'At 60 she will tackle anything' (From Herald Series)

'At 60 she will tackle anything'

9:00am Tuesday 9th September 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share

MOST women about to turn 60 usually start to think about taking it easy.

But not Debbie Gorrod, from Faringdon.

She likes nothing better than to unwind by scrumming down on a Saturday afternoon and playing a "no-holds-barred" game of rugby.

The granny - labelled 'feisty' by team-mates - celebrates her 60th birthday next Thursday and the Rugby Football Union for Women revealed she is the oldest registered player in the country.

The Witney Angels RFC player, who is just days away from picking up her bus pass, said she had no intention of giving up the sport.

"I guess I'll carry on till I fall over," she said. "I feel as fit as a fiddle and just love the game. It's all down to training, weights, circuits and three-mile runs."

Mrs Gorrod, who only decided to start playing the gruelling game about 11 years ago, regularly turns out in the pack for the Angels.

"I now feel a darned sight fitter than when I was 40, bringing up a family and all that. Sixty is the new 40 for me," she said.

Rugby is just part of a lifetime of sport for a woman who was once an international sailor and Olympic trialist.

Mrs Gorrod still works full-time as an occupational medic for a private health company in Reading. She has three sons and five grandchildren.

She is by far the oldest member of the Angels team, which plays in the women's Midlands Division One.

The youngest, Jenny Nicholson, is 21 and a few are in their late 30s and early 40s.

The RFUW said the next oldest female player registered at Twickenham was a relatively youthful 55.

Fellow Angel Heidi Huxtable said the squad was in awe of Mrs Gorrod.

She said: "Debbie's truly dedicated. She is a no-holds-barred kind of player who will tackle anything that comes her way.

"This woman is relentless in her dedication. That is why she is the oldest women's rugby player known in the RFUW at present and has the spirit and fitness of someone a third of her age.

"It was unfortunate that she didn't start playing 20 years ago, when the sport first became popular.

"Little did we know that when Deb first appeared at Witney Rugby Club that this fit, feisty lady was heading towards pensionable age."

Club trustee Pat Hall, also a pensioner but whose playing days are over, said: "It's a remarkable achievement for her.

"Debbie is a truly remarkable sportsperson, with a long history, not just in rugby - and not just at a local level.

"She's up there with the highest achievers."

• Print
• Email
• Share