I want to welcome everyone today for the league lunch. It’s our 156th season, and today, we entertain the world-famous London Welsh. The President and I are very lucky to watch rugby at this level week in and week out. Whilst Brighton are not in the most favourable position, some of our rugby has intermittently been fantastic, and today, even if a little one-sided, will be no different.

London Welsh Rugby Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons after gaining promotion from the RFU Championship in the 2012 and 2014 play-off finals. The club returned to Old Deer Park in 2015 after three seasons at the Kassam Stadium,Oxford. There have been no tight tussles with this very good London Welsh side from any team in the league; we believe they are the best team in the league and deserve to get a promotion. However, when they are promoted, we will miss our great friendship over the last 4 years in which we have held the best rugby traditions, a chat over a beer about our great game.

Today we have ‘The Sporting Wanderers’ as guests, formed in in 1982. I have toured with these fine gentlemen in Ireland and Paris. They meet yearly on the premise that they visit an away fixture with England during the five now six nations. Their claim to fame is an appearance on Eggheads, the BBC quiz. Today brings a venue change, but hopefully, it will be as much fun. It’s a pleasure to host you.

A final bit of housekeeping before we get on with the main events: John Honeysett, a good friend and club historian, has been a member for 50 years. We would like to thank him for his service to the club in many roles.

I leave you with a few quips: -

A Welsh rugby fan caught someone accessing his online banking account. Turning detective, he ventured Down Under to catch the culprit. He encountered a man in Auckland, and when approached, the New Zealander started slapping his arms and legs and sticking his tongue out. He must have been the haka
“We’ve lost seven of our last eight matches. The only team that we’ve beaten was Western Samoa. Good job we didn’t play the whole of Samoa.” - Welsh rugby star Gareth Davies in 1989.

Good luck to both teams
Mark Gibb