A GALA rugby dinner in aid of two North Wales players who suffered career threatening injuries has raised over £5,000.
Picture shows host Dick Greenwood with Lisa Phillips, of Wrexham Bradley Raiders, who was awarded a prize for being Spectator of the Year
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By Marcus Copeland
Over 150 guests turned out for the gathering of rugby league and union players at Rhyl Rugby Sports and Social Club to help raise funds for local boy Mike Hall and Wrexham's Wayne Jones.
Both players had received horrific leg injuries during the summer playing for their respective rugby league clubs in the North Wales Conference.
The 'Rugby Looks After Its Own' Gala Celebrity Dinner, was hosted by former England Rugby Union international and head coach, Dick Greenwood, a resident of Rhos on Sea.
During the evening, a number of amazing prizes and experiences were auctioned and raffled off. Among the prizes were four hospitality tickets to a St Helens rugby league game, a box for 10 people at a Crusaders rugby league game, four tickets for an England v Wales match and a stack of signed rugby shirts.
Ironically the best auction prize of the evening - two VIP tickets for last weekend's England v Australia match at Twickenham - were won by Mike Hall's grandparents, Colin and Elizabeth Hall.
Their day began rubbing shoulders with dozens of rugby celebrities in the in the Bollinger tent and they finished up drinking champagne with Dick Greenwood from the boot of Sir Clive Woodwards car in Twickenham's West Car Park.
Legends from both codes of rugby gave up their time to be at the star-studded evening of entertainment. All proceeds from the event will go into a new fund to help support injured North Wales rugby players.
Among those in attendance on the evening were GB Rugby League legends Andy Gregory, Trevor Skerret, Paul Prendiville and Mike Nicholas.
Mike Hall, 22, from Rhyl, dislocated his ankle and fractured his fibia playing for Rhyl and Prestatyn Panthers against Flintshire Falcons in July. The promising young forward was in his first season of a full professional contract with Italian Serie A side Romagna.
Hall, a product of Rhyl Rugby Club's youth section, is expected to be out for a season after having a metal plate inserted in his leg.
Wayne Jones, from Wrexham, is a single parent with an eight month-old daughter. The 28 year old was having a run for Wrexham Bradley Raiders when he dislocated his knee and ruptured his patella tendon.
Originally he was told his rugby days were over but his surgeon did such a good job he hopes to resume playing in 12 to 18 months.
Dick, father of England World Cup winning centre, Will Greenwood, said the dinner was the largest gathering of rugby internationals in North Wales since Lions stars JPR Williams, Graham Price and Nick Jeavons played at the Rhyl Pub Sevens in August 1982.
'From the very start our strapline has been 'rugby looks after its own' and both codes of the sport lived up to our motto in spades with over £5,000 raised on a highly enjoyable and wonderfully successful evening'.
The event was sponsored by Akuma Rugby www.akuma.com who provided some great prizes on the night including signed shirts, rugby balls and kit.
Please click on the picture at the top of the home page to see the picture album - captions below:
Caption 1: Max Copeland picks up a prize for being Man of the Match at a junior rugby league tournament from Prestatyn & Rhyl Panthers head coach Jonathan Burgess.
Caption 2: RGC 1404 players Rhodri Carlton Jones (Llandudno), skipper Kelvin Davies (Llandudno) and Alex Shwartz (Mold) enjoying the evening.
Caption 3: North Wales Exiles's sevens stars Paul Jarvis, Tom Jarvis and Josh Leach (Colwyn Bay & RGC 1404).
Caption 4: A table of children from Rhyl Rugby Club were invited along as guests.
Caption 5: Mike Hall's table.
Caption 6: Host Dick Greenwood with Lisa Phillips, of Wrexham Bradley Raiders, who was awarded a prize for being Spectator of the Year
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