This weekend the club will welcome back John Paxton to the squad for what will be his 100th start for London Skolars.
Paxton’s early sporting years were devoted for the most part between cricket and rugby union, before he decided to change codes to rugby league, playing for his local club the St. Ives Roosters in Cambridgeshire with fellow London Skolar, Michael Sykes. He made his debut for the club aged only 19, filling in primarily at half back and fullback where he thrived, regularly topping the try scoring charts for the division.
He then moved on to university, studying sports science at Leeds Met. There he represented the university side and was a part of their title winning group four years in a row, his appetite for work as well as his strong direct running style saw him progress through numerous representative sides, initially he was selected to represent Yorkshire, then England and ultimately Great Britain, who travelled down under and won an ashes series against their Australian student counterparts. This attracted the interest of local semi-professional side Hunslet Hawks, where he signed for a short period of time, before settling to play more regularly and focus on his studies with prestigious amateur side Milford Marlins.
Upon completing his studies and returning to Cambridge, Paxton signed for London Skolars in 2009, he went on to make his debut for the club against Dewsbury Rams. He has witnessed the clubs progression over the years on the field and was not only a part of the clubs strong team of 2013 that reached the Northern Rail bowl final as well as the play off semi’s, he was voted the clubs player’s player that season too. This fine form, coupled with the respect he has obtained from the whole playing group as an approachable, affable character saw him made captain of the side in 2014 during Dave Williams absences through injury. A quote that perfectly captures this endorsement of the man comes from team mate Michael Sykes who states,
‘I’ve been privileged enough to know Pax for many years, and having him in the same team just adds to my enjoyment of the game. Pax is a great bloke to have in and around the changing room, he keeps morale high for players of all ages, players like this are important for any squad. He’s got an outstanding attitude towards training and playing, the ultimate kudos I can give him is that when he’s not been playing, he is someone we genuinely miss. He deserves a lot of credit from everyone involved with the club for reaching this feat, and I’m sure his old bones have plenty left in them yet.’
We wish the poshest man in rugby league (his hobbies include grouse shooting and tracking the stock market) all the best this coming weekend vs Coventry Bears in his home return from a knee injury that plagued him last season requiring surgery. A true Skolar!
Tickets are available for the 3pm KO on the gate for £12 adult & 6£ concessions.
