The Virgin Express

By BrianC
December 9 2004

All together now - you know the song..... “Naught and thirty virgins came at Mike’s behest, and when the game was over there were naught and thirty less.”

Long standing London Irish supporter Michael Constable (MGC) was alarmed as his fortieth birthday approached. Alarmed , not by his age but, by the thought that someone else might organise his day for him. He therefore decided to take the matter into his own hands and organised for friends and family, mostly rugby and LI virgins to have a day out at the Madejski, our home game against Newcastle being the day.

“I wanted to do something that all those close to me young and old could join in and enjoy,” he told me before the day, “My passion for Rugby meant it would Rugby related, at first the International tests would be good, but I still couldn't bare not to involve LI”. He looked at the idea of going into hospitality but in the end decided to go back to the basics of the Cowshed and The Craic. “After all it provided me with many memories over the years”, he continued “I'm sure it will deliver for my LI Virgins”.

Michael was unsure how many of his friends and family would be up for such an escapade. He asked them not to buy him a present but instead give him the money for a ticket to the match. In exchange he offered food, beer, some fun and Craic. He was pleasantly surprised when thirty said they would be up for it.

He contacted Jon Salinger at the club who helped him with the group booking and arranged a coach from Basingstoke so that nobody had to drive. The day was set, “This will be a strange feeling as most of the time I enjoy the Rugby on my own”, he told me, “Apart from the odd occasion my partner comes.”

On the day itself, with the help of the band, I caught up with Michael and his entourage in the Cowshed before the match. They all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. I spoke with a few of them; some had been to a rugby match before but never to LI.

The game was a very tight encounter, which we won with an amazing pushover try deep into injury time. I caught up with Michael’s party again after the match. The Craic was ninety. “This is fantastic, I can see why Michael enjoys it so much”, one said, “I’ll be back here myself”. They rounded off the day with a slap up Italian meal back in Basingstoke.

Did Michael enjoy himself? The message he posted the following day says it all “I knew LI would not let me down (no matter what the result was) but everything far exceeded my expectations.”