What are the odds of this?

St Helens’ Chris Flannery is an old Kawana Dolphins boy and his best mate is “Chalky” Sipthorpe.

In a few weeks time, St Helens from the UK Super League is playing lower-division side the London Skolars in the Challenge Cup.

Guess who is one of the Skolars wingers?

Now “Chalky” has been out with Chris and his team a few times and I hear the boys are a bit worried for him as he will be marking 105kg Francis Meli, who used to play for the NZ Warriors.

I hope he has his travel insurance up-to-date.

Masters hijinks

There was a rugby league masters event a few weeks ago that I was supposed to play in but I broke down before a ball was kicked.

Three days of league for guys past their use-by date is a big ask and I have heard a few stories about what went on.

Day one was a bit serious and one former front-rower, who is renowned for not taking a backward step, decided to take a stand against an over-zealous Melbourne side and gave one of them a slap.

Apparently one of his smaller team-mates stated after the game that if it had erupted, he was going to assume the foetal position, with his reasoning being that if one of the big Kiwis wanted to punch him, they would have to pick him up first.

Then there was Billy Moore, who was that sore after the weekend that three days later, after everything settled down, he realised he had torn a hamstring.

And I can’t forget the halfback who made some late night calls to the fat people who didn’t play – ie me – and apparently enjoyed that much of the sponsor’s product that on the first day he could have played in a dinner suit, albeit one with short legs, as he contributed nothing.

Snakes look good

Last weekend I was at the Wide Bay Club Challenge in Bundy, which was a great weekend.

The title was eventually won by the Caboolture Snakes, who made only one error in the final.

Their 22-0 demolition of the more fancied Bundaberg outfit Across the Waves got me very excited, with a view to the 47th Battalion match-up between the Coast and Bundy later in the year.

The Snakes are starting to look like they could be the 2008 juggernaut and Glen Tomlinson has done a great job over the last two years.

The only “probably” with the Club Challenge is it is over two days and club officials have trouble keeping their charges off the hospitality in the Rum City.

One player, who will remain nameless but some know him as a “pest”, was covered in mud after falling over on the cricket pitch.

Unfortunately his mouth guard was still in his sock rather than his mouth and ended up caked in mud.

Pub reunion

The other week I mentioned a get-together at the Duporth Tavern for patrons and staff dating back to the ’60s and ’70s.

It is on April 19 and everyone is welcome at the pub that used to be the centre piece of the coastal strip. For info, give Clare a call on 5443 1451.