Charity team beats MPs at Twickenham

12:54pm Thursday 21st April 2011

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Television presenter Ben Shepherd and host of MPs were among those running out at Twickenham in a charity match yesterday in which the Cystic Fibrosis Trust beat the Commons and Lords for the third consecutive year, 55-12.

An estimated £30 000 was raised from the event for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to help them combat one of the UK’s most common life threatening inherited illnesses. the Cystic Fibrosis squad is made up of rugby fans who pay £500 for the privilege of playing at Twickenham and donations from supporters and key sponsors contribute towards this total.

Powerful ball carriers and swift passing enabled the Cystic Fibrosis side to dominate possession and play exciting attacking rugby which resulted in them scoring nine tries against the Parliamentary team which included MPs; Aidan Burley (Cannock Chase), Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under- Lyme), Chris Bryant (Rhondda), mark Pawsey (Rugby), Mike Penning (Hemel Hampstead), Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) and Karl McCartney (Lincoln).

the Cystic Fibrosis team immediately put the Commons and Lords under pressure and were rewarded after six minutes when strong running from Danny Ligairi-Badham created the break. Scott Rogers gained ground before popping the ball to his brother, Matt, to cross under the posts. the Parliamentary team enjoyed a period of possession but despite pacey runs from Tom Pawsey, notably the son of Rugby’s MP, mark Pawsey, they failed to break out of midfield and were soon punished by a second try from the team in white. This time, it was Scott Rogers, who once played England Under 19s, going over the line.

the game was played in 20 minute quarters to accommodate the mass changes required with each side having squads of 30 players. A try by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust three minutes into the second quarter signalled the form that was to continue and shortly after a further try gave the dominant side a 24-0 half time lead.

the Cystic Fibrosis team used their forwards well to draw the opposition and create space out wide. Slick inter-changes and quick ball gave the Commons and Lords little chance and their resulting disorganisation was only exploited further with another two tries by the charity team.

A grubber kick into the opposition’s 22 was chased by Richard Austin and MP for Hemel Hempstead, Mike Penning. Their tackle on the covering full back started a period of sustained pressure by the Commons and Lords at the start of the fourth quarter and a try by Austin resulted from a scrum in front of the posts.

A second followed in quick succession to take the score to 38-12 but a comeback seemed unlikely as strong play at the breakdown by the charity side denied the Commons and Lords the opportunity to build phases, and soon back in their stride, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust scored again.

Shepherd’s slick back flick pass released Richard Stenhouse down the wing who linked with Scott Garfield. the ball was then popped back inside to Shepherd who darted through to finish the move he had started. another try in the final minute of play completed the 55-12 Cystic Fibrosis Trust victory.

“It is a big pitch that is about as wide as the one we usually play on is long, it was hot and we didn’t score many points but other than that it was a great occasion!” said Lord Addington, the Commons and Lords Club Captain.

“We are grateful that the RFU give us the opportunity to come down here and give the charity such exposure. It is a worthy cause and that is what today is about.”

the cause is one which is particularly meaningful to try scorer Ben Shepherd, who is a patron for the Trust, “It is a charity that is very close to my heart, I am very passionate about it. I have lots of friends who have CF and sadly too many who have passed away with the disease,” he said.

“There’s a lot of people who will have come today and not known what CF was, or what the Trust does, but through a shared passion of rugby, and the opportunity to play at Twickenham, they will all go away with a much broader understanding of the illness and how they can continue helping down the line. We want people to get on board because we are so close to curing this disease which would be incredible.”

In the UK, over 90% of people with Cystic Fibrosis die from lung damage. Each week five babies are born with CF and each week three young lives are lost. Instead of treating the symptoms of the disease, gene therapy has the potential to correct the underlying cause.

the Cystic Fibrosis Trust invests over £4 million each year in gene therapy and the results from the pilot study suggest that, with sufficient funds for further research, an effective live-saving treatment is now a possibility.

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