Ollie Thomas, Moseley's loss is Chalon's gain

By Brian Dick on Jul 24, 09 02:25 PM in Rugby

There has been an unusually high turnover of players at Billesley Common this summer, particularly in terms of players leaving the club.

Ian Smith's way has been evolution rather than revolution so traditionally you could count on the fingers of one hand the players who have either not been retained or opted to go elsewhere.

Dan Norton, Jack Adams, Andy Binns, Ollie Thomas, Richie Bignell, Paul Cox, Ben Buxton, Paul Arnold, Richard Vasey and Adam Whitney have all moved on for a variety of reasons.

Clearly Binns' well-deserved retirement is a big blow, even though it was always going to come sooner rather than later with the triumph at Twickenham and impending fatherhood all pointing to a straightforward decision.

And although the coaches might, clearly do, disagree I consider the departure of Bignell to be a major set-back. Bignell is well versed in the unseen art and his true value is only revealed when he's not there.

That said I have not seen Chevvy Pennycook play and one can only suppose Smith considers the youngster from Bristol to be an upgrade.

But it is the loss of Ollie Thomas that might come back to haunt Moseley. Unable or unwilling to indulge a player who is something of a maverick, the squad is weaker for his absence.

Thomas' versatility as a player makes him valuable to any match-day 22 and he is one of the best goal-kickers, in terms of range and to a lesser extent accuracy, outside of the Premiership.

It is not too difficult to mount an argument that without his timely drop goal the EDF Energy National Trophy would not have been won.

Big match temperament is something that should never be taken for granted. Thomas had his faults, but he had that in spades.

Which means for a rugby watcher who enjoys the unexpected and the impudent, his loss is a sad one.