THURROCK rugby club Captain Charlie Russo will join an exclusive group of players to feature in 200 games for Tees when he leads out his team against Leighton Buzzard on Saturday (12 March) - fresh from an impressive victory last weekend against highly-rated Colchester.

Russo was one of an outstanding group of players who learned their trade at Willuam Edwards School under the guidance of coach, Martin Eyles. Indeed with team-mates Ben Timson, Ben Stanley, Aaron Burns, Reece Cunningham and Reece Collins, Chris Doran and - this team reached the quarter-finals of the England Sevens!

Making his first team debut at 18, Charlie was lost to rugby for a while, but returned to action to be part of the team that won promotion to the National Leagues.

A tremendous open field runner, this builder, paradoxically knocks down brickwalls and perhaps should be known as a " Demolition Expert"!

In the past with Cup games on Sundays and over 40 games a season, it was relatively easy to achieve this" Holy Grail", but in the current era this is a magnificent achievement!

With his wife, Sally Tuson, a first team coach , they have become a formidable partnership.