James (Skippy) Pritchard Confirms He Will Hang Up His Boots At The End Of The Season
James Pritchard {39, 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 85 kg (187 lb)} has confirmed he will retire from playing at the end of this season.
James began playing Rugby Union for Randwick in 1999 after playing Rugby League in his youth. In 2000 Randwick won the Citibank/MasterCard cup and he was named player of the year. Skippy joined Bedford Blues in 2001 left in 2004 only to return in 2006 and stay until 2016 where he became a fan favourite. In between he played for Plymouth Albion, Perpignan and Northampton Saints. He remains the leading points scorer in the Championship (2,673) and is Bedford’s highest ever point scorer with 2,235.
After short spells with Coventry and Old Albanians he joined Ampthill in 2017 since when he has made 47 appearances scoring 7 tries and 332 points.
Over the past two season he has made a significant contribution to Ampthill’s on field success both through his performances and his coaching.
Internationally he represented Canada in four Rugby World Cups (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015) where he made 10 appearances and has 62 caps for Canada in total scoring more than 600 points.
James Pritchard comments “My first year with Randwick in Australia we won promotion to the Championship, how fitting it will be if I hang up my playing boots at the end of this season doing the same with Ampthill! I always said that I’d play on until my body cried enough, that time is now and I have a great opportunity to develop my coaching skills post playing. The highlights of my time at Ampthill include beating Coventry last season and the recent comeback against Rosslyn Park. However, winning promotion this season will be a career highlight, not just for my time here at Ampthill.”
Head Coach Paul Turner comments “Pritch is not only an Icon of the game he has been a huge contributor to rugby locally after his legendary career at Bedford Blues. As our Player backs coach he has helped develop our game and been a great example to the many younger players we are bringing through the club.
We wish him and his family a happy retirement and enjoy the rest he has been an absolute legend for Ampthill.“
