It’s just over a couple of weeks short of 25 years since Old Patesians enjoyed the greatest day in their 110 years-plus history.

On Saturday 21^st April 2001, the community rugby club in the heart of Leckhampton went to Twickenham, won at Twickenham and returned to Cheltenham with the RFU Intermediate Cup.

They beat Blaydon 25-24 in a thriller, a game that will remain rich in the memories of the hundreds of their supporters who were there and even more so by the players, who went through a rollercoaster of emotions before emerging triumphant on one of the world’s great sporting stages.

“It was the most ecstatic feeling I’ve ever felt on a rugby field when that final whistle went,” said prop Chris Long, who is now 56.

“It was unbelievable, unbelievable, the biggest relief. It was the highlight of my career, 100 per cent.

“It wasn’t just the occasion, it was also the lads. It was a special time and a special bunch of people.”

Winning that game at the home of English rugby was a very big achievement.

Long, who started the game at loosehead before switching to tighthead, was in his second spell with the Pats after several seasons with Cheltenham and he said: “We came back together.

"We had a few young players but we had a lot of lads who were getting towards the end of their careers. We were galvanised by Chris Raymond and Paul Morris.”

Raymond, a second row, was the inspirational player/head coach while Morris, a former scrum-half and the club’s all-time leading points scorer, had been a major force at the club for many years.

And they certainly had their side fired up at Twickenham because the Pats took the game to Blaydon in the opening 40 minutes, racing into a 22-3 half-time lead.

“We used a four on four rucking system, we were wiping them out at the rucks,” recalled Long.

Back row Clive Organ scored two tries, scrum-half Will Morgan got one and full-back Toby Robinson slotted two conversions and a penalty.

When fly-half Jon Steckbeck dropped a goal after the break it looked game over, but Blaydon came roaring back.

“We were all out on our feet with 20 minutes to go,” admitted Long. “The pace we set off at the start, we were never going to maintain that for 80 minutes.

“Blaydon were a young side and I think they looked at some of us older guys and froze a bit at the start.

“But they were a good side and at the end it could have gone either way. I remember Ralph Tucker making some last-ditch tackles and then right at the end Toby Robinson made the tackle when it looked like they might score.

“He forced them to knock on and it was advantage to us, we’d won the game.”

There were so many heroes for the Pats that day and many of them continued to play for the club for a number of years in what was a golden period for the club.

“We played in the National League, we went to places like Blackheath and Barking,” said Long. “That was an incredible achievement, we had some really talented players.”

Long went on to player/coach at Longlevens and Bredon and coach at Smiths, but he insisted: “Pats will always be my club.”

And he will be back 'home' at Everest Road on Saturday when the Twickenham heroes from yesteryear will meet up for a reunion.

It will also give them the chance to watch the Counties 2 Gloucestershire clash between the Pats and St Mary’s Old Boys.

These days Long is a regular watcher of Smiths where his sons Archie and Ethan play.

His dad Tony, a former player with Saintbridge, is also a keen supporter and they were both at Twickenham in May for the Papa John’s Cup Counties 2 Championship final which Smiths lost 31-19 to Old Elthamians.

Both Long's boys play in the back row – Ethan went on as a second-half replacement for Archie against Old Elthamians – and although the defeat was disappointing they will surely have further opportunities to follow in their dad’s footsteps and win at Twickenham.

Smiths are already through to the last eight of this season’s RFU Community Cup Counties 2 Championship.

Old Patesians v Blaydon: Toby Robinson; Dave Taylor, Ralph Tucker (captain), Mark Bartlett, Barrry Davies; Jon Steckbeck, Will Morgan; Chris Long, Jason Hyde, Pete Mitchell, Dave Kingscott, Chris Raymond, Clive Organ, Dave Parry, Matt Dawson. Reps, Richard Harvey, Chris Penhale, Pat Burford, Scott Miller, Ben Parker, Paul Bright. Travelling reserves: John Parker, Ross Bissett, Ben Wilsdon, Alex White. Mascots: Sam Organ and Robert Kingscott. Kit men/water boys: Mark Brookes, Mark Peacey and Marcus Twinning. Committee/management: Paul Morris (coach), Pat Poulton (1^st XV manager), Paul Sargison, Tim Field (physio), Taff Powell (president), Ray Kingscott (chairman), Dick Lewis, and Neil Hyde.