Apologies for the threadomancy, but I found out today whilst playing rec paintball as part of a stag weekend that Bluey had passed away.
I knew Bluey for 5 or so years when he was captain of Blitz. This was back around 2000-2005. We'd played paintball at Kev Paul's old site near Penzance and were eager to start a team. Kev introduced us to Bluey and we formed Blitz.
Bluey was a force of nature and he was the core of Blitz. If it wasn't for Bluey, Blitz wouldn't have stayed together for as long as we did. Differing life paths forced the team apart and I kept in sporadic contact with Bluey for a couple of years, but hadn't spoken to him for at least 8 years.
I will always remember Campaign Cup 2001 (I still have the t-shirt). We stayed at a travel lodge in Croydon and at the end of the first day, went to the club that was next door. Bluey went on a rampage until the only words that we could identify as English were 'drink' and 'now'. I then had to share a room with a very drunk Bluey and another member of the team. At one point, their snoring was so loud that I retreated to the bathroom to try to sleep with a pillow over my head. It didn't work. The walls were vibrating with the sheer level of noise, I very nearly committed an act of violence that night.
Not that I would ever wish harm on Blue. When I first met my now wife, back in 2001, Bluey found out she disliked hairy men, he promptly grabbed her hand and forced her to luxuriate in his pelt. He also gave me the advice one day to look after her because she was special, something I've never forgotten because it was the closest Bluey ever came to talking about 'feelings'.
Campaign Cup was also the the event where we were matched against an American mash-up team with Chris La Soya and Olly Lang in it. I feel proud because we held them for 9 1/2 minutes. Bluey and I were the last men in our team. Olly Lang (I think) picked me off whilst trading paint from my positioning front of Bluey. I then had the pleasure of watching Chris move up to mug Bluey, who was in the back-right coke can. I was s#*^^*•% myself because I thought Bluey was done for. However, he backed up from the coke can and started circling, gun up, to the side Chris was coming around. Both had their guns up ready as they ce around the can together. Bluey fired first and shot Chris in the throat at a range of about a metre and a half. Chris also lit up Bluey, but the Marshall (correctly) judged that Bluey had fired first. Chris went ape and threw his toys out of the pram. We lost the game, but Bluey eliminating Chris aka Soya made it count as a victory.
He was a man in the truest sense of the word. Brave, determined, loyal, kind, generous, empathic, intelligent and very funny. He always was the 'rock' in Blitz. More than one team broke themselves against him. My heartfelt condolences go to his wife and son. Although I hadn't spoken to him in years, I will miss him deeply.
Peace,
Steve
