Hard work is rewarded for captain Verbickas

Apr 18 2008 by David Triggs, Chester Chronicle

SIMON Verbickas, Chester’s veteran skipper, was in dreamland after lifting the EDF Energy Intermediate Cup at Twickenham.

The 32-year-old centre climbed up to the royal box and held the trophy aloft with regular captain Sean Green, who is still in plaster after suffering a serious leg break in a league match against Broughton Park in February.

Verbickas said: “This is just what dreams are made of for everyone. To walk up the steps with Sean was even better. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work over the season. A dream has come true for me, the lads, everyone.

“What a lovely surface and what a beautiful place.”

Father-of-three Verbickas, who lives in Sandbach and is the general manager of an instillation company, admitted Birkenhead Park gave Chester “the hardest game of the season”.

He had the satisfaction of kicking the ball into touch to signal the end of the game.

“When the referee said it was the final play, that’s when the ball went straight over the stand,” said Verbickas.

“There was no mucking about there. Tom Foden wanted to do some double-dummy scissors and a spin out wide, but it was not happening at all. I was too worn out to run anyway.”

Injured skipper SEAN GREEN was grateful to Verbickas and the rest of the team for making him feel part of Saturday’s big occasion.

“Simon dragged me up there, which was great and it was just a brilliant day really,” said Green, 24, who has been with Chester since he was a teenager.

“All the boys were obviously were excited by it. It was a great performance and I was pleased we won.”

But negotiating the Twickenham steps wasn’t easy for the crocked fullback.

“It was tricky!” he said. “I’m allowed to put weight on it and I was perhaps putting a bit too much on, but it’s all right. I hopped up there!”

Chester forward GARETH MARTIN wants the Twickenham triumph to be the start of a new era for the club. Martin, a 28-year-old account manager, said: “I think the most important thing is that it’s just a really exciting stage of Chester’s development and what we want to achieve. “They’ve been a sleeping giant of a club for too long and this year is a great demonstration of what we can get done as a little family club which has gone out and done great things.”

Chester’s Birkenhead-born forward MATT BELLAMY, 27, added: “The spirit of that team, getting beat in the last five minutes, to come back just tells you how this season has been.

“We’ve trained in the snow, the rain, all season, and this is what you get out of it. What you put in, you get out. The spirit is unbelievable.”