Stopsy gets his just desserts

By Denise
January 20 2003

This Saturday Stopsy was finally presented with his print of Inkworm's caricature of Neil Back as a reward for his tremendous poem about Backy's career.

An ode to Backy

From Barkers Butts and Nottingham
He came with locks of gold
To play with Dean and Wellsy
To join the Tigers fold

Ambition raw and naked
Some caps he came to seek
His talent and his bravery
Displayed each single week

Week in, week out his game improved
The scars began to mount
Other people noticed
The tries began to count

Too short, too light, too good, too blond
Geoff Cook and Rowell say
This player of such excellence
For England couldn't play

Then fame at last, that fateful day
On Twickers hallowed grass
He pushed the ref, who tripped and fell
upon his pompous bottom

So six months rest, time to reflect
And focus on his game
He came back like a man possessed
This tiger wasn't tame

Tigers, Lions and England too
The world's best open side?
Will play until his legs fall off
With skill and power and pride.

When father time calls him in
The angels all will say
That's Neil Back, you know the one
That God taught how to play

Stopsy duly had his photo taken and made his acceptance speech which took the form of a poem.

Stopsy's Acceptance Poem

When writing pomes or odes or songs
It helps me now and then
To think of things what rhyme and that
And scribble with my pen

Some days it comes, some days it don't
The poet's muse is fickles
Sometimes the verses all gush out
Then sometimes they just trickle

So now I come to grab my prize
Big headed, I do boast
You lot is the bestest fun
And to you I raise a toast

To Tigers past, to Tigers now
To Tigers in the future
We'll raise a glass and drink it down
'Coz sober doesn't suit you