#also sorry highgate wood. and sorry to the football pitch there. exy stadium be upon ye 🐹

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Charles Rowland, #34, Backliner

An excerpt from the popular exy blog, Don't Be Daft:

From Striker to Backliner

Charles Rowland has not always been an exy player. In fact, until he was 16, Rowland thought he would be a cricketer. Indeed, at the time of his attendance he was an essential contributor to the success of his cricket team at St. Hilarion's School for Boys.

However, the trajectory of Rowland's life shifted when some teammates of his took their taunting too far. Rowland was out of commission for a few weeks. In turn, he lost his passion for the sport he had grown up playing.

After his release from hospital, Rowland took up a new hobby—and racquet—joining his school's exy youth club, the St. Hilarion Hellraisers, as a backliner. Though he didn't see the court much, as he was still on the mend, Rowland found time to hone his skills between studies and Hellraiser practice. By graduation, Rowland had secured a spot as a backliner for the University of London, Fortismere.

The ULF Ghosts are often referred to by their nickname, the University of the Lost and Found, but the Ghosts don't shy away from their sobriquet. Inspired by the leadership of David Wymack of the Palmetto State University Foxes—as well as that of Kayleigh Day, who brought the sport over to the UK—the coaches of the ULF Ghosts give those from difficult backgrounds the opportunity to play on their team, and on the Gravelpit Court.

Unlike most uni students, exy players in the UK spend five years at their university to match those in the States.

"It's only fair we're at the same skill level as the Americans if we go pro, yeah?" says Rowland, currently in his third year. "And if that means getting to spend more time with my mates and more time on the court, I don't see a downside."