Fond memories of a much changed game

David Matthews casts a nostalgic look at October 1986

 As this part of the season is always appealing I thought it might be interesting to reflect on the autumn of thirty years ago, with emphasis on the month of October. There have certainly been a lot of changes since 1986 which can be seen from the matches that I had the pleasure of refereeing. It was never less than enjoyable, but the time of year, with the leaves beginning to turn and the first chill of winter in the air, added a special backdrop; throw in a golden, sunny afternoon and you had the lot.

"On a warm afternoon more suited to cricket played at Edgbaston two miles away" - so began my busy month; Moseley 8 Sale 6. Moseley really were a top side then, with Sale on an equal footing though neither team produced the enterprising play for which they were both renowned; and both were still in Merit Table A, having narrowly avoided relegation the previous season; no hyper intense League rugby in those days, tries still worth 4 points. A trip to Scotland was next on the list for a league one meeting between Glasgow Academicals and newly promoted Ayr. The one thing I vividly remember was that the first scrum erupted, welcome to Glasgow. Thirty years on Ayr remain in the Scottish Premier League but 'Accies' have slipped into Division Three. Senior rugby north of the border bears no comparison to the Aviva Premiership.

In 1986 midweek rugby was an attractive 'fix' on a Wednesday night if you were unable to survive a full week without watching a live game. They came thick and fast and this time round it was Orrell (13) v Otley (15). Good crowds were drawn to these fixtures, Orrell seemed to have one every week, on this occasion the home supporters departed in shock following a glorious 80 yard winning try from the Yorkshire visitors.

The highlight of the month of October was to referee Bristol (18) v Bath (21) which was a lot more competitive than it is likely to be this season. Of all the press cuttings I have collected over the years (very sad, I know!) my all-time favourite came from Mike Selvey (Middlesex & England Cricket) reporting for the Guardian: "When the two packs met for the first scrum you could almost see the sparks. That they didn't ignite was due to some competent, not to say brave, refereeing by David Matthews. He was the smallest man on the pitch and had the Mr.Sheen polish of Goody-Goody Walter surrounded by 16 Dennises the Menaces, including Gareth Chilcott, a cannonball on legs, who makes Mike Gatting anorexic."

My first exchange appointment in France followed, to referee Toulouse v Dax; the French games were always a great experience and this was no exception. You may wonder how it was possible to fit in all these appointments, yet there was still time to register another landmark, on a Wednesday afternoon. Merseyside Police, a formidable outfit which included England wing, Nigel Heslop, defeated Derbyshire Police in the National Police Trophy by 103 points to nil; there was not one penalty or free-kick. The good old days. Easy to look back and think that everything was better, but I wouldn't want to change it for the world.

8 November