A glorious sunny day ignited a festival of running rugby as Freemens Vets took on the veterans of Reeds Weybridge. The fixture was brilliantly organised by Mike von Speyer to resurrect the Gibbs Shield, silverware that has been hotly contested by the two sides since 1947.

They say that form is temporary and class is permanent and this Freemens vets team oozed class. It didn't take long for the class to shine though with Freemens racing into a 0-12 lead in just six minutes after Lawrie Gummers opening try and despite the third minute retirement of 'Irish' Mike Burns, who pulled up lame before the first hurdle. An interception try by Reeds was followed by Freemens scores for Tom Mckee and a second for Lawrie Gummer before a sparkling chip and chase try for Tom Haywood brought the score to 12-27 in a breathless first 30 minutes.

The ravages of age couldn't slow this Freemens team down and more trys from Benn Rigg, Bradders, Mike von Speyer and Mike Barratt sealed a convincing 24-56 win that secured the Shield for Freemens.

Silverware aside, the match brought old friends together to enjoy a great day. Thank you Mike von Speyer for organising the game and to our loyal supporters for cheering the team on.