I was listening to last Saturday’s sports build up on BBC Radio Devon before the Portsmouth game; specifically Argyle-related (goes without saying) but interested in our other football teams. Today, however, the presenter, James Vickery, seemed particularly excited, to near-orgasmic proportions. The reason? It was the start of the rugby season and EXETER CHIEFS were back in action!! Barely able to control his impatience whilst he introduced the various pieces about Argyle, Exeter and Torquay he could finally contain his glee no longer. The time had come for him to introduce the pre-match piece on the Chiefs, whom he described with incredible confidence as ‘Devon’s biggest club, without doubt…’ Hardly believing my ears - and trying to prevent my jaw dropping to the floor - I resisted my initial reaction to laugh out loud and spent a moment considering the claim. Vickery hadn’t differentiated between rugby and football when he said ‘biggest club’ but it seemed clear to me that his intention was to suggest that the Chiefs were ‘bigger’ than Argyle. Individually, on a player for player basis, I am sure this is true but a ‘bigger’ club? Really? I wondered what criteria he was using. Stadium? 12,800 capacity – exactly the same as Home Park, with our reduced capacity this season. Support? Record Chiefs' attendance 12,807 (the extra 7 were probably standing on top of the prawn sandwich and champagne cocktail bar) – just a tad less than the 40,000 plus pre-war crowds at Home Park. If Vickery was intending to say that the Chiefs are the ‘best’ club in Devon he would have more of an argument (their rating and results within the secondary sport of rugby is undeniably impressive) but the ‘biggest’? I don’t think so…
