There’s no question about the main event this weekend, as our 1st XV take on local rivals Sudbury in what will undoubtedly be a hotly contested game on Saturday afternoon, following the traditional and hugely popular Christmas lunch.

But Friday evening sees a fitting curtain-raiser as our very own Veterans team take on a Suffolk Vets team in an encounter which is guaranteed to banish the winter chill!

Kick off this Friday evening is 7.30pm on AGP1

The Vets team consists of many of our 5ths players, but with a generous sprinkling of “youth”. The match has been organised to support the work of the Wooden Spoon Charity.

Wooden Spoon is the children’s charity of rugby. They are a grant-making charity and fund life-changing projects across the UK & Ireland.

In addition to that our very own, ever-youthful Alan Goggins celebrates his 75th birthday. Still playing prop for the 5ths, Alan is without doubt legendary across Essex for his rugby escapades.

Please come along and witness the rugby skills on show that have been honed over many, many years, but undertaken at a slower pace! Once the cold evening mist has settled, why not then enjoy a beverage from the bar to warm those winter cockles?

Colchester Vets Squad - the numbers in brackets are not the normal caps – that’s the age!

1. Mark Watmough (56)
2. Robert Coan (48)
3. Alan Goggin (75)
4. Steve Goodridge (61)
5. Andy Girdlestone (51)
6. Chris Daniels (57)
7. Lee Pearson (42)
8. Gary Palmer (old enough!)
9. Callum Muskett (47)
10. Bart Wilkinson (51)
11. Richard Croft (no one is quite sure!)
12. Sam Girdlestone (aging well really!)
13. Doug Boulton (53)
14. Steve Ferguson (we know it starts with a 5)
15. Luke Archbold (this is the youth!)
16. Ben Goggin (49)
17. Wilfred Lau (your guess is as good as ours. . . . . . )
18. Adam Goddard (37)

That’s over 800 years of experience on just 1 side of the fixture!

Come on down to Raven Park and enjoy this fabulous spectacle with some sparkling entertainment.