Firstly I would like to congratulate you on the excellent feature by Zillah Bugeja about Birkirkara Alligators Ladies Rugby Team.

However, I must correct her comment that “rugby has its roots in the army”. Rugby football was born at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England when a young man called William Webb-Ellis was playing football on the field called “Big Side”. Suddenly he picked up the football and ran with it to score a goal, and from this moment the handling game was born in the heart of England. Although the army plays the game, its roots are firmly civilian, not in any way martial.

May I also take the opportunity to pay tribute to the vision of the mayor of Birkirkara, Dr Michael Fenech-Adami, who had the good sense to offer Alligators Cisk Lager RFC an alliance with the town and various facilities to enhance training and development of the game that offers so much to the youth of his township.

Mike Turner

General Secretary

MRFU