A RETIRED rugby player has hung up his boots for a final time after completing a series of charity matches.
Old Leamingtonians player Jason Ashley has raised over £4,400 for children’s charities including Zoe’s Place in Coventry and The Friendship Project, following his ’12 Club Rugby Challenge’.
The 50-year-old played the last of his matches alongside invitational team The Tired Old Tigers against his own team – resulting in a 26-26 draw and £1,000 for Zoe’s Place.
The dad-of-one said: “Now its finished, the overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude to everyone involved.
“The way that the local rugby clubs have engaged with The 12 Club Challenge has been brilliant and we could not have done this without their support.
“My family has been very supportive from start to finish and I thank my wife Sally and our son Maximilian for all of their help.
“They have encouraged me all the way through the 12 games and also driven me home after every game, after celebrating a win or commiserating after a loss but always with a beer or two.”
The former prop-forward also thanked his wing-men Sam Reynolds and Olly Scott as well as physio John Ahmed for the hours spent repairing ‘various parts’ of his body each week.
And Jason – who is a managing director for Pluvius Ltd which supplies kit and equipment to sports clubs – added: “The whole experience has been one of the hardest things I have ever done but one of the most rewarding and a very humbling experience.
“Rugby is a great game and I have made a lot of friends over the three decades I have played and these friendships are the main thing that I will miss as I head into retirement.
“Not sure how I will fill my time now that I have retired, but for all of those players who continue to play rugby – may your balls always be oval.’’
