Club legend hangs up boots at 73
Arnie Wilson joined North Shields RFC 40 years ago.
He and some colleagues working for a local bus company had tried to get a rugby team together but opted instead to join their local club.
Four decades later, at the age of 73, Arnie has been propping for North Shields Crusaders, their second team, week in, week out. In this, his final season, he has played 13 games out of the 15 scheduled fixtures. These aren’t cameo appearances but entire matches and in his last local competitive game, against Novocastrians, he played the full 80 minutes.
Now, having decided to hang up his boots, he will feature in the final end of season club game on 14 May, before being presented with an engraved tankard at the club dinner, despite Arnie being teetotal.
A great servant of the game
Said North Shields chair, Ian Hook: “Arnie is a great clubman and, as club Vice President, he has been a great servant to the game who has earned the love and respect of everyone both on and off the pitch.
“He might not be seen charging around the field of play but in the scrums he is still a formidable opponent. Any young buck fancying his chances in the front row will find that Arnie’s 40yrs of experience mean that he isn’t going anywhere.
“When Arnie came to the club in 1982 I was stepping up as the 1st team captain. As a young lad myself, Arnie had a good 13 years on me back then. Many other players have been and gone over the decades but Arnie is still with us and has still been pulling on the blue and white hoops.
"He will continue with his great work for the club and the people he loves but I guess that retirement from playing catches up with us all eventually – for Arnie though retirement has come very much later than most.”
