The Easter Tour to Basle in Switzerland organised by Sid
Sidwell was unusual. Apart from the flight, participants travelled on public
transport and the tour included playing rugby in France and drinking in Germany.
In 1992 Moss Goode was made a Life Member.
For the 1992-93 season Gareth Samuel was elected Club Captain
but work commitments interfered and Steve Chinn took over. It was a strong
division and we came bottom with only two wins from twelve resulting in
relegation to Midlands West Two.
The possibility of our having to move location was again
stalled when Solihull Urban Development Plans for housing favoured the
neighbouring Dickens Heath site for building on, rather than our ground
The following year, Steve Mancell took on the captaincy with
Denzil Watts as coach. Having narrowly lost the opening game 27-29 to Birmingham
& Solihull, my how the times change, we played host to a touring side from
Sevenoaks in Kent. This friendly gave the opportunity to try out some new faces,
Derek Roulston, John Peace, Ian Cudlip, Antony Brown, Dan Unwin and Darren
Beets. We lost 14-17 but the display was encouraging. Denzil was impressed, only
using ear-blasting expletives thirteen or fourteen times in the whole eighty
minutes. The league started well with wins over Stratford, Tamworth and Coventry
Welsh. The loss of the next game to West Midlands Police was compounded by the
deduction of two points for an unregistered player. Denzil was not happy. With
four more losses, relegation loomed and we were faced with an away game at
second-placed Kenilworth captained by former British Lions and England hooker,
Steve Brain. Over three hundred people watched a bloodbath game but, after
eighty minutes, victory was ours. The game changed our season and we finished in
fourth place in the league.