Christmas came early to Worcester’s rugby stars of the future when they were given the chance to meet their Warriors heroes.
The young fans from Warriors’ 14 junior partner clubs took a tour behind the scenes at Sixways, and had their photos taken with first team players at a special Stars and Starlets event held as a thank-you to the children for all their hard work in making its community development programme such a huge success.
The youngsters were able to show off the skills they’ve learnt in a rugby competition, on a kicking speed measurer, on a reaction game and on a steady hand challenge.
They loved all the games – though perhaps not as much as their dads and even the Warriors themselves.
Being on crutches didn’t even stop Richard Blaze from having a go at the kicking competition, and club mascot Maximus wasn’t far behind him in the queue, waiting for a turn.
Five-year-old prop-in the-making Robert Brown was thrilled at meeting Maximus.
His dad, retired Wanderers player Rich Brown, took Robert along to introduce him to Sixways, where his sister Kayleigh, 10, is already a season ticket-holder.
“It’s really great that the family can do something like this together,” said Rich.
Now Robert can’t wait to get his rugby boots on, although, after his success with the kicking tee, he perhaps fancies himself at 10 rather than in the pack.
Robert predicted a win for Worcester, and he wasn’t disappointed as the Warriors slayed the Dragons 23-10.
For nine-year-old Callum Underhill, who plays for the Bromsgrove Boars, the best bit of the day was taking a tour of Sixways.
His grandmother, Maggie Underhill, said he and his mates had a fantastic day.
“You’ve only got to look at their faces to see how much they’ve enjoyed it,” she said. “It’s good for them to see the players – it really gives them something to aim for. The Warriors really encourage them to get involved.”
This was evident when some of the first team players started an impromptu game with the kids and a crowd gathered to watch the fun.
Cheryl Nairn’s two sons James and Sam, aged 13 and 10 respectively, joined in the antics.
“I like the way the Warriors were really encouraging the young players,” she said. “It was really lovely to see.”
However, the young supporters had to give some encouragement back to the Warriors during the game, when all the junior teams were involved in the Cheering Challenge.
The Warriors decided that Worcester U9s made the most noise throughout the match, scoring themselves a training session at Sixways.
After the game, all the youngsters – and not a few parents – crowded on to the indoor pitch to have their complimentary yearbooks signed by all the players, a brilliant way to finish a fantastic day, according to all of the wannabe Warriors.