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Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC) will bid farewell to another legend this weekend as Brian Bonas leaves the island after almost four decades of service.
As is customary for people like Brian, the club’s Golden Oldies will take to the field for a celebratory fixture on Thursday night.
Captaining his own side against that of Golden Oldies captain Mike Burton, Bonas will be celebrating his 185th appearance for the over-35s team of which he was a founding member.
It is now 37 years since Bonas, affectionately known as Father Christmas, first arrived in Bahrain and started turning out for the Bahrain RFC’s first XV.
Since then he has become part of the furniture at the club and has served all teams, including first XV, Firbolgs, Golden Oldies and numerous touring sides, with distinction as well as having a stint as club chairman back in the late 1990s.
The 64-year-old former Bapco employee, who was awarded life membership of Bahrain RFC for his services to the club, will return to the UK with his wife, Melanie.
It has not been the easiest of weeks for the Bahrain Golden Oldies, who only days ago said goodbye to another of its stalwarts and the third most-capped player in the team’s history, behind Bonas, Simon Tucker.
In fitting fashion, a host of club members and guests turned out for Tucker’s farewell game, which followed on from the annual Good Friday International Touch Rugby Festival last Friday.
Teams representing Ireland, Belgium, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand, the British Lions, the Barbarians, the British Navy and DHL turned out for the social tournament.
Ireland topped Pool A with a romp over nearest rivals the British Lions, while New Zealand edged out South Africa to take the honours in Pool B.
In the Plate final, Gary Adriaan and his young cohorts gave the much-fancied British Lions, with three former internationals and a stack of first XV players in their ranks, a lesson or two as they ran out comfortable winners.
That left Ireland and New Zealand to battle it out for the Cup and they didn’t disappoint as each side ran in four well-worked tries. Although the idea of extra-time was discussed, in the spirit of the occasion, the decision was taken to call it a draw and so the Cup was shared.
