The short film, made for Channel 4’s SuperMe series, interviews players from the Cornwall side beaten by a record 55-0, local supporters and Alan Davenport, who lists his roles as, ‘ Chairman, treasurer, managers (that’s plural), everything.’
Davenport says it didn’t bother them when they were called the worst in the world after the flogging by Illogan RBL Reserves in 2010 – in their defence, Madron had seven players, the bare minimum for a game to start – but they ‘didn’t think it would take off like it did.’
You’re not a sports fan if you don’t get a tingle up your spine when Davenport states with pride that his team ‘didn’t cancel one game’, despite their routine floggings.
One player says, ‘Even though we get beat, I look forward to it every Saturday.’
Another adds, ‘I’d rather play for a bad team that has fun than a good team you don’t enjoy playing for.’
The film shows footage of their last game of a season, and Davenport is optimistic of a draw.
‘Gonna be a passionate game, I know that much,’ he says.
The words passion, spirit and motivation pop up often and a local butcher sums up the feeling of the village the team represents: ‘If the rest of England was as dedicated as they were, getting out of bed every day, I don’t think the country would be in the trouble it is today.’
Unfortunately for the story, but not for the Madron lads, they actually won a game last year, holding on to a 4-3 lead against Storm FC in the Trewlawney League – granted, some new players joined the club. The win broke a 30-match losing streak.
Image via Playsuperme.com
