Random rugby stories. : Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:02 pm
With not much rugby to talk about, how about a selection of stories from the game. Here's mine.2018, It was the Monday morning after our play off semi win against Saints and tickets were on sale for the final against Wigan. I got down to the HJ early and managed to get inside the shop as the tickets went on sale, with a massive queue behind stretching to the Red Lion corner.
I noticed a taxi pull up outside and an elderly couple plus the driver got out and came into the shop. It was obvious from the accents that the couple were from the US. They went around the shop picking out various items of merchandise, and eventually they had armfuls of sweat shirts, hoodies, caps, flags and the like, with value running well into three figures. They then looked at the queue, wondering what to do and where to join it. Myself and a couple of others offered to let them in front of us, and someone suggested they just went to the front.
I don't know exactly what happened, whether the girls serving told them they would have to get to the back of the queue or the people at the front wouldn't let them in but they were turned away. Those around me were dismayed and embarrassed, and a fella behind me asked me to mind his place and he nipped outside and returned with a club official, who took them out of the shop with all their gear.
I got my tickets and was just walking out to my car as they were also walking back to their taxi, empty handed. I asked them if they got sorted. They told me that they were from Las Vegas and were on a cruise ship that had docked into Liverpool. Their surname was Warrington, and had heard about a town by that name nearby. They had hired a taxi to bring them for a quick tour and had called into the club shop on possibly the worst day possible. They wanted a selection of wares with Warrington on for their kids and Grandkids. The official had taken them into the club offices where Richie Mathers had given them a tour of the stadium and was forwarding their souvenirs free of charge to their home address plus a few goodies.
So what could have been a sour occasion with a very poor opinion of our town turned out well.