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Winner Theo leads out Tigers

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Last week, the Tigers website ran a JTC competition to see who would lead out the side on to the pitch when Leicester went head to head with Cardiff Blues. That lucky winner was Theo Edwards from Bourne in Lincolnshire who correctly stated that Wales play their home games at the Millennium Stadium. Here, Theo's dad Nick gives his account of their day out...

'When Leicester Tigers ran out to face the Cardiff Blues at the Millennium Stadium last Sunday, the team was led out by a lucky Bourne youngster, Theo Edwards, who had won the opportunity to be 'Mascot for the Day' in a Junior Tigers Club competition. Theo only entered the competition which was advertised on the Leicester Tigers website on the previous Monday. To his great delight, within a few minutes of the competition closing on Thursday afternoon, his name had been selected. Along with the privilege of being mascot, and having his photograph taken with the Tigers and England captain Martin Corry, Theo also won four match tickets, with seats just past the halfway line, to bring along the family.

'With the importance of this game, both sides fielded some of their strongest players, with the Leicester line-up including five players named for the England starting side for this Sunday. Cardiff's home ground, next door to the Millennium Stadium, wasn't large enough to take the expected crowd, and Theo found himself running out of the tunnel in front of over 26,500 people, at peak viewing time on Sky Sports. With the match preceded by a one minute silence in memory of the 40th anniversary of the tragedy at Aberfan, Theo lined up with the Tigers at the centre spot, with more to the job than he had expected. For those watching, hopefully he did the Tigers proud.

Theo cheered the Tigers on to a tense yet fantastic 21-17 defeat of the Cardiff side. As guests of Cardiff Blues, Theo had already had the chance to look around Cardiff Arms Park and had got changed into his kit in the Junior Blues Family Room. Everyone at Cardiff was fantastic and really friendly, even after the defeat. Theo's only disappointment with the day was that he couldn't get any autographs, given the security arrangements at the Millennium Stadium.

Theo, who is in his fourth year of playing rugby for Bourne RUFC and an U-10, became a Junior Tigers member in the summer having attended a Tigers coaching course along with a number of other players from the Bourne club. Alongside the excitement of meeting Martin Corry, Theo's favourite player Andy Goode was on the pitch as fly-half (the position Theo himself often plays for Bourne,) with George Chuter, who Theo met at the Tigers coaching course, starting at hooker. 

Having not expected such a fantastic day out, Theo, and around 15 other Bourne players are due to visit the Tigers ground this Saturday for a coaching clinic, organised by Dave Duran, the Bourne U-9 coach, within the Tigers Community Coaching programme. That day will start with a full coaching session led by Tigers Community staff, followed by photos on the pitch, a lap of honour and then on to the game itself, with Tigers playing Worcester. Theo has already got tickets for the January return match against Cardiff Blues as his birthday treat, where he will be taking along Dave's son Ethan, who first got him hooked on the Tigers. Hopefully this run of luck will continue for Theo and the Tigers through to the end of the season.'

Nick Edwards