GROGS, the lunch club which reunites former rugby players who have lost touch with their friends over the last 30 years, will celebrate its fifth anniversary next month.

The club, which meets on the second Wednesday of every month from September to April, celebrated a record attendance at their December lunch when the speaker was Bill Nolan, member of the Scottish Rugby Council and the International Rugby Board’s council. On that occasion 97 enthusiasts enjoyed a Christmas lunch, breaking the attendance record previously held by Andy Irvine.

However, the SRU president will have his chance to regain the record when he speaks at the fifth anniversary lunch on 14 March in the GHA RFC clubhouse at Braidholm. Every speaker who has spoken at previous lunches will be invited to join in the celebrations including Frank Hadden, Andy Nicol, John Beattie, Brian Simmers, Peter Wright, Jim Telfer, Sean Lineen, Jim Farry, and Jon Petrie.

As well as Andy Irvine, other speakers scheduled for the second half of the season are (14 February) Derek Casey, head of Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid, and (11 April) Peter Mitchell, night editor of the Press and Journal and an accomplished after dinner speaker.

The club was started by Glen Stirling, who has been secretary from the beginning, aided by a strong committee. Ian Williams, of GHA, was chairman for the first two years, followed by Roy Dingwall, of Glasgow Academicals, with other committee members from Irvine, Ayr, Dalziel, GHA, and Glasgow Hawks.

Everyone is welcome to come along to Braidholm on the second Wednesday of every month from September to April (noon for 12.30pm). As one a member recently said, “Where else can you get a good lunch and entertainment on a Wednesday afternoon for a tenner?”

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This article was posted on 12-Feb-2007, 17:58 by Hugh Barrow.