Why new Pirate Bartlett will have Quins in mind
ROOKIE Cornish Pirates fly-half Bar Bartlett has revealed why he would love to maintain his family’s proud tradition by one day representing Harlequins.
Bartlett, 22, is relishing a chance to play Championship rugby after joining Penzance-based Pirates from Loughborough. But his longer-term goal is to follow in the footsteps of father Harry and late granddad Ricky, both of whom excelled for Quins.
Ricky is a Harlequins No.10 hall-of-famer who represented England seven times in the late-Fifties, winning a Five Nations Grand Slam in 1957, while Harry also wore the coveted flyhalf jersey at the Stoop before switching to a career in the military.
Bartlett Jnr told The Rugby Paper: “It would be an absolute dream to play for Harlequins and it puts a smile on my face just thinking about the possibility of it.
“My granddad, Ricky, captained Harlequins and also played for England. He unfortunately died before I was born and so I never got to meet him, but his legacy has been a massive inspiration for me and it was great that Quins recognised him.
“He was never on the losing side for England, so the family’s very proud of his achievements.
“Dad also played for Quins at fly-half in the Eighties and he’s been a massive influence on my career as well. I still talk to him most days about my training and games, and whenever I’m back home in Herefordshire we still kick a ball about.
“Quins would be a dream and there’s a history of guys like Matt Hopper and Dave Ward going there from Pirates. But I’m not going to get ahead of myself, I’ve not even played Championship rugby so there’s a lot to do.”
Bartlett is the latest to follow a well-worn path to the Pirates from Loughborough, one that has already seen Phil Burgess go from strength-to-strength with England 7s, while Jake Parker, Craig Holland and Joe Atkinson have flourished.
Bartlett, a former member of Worcester’s academy prior to an injury setback, said: “I was very lucky to discover Loughborough and the links they have with various clubs, especially Pirates, has produced some great opportunities.
“When you look at what Phil Burgess has achieved after coming here it really encourages you.
“James Freeman and George Eastwell are at Jersey now and Tom James, Ed Taylor and Jacob Fields are at Bedford. All are doing well, so there’s a lot of ex-Loughborough boys around and it’s testament to the coaching staff up there.”
Bartlett will fight Laurence May and Will Cargill for the No.10 shirt but has drawn further inspiration from two notable former Pirates players.
He added: “Dave Ward, the Quins hooker, was down here a few weeks ago to do some coaching with us and it was great to take some tips from him, while Exeter’s Jack Nowell came down to work with the backs, which was very exciting.
“To learn off guys who’ve been at Pirates and gone on to do fantastic things is pretty inspirational and it’s down to me to work hard now.”