"GOD SAVE ALEC !" *

To honor this hundredth portrait, it was necessary to stand out the precious ones : prefer an entity as the club? Choose an object as the ball? Going on in the human by selecting a big sized (more than 10,5 « girl »), a stature of these 50 last years: an original monument, phallic preferably because it must still erect !: a particular edifice legitimized by its peers without making them jealous because the pretenders Jostle (they are numerous that we won’t name them): An Eiffel Tower, too difficult selection, a Big Ben, more restricted: "Honni soit qui mal y pense!", the Order of the Garter makes us bound , it will be a Rosbif, country where our sport was born: David Ramsay, too Scottish, Clift Brown, too sentimental, Steeve Woodworth, too ephemeral, Chris Churm, too talented... it’s obvious now, there’s only one left, the only one having been able to go through this half century with his elegance and his omnipresence.

Bearded man: "I am a Bearded man", a bearded man, a bearded man and my name is... Jones!  ( sing in the chorus, if you know this song!). Jones, as widespread across the Channel, as Dupont or Durand in France.

Not Indiana, not adventurous enough: not Eddie, the Australian is not selectable: not Bridget, not enough charm: not Barry, neither Alum Wyn, nor Dafydd, too Welsh and not enough quoted to the Dow Jones index but ALEC, Alec Jones.  Alec comes from the Greek  "Alexein and Andros " which mean:  "protect and virile man ", hard to do better for this "humanity defender", rough tackler, altruist, hospitable and generous Iron Man-the opposite of the Iron Lady and yet not "Game of Throne: We are in the UK, don't forget it. So join his flowering beard, his bleu de France eyes, his grey mop, his traditional and so British tweed jacket, his so communicative joviality, his humour so rich of play on words and you will be seduced by this unique and high colored character!

Rugbyman: In the likeness of Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish,  and for more than fifty years, he has beeen the wetting Jersey, Jones: from Pocklington, Yorkshire , North England, where he started -trained and helped to train in a college which became a Rugby Academy for rugby Union but also for the rugby League, he went down to Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire: his large contribution to all rugby clubs proves his selfless attachment:  Stow on the wold but also in the west of the France where he landed: Pont Au, of course, where he got famous four seasons. Then our pilgrim migrated to Loudéac (the sports star St Martin) and then to Grandchamp, where he concluded his « road trip » through France. His legendary "Blue shorts" honoured many pitches on both sides of the water.  The presence of an important contingent of Rosbifs from Stow for  the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of our so dear RCPA gives evidence of the link initiated by our best English friend, Alec.

Our alert septuagenarian (precisely 73 years) used to be a remarkable number eight, not bodybuildy as nowadays, but a large bag of bones which impacts you felt in spite of his slim carcass, obstinate locker in the line out, captain of Duty and Knowledge, a guy you could have followed to the end of the world, at least for the four corners of the pitch and this for eighty minutes: rugby in the blood and rugby in the head: his "bloody hell", his "fuck off", his "shit and shit" (let the referee aside) still sound on Saint Paul. It was easier to improve in Rugby and English language with such a guy with us. Today, as a member of the board, Chairman and pre-internet secretary of Stow RFC, his consuming tasks confine him in an "at home" office, this Chapel Cottage sweet home, with no other tool than a packet of « Gitanes sans filtre ».

Many pints of Tasty Souvenirs: 1st Tour: Match in the Orne district, only one team-of course-, procession of seven cars, puncture on Alec’s  blue Vauxhall just before Sées. « Shit and shit », no wheel spare – « no wheel today ! » the Herman Hermits song; The car will wait on "three legs and a "liftjack »  (movie title?); Mass at 3 pm no time to loose, passengers asked to fill the available seats. The tyre dropped in a garage near Sées cathedral, will be repaired on our coming back from the match.  2 nd Tour: "Alec is back to Stow", not exactly because for several weeks, the Oxford Hospital (NHS) has been providing him board and lodging; Visit during the traditionnal Easter tour: laying, stiff necked ; a bottle of Calvados with a straw make him come back to life: " his head was bumped his shoulder: broken neck" but the plastic container finally melted and the nurses discovered the subterfuge; He was taken out of the old Radcliffe for the centre of Oxford and its pubs by « the Rislois »: the medical care was much better in these places for a few hours; 3rd round, the following year, Alec played again in spite the medical advice, RCPA won the trophy, sons couldn’t be heard in Stow's club house  before a late hour: A that time, the most beautiful singers in the county recover their voice, only Alec didn’t drink ! what's happened? –defeat ?- British presentiment ? Midnight, time to close the club ; small country roads to get back to Chapel Cottage; Police : alcohol control, Alec  smiles again and get in a capital form again, drink session at home, sweet home....

Businessman: It's not just rugby in life (but fortunately there is rugby), his job Mena Chiz-his "nickname", would this nickname comes from the cheeses he likes so much at Boissey the Chatel with his discreet and patient wife Jane, his wife and Charlie and Will, his children  : Our "gentleman farmer" manager a pigfarm of the pig Corporation Company which exiled its herds during swine epidemics in Normandy and then in Brittany ; Jane dealed with fashion  British antiquics. He will import then French wines, organize discovery trips in Burgundy  in mini-bus, never short of ideas, the French panache! "- One has only got one life! You ‘ve got to drink it until you're no longer thirsty! "Isn't it?

Busy man: Forty years later, his grandchildren Arlo and Astrid- thanks a lot Gemma !- fill him with happiness and when he is not at the rugby: he does it utmust in order to ref Cricket in summer, maintains the pitches in Farringdon; he is the Chairman of the Association in the Village of Black Bourton, organizes quizzes, concerts in the church, festivals to collect money  charity; he also heads the Black Bourton Environmental Committee: he compains tirelessly to improve the environment, struggles against all pollutions: aircraft noise, floods and HGV traffic, works for the maintenance of small country roads, helps with the maintenance of the cemetery, the restoration of church bells... a generous man who always works for the  community.

Old Man Silver is well worth the Gold Medal: Our dear Alec is a rugby team all by himself, promoting and weaving human relations: "God save Alec!" 

* Thanks to Francis Seninck, friend, prop and scribe of years 80 who translated this portrait !