My first task as captain was to take delivery of four trees which needed stripping, knotting and painting before being carried up to the pitches and erected as goal posts.

- Bill Ryan, 'A Captain's Year'

At the last PAPPA reunion in December 2018 we were very grateful to be presented with a record of the 1966-67 season by Bill Ryan. Bill was Argaum's 1st XV skipper that season and kept an account of the season complete with his own summaries and observations from each match.

In addition there are wonderful insights about the way both the club and rugby in the region operated. Argaum was going through a very good period during the mid 1960s and this particular season saw arguably the club's greatest victory, a defeat of Camborne, away, with 14 men! Bill, like many others at Argaum, was a product of St Boniface School and played for a number of seasons during the 1960s with appearances restricted by periods away from the area including Dublin and Twickenham. Returning to the area for a teaching post at Saltash High School, he was later instrumental in the formation of Saltash RFC in 1969 and its continued development till the present day, where he is Club President.

Nevertheless Bill still finds time to pop into the PAPPA reunions and is always interested to hear about the club's progress. 'A Captain's Year 1966-67' can be found attached to this article in PDF form for your enjoyment. You can find out more about that season and others throughout the years by visiting the dedicated season by season pages on the club's 125 website.

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A Captain's Year - 1966-67

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