Piers Bourke
biography
Piers joined the club in the late 1990’s and was part of the side that won thirteen straight games to run away with the Division One title in 2000. A quick, tricky left winger, he was a regular member of the 1st XI for a decade, playing a major role in the many successes the side enjoyed during this period.
Piers was one of the few naturally left-footed players with the requisite ability to play 1st team football and as such performed a vital role on the left wing. His excellent fitness allowed him to contribute in both thirds of the pitch, although he perhaps has not scored quite as many goals as his talent should have allowed him to. Nevertheless, he did score one of the most important goals in the club’s history, the controversial winner against Lancing in 2004 that earned the club its first Premier Division title of the modern era.
Piers, by now a regular member of the League Representative side, continued to storm up and down the left flank during the side’s run to the Arthur Dunn Cup triumph in 2007, scoring an excellent and vital extra-time winner against Shrewsbury in the semi-finals.
He also contributed heavily to the side’s Premier Division title in 2010, scoring four goals in his ten starts, including another fine finish in the 3-1 win over Charterhouse in the penultimate game to all but seal the title.
Piers organised a highly-enjoyable tour to Amsterdam in 2004, although his downing of a post-match pint after the first game lasted slightly longer than he would have liked, and he took home the Jubilee Cup in 2005.
Although family life has recently restricted his availability for the club, he continues to be a reliable winger when called upon, driven mainly by a deep-seated desire to score just one more goal per season than the ever-annoying Molloy.