed so young! Best memory has to be away at Honiton with the thirds and dropping the ball over the try line and hearing my fellow team mates collapse with laughter…there seems to be a theme here!”

For the record, Mark has played 361 games for the Club, 219 in the First XV, 66 in the Second XV, 16 in the Third XV and 60 in the Colts.

He has scored a total of 946 points made up from 72 tries, 182 Conversions and 74 penalties. I am sure the target of 1,000 points will be firmly in his sights.

WALTER ANDREWS

And so to the appearances, no more teasing and top of the list by some distance is Walter Andrews with a total of 801 games for the Club.

Walter came onto the scene in the 1972-73 season and soon began to make an impression. It was not just his blonde locks that made him stand out, he was such a strong wing forward who would eventually form a formidable back row partnership with Mike Leach and Geoff Warne and later with Mick Leyman and Tim Garner.

Quiet and unassuming off the field, Walter was a destroyer of opponents on it and was widely respected throughout the county and yet was another Crediton player who quite wrongly, was overlooked for County honours.

Walters total of 801 games is made up of 467 in the First XV, 181 in the Second XV, 151 in the Third XV and just a couple in the Colts. A total of 95 tries and two conversions amounted to 401 points, although on modern scoring will equate to 479.

MIKE JOHN

Mike John is second on the list with 706 games and of course as mentioned last week is in the 500 First XV club games. Next is Shane Bayley on 696, made up by 467 games in the First XV, 105 in the Second XV, 23 in the Third XV and 101 in the Colts.

Shane is yet another hooker who seemed to enjoy getting on the scoresheet although such was his versatility that he has played many a game in the threequarters which no doubt helped to boost his try scoring feats.

Shane began as a Colt in 1988-89 and by 1994 was firmly established in the First XV. He hung up his boots in 2017, although I suspect could be tempted to make a comeback in order to take his total beyond 700.

With 136 tries, three conversions and two penalties, Shane amassed 664 points which equates to 692 in current scoring. Shane was Club captain in 2000-01 and 01-02.

Kevin Ellis fills the fourth spot with 680 appearances, 209 in the First XV, 317 in the Seconds and 154 in the Thirds. Kevin is yet another front row forward who it would seem is determined never to retire and his rugby career to date has spanned 30 years. Remarkably, he has played games in every one of those seasons.

He is well placed to break the 700 barrier, just one more season might do it! Kevin has always been a reliable prop although over the years has filled all three berths in the front row (not at the same time of course!).

Renowned as a bit of a “try poacher”, but then that is only a question of being in the right place at the right time! He is credited with 120 tries and one conversion for a total of 602 points.

Due to pressure on space, the next instalment will have to be left until next week.