DANIEL GALLAN finds out what it’s like facing the mighty Saracens as a semi-professional

It’s fair to say that Paul Turner was less than impressed when he first came across Ampthill Rugby Club in the mid- 1990s. “The pitch they played on was in a right state,” he tells The Rugby Paper in a thick, rumbling Welsh accent. “The surrounds were very pretty – beautiful woods, a lovely town. But as far as the pitch was concerned, it wasn’t up to standard. It was very patchy and the poles weren’t in good condition. It probably reflected where the club was at the time.”
Back then, Turner, the former ...