PENGUINS AGAINST CANCER
Rugby: Penguins v Guy's Hospital Present XV (The Scanlan Cup)
26th April 2014
Paul Scanlan played for Guy's 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XVs from 1984 to 1993 and was a founder member of the Penguins XV. He was 1st XV Vice-Captain, Student XV Captain and a GHRFC Vice-President.
He qualified in 1989 and was the first of his year to achieve Consultant status, as an orthodontist working in SE London and Kent.
His irrepressible humour, energy and zest for living were tragically curtailed by an acute illness which rapidly took his life.
He remains sorely missed and is remembered by the annual Penguins v Guy's Present XV match played for the Scanlan Cup.
Adios Amigo.
A blustery day at the end of April at Honor Oak Park. The rugby club AGM the previous night had sapped some energy from the students, yet they still expected to prevail against their ageing Penguine opposition. A minute’s silence was observed to remember Paul Scanlan, the stillness of which contrasted sharply with the explosion of activity following kick off. The Penguins utilized superior age, weight, experience and guile to neutralise the Present’s apparent advantage in speed, fitness and agility. This resulted in a rapid score, followed by two further tries within the first 20 minutes. The Kraken awoke. Resistance within the Present XV hardened, their defence strengthened and they struck back twice before half time.
The second half saw youth mocking age, with fitness coming to the fore. The Present made some canny substitutions, doubling the mass of their front row thus securing advantage in the scrums. The Penguine line was under sustained pressure, with heroic tackling, particularly from Hughes, Blundell, Pugh and Kolin, required to check the assault. Inevitably, the Present prevailed, scoring a number of well worked tries. The Penguins were still able to break out on occasion to score, however. The final 10 minutes was a melee of desperate attack and counter, concluding at the whistle with a Penguin victory 45-41, with a total of 14 tries scored. A real crowd pleaser of a game, and a great result for the oldest team in the oldest rugby club in the world. This rounded off a fantastic unbeaten (on the mainland) season for The Penguins under the Captaincy of Tom Jackson, who continues in role next season.
Click here to view post-match team photos!
Click here to view the 2014 Match Programme and player line-up.
Click here to view Programme from the 1986 match!
Portrait painting of Paul Scanlan, which hangs currently on the wall of the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent at the entrance to the Paul Scanlan Orthodontic Suite.
The late, great Paul Scanlan, flanked by Paul Chew and a small dog, tears his attention from the Penguins XV’s destruction of Bromley, to have his photo taken.
Stage left an anxious Kolin White, supersub, awaits his signal to enter the fray whilst conversing with Pat (ex-bomber pilot and loyal supporter) just to his right.
In Memoriam: Gone, But Never Forgotten...
Scanlan Cup 2014
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