Age may well have dimmed the wits and slowed the reflexes but rugby players will always be rugby players.

And if a group of ex-teachers want to celebrate their club's 50th birthday two years early, then who are we to argue.

Teachers RFC players from the late 1960s and early '70s have been gathering in Bermuda this week to celebrate the occasion.

Most left the Island years ago, and their travels have taken them from Oman to Canada, from Indonesia to Cornwall, and all points in-between.

But they have still managed to get together in the UK 26 times in the intervening years, and when someone suggested last year that returning to Bermuda for the 50th anniversary would be a good idea few objected.

What nobody pointed out to the group, until it was too late, is that this is only the 48th year of the club's existence.

"The club was founded in 1961," said founding member Ollie Mckittrick.

"I came to the Island in 1960 and there were a lot of teachers playing for other clubs, Renegades, and so on.

"I think we came up with the idea in the middle of the season, and then formed the club towards the end."

Peter Wood, who was Head of History at Saltus Grammar school and played for Teachers and a Bermuda XV during his eight-year stint on the Island between 1967-75, was the driving force behind the reunion in the UK.

He contacted former team-mate Tom Smith, who still lives in Bermuda, about the possibility of organising a trip, and between them they arranged a week of events which will culminate, in true Bermuda tradition, with a booze cruise next Friday.

"I came to the Island in 1964 and started playing for Teachers in 1965," said Smith.

"I was 35 at the time and had been playing rugby for Scarborough and Yorkshire back in the UK before I came out.

"I had retired, but they (the club) found out that I was a useful second-row and so tried to get me to come out of retirement.

"I didn't take a lot of persuading, and I played for them until 1969 when I was 40.

"I actually captained Teachers and Bermuda that year, and decided that it would be a good time to retire again.

"A lot of the people who have come back were here when I was, but they've generally returned to the UK over the years.

"They started meeting up over the years, and Derek Hurdle has been going back some of the time.

"It was his presence there that really got them thinking about it, and then Peter (Wood) contacted me, and it all went from there.

"It's only recently that we figured out it wasn't the 50th birthday, but then we thought that some of us might not be around in two years' time so we should have it anyway."

Among those returning are former Bermuda and Teachers captain Mike Antolin, who spent three years in Bermuda teaching PE at Berkeley from 1965-68; Colin Davy and his wife Ann, both teachers on the Island at Central School and St George's Secondary School respectively.

Like Mike, Colin played for Bermuda and Teachers during his four-year stay from 1965-69 and also represented the Island at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Jamaica.

Ceri Holmes and wife Michelle have also made the journey back to their old stomping ground.

The pair, who both taught at Purvis School, spent five years on the Island from 1966-71.

During that time Ceri played for Teachers and Bermuda, while Michelle, an accomplised badminton player, claimed the Island Doubles Championship in 1970.

The group all got together at Smith's house in Southampton on Wednesday night, and will enjoy a week of festivities when the club will roll back the years and relive some of the 'good old days'.

Other ex-players who have come back for the reunion include Pat Denby (1965-69), Brian Henderson (66-72), Joe Hodges (68-72), George Moore (62-71), Don Newbury (67-71), John Thom (65-74), David Tolley (65-74) and Wood (67-75).