A novel approach for former press officer

A FORMER Old Walcountian Rugby player has surprised his colleagues and family by releasing his first novel having previously only written match reports for the club originally formed by old boys of Wallington County School.

Rob Murphy, 55, of Wellesley Road, Sutton, said: "I'd only thought about writing a novel once or twice so the club didn't know.

"I wrote it in my spare time as a hobby over 16 months.

"I kept it quiet. It was only when the publisher notified me I put a message on facebook and waited to see the reaction.

"I don't think they know what to feel yet."

Mr Murphy has always been involved with the Woodmansterne based Rugby Club playing for the Old Walcountian Rugby Football Club as Prop Forward until he suffered a knee injury.

For the past 21 years he has worked as their press officer, writing up match reports every week of the season.

He said: "The highlight of my time with the club was beating the Old Whitgiftians 27-24 to win the Surrey Shield in May 2009, as the club got some silverware in their cabinet!"

His novel, Kingdom Come, opens four years in the future with Scotland and Wales discovering oil deposits, giving them independence from the UK.

The Government takes action as things start to spiral out of control and events begin to escalate.

With terrorism rife they turn on their own people as the country slips into economic decline.

Mr Murphy, a civil servant, said: "I have seen over the years that the struggle for natural resources drives conflict, even in countries where it's been quiet for a number of years.

"I thought, could this happen in Britain?

"My novel is very much set in a hypothetical world. Playing out what could happen. You cannot rule anything out, even when it seems unlikely," he added.

Nearing retirement, Mr Murphy feels writing could be his new hobby, but he is waiting to see how his first offering fares before picking up the pen again.

"If I do write another book it'll be a political thriller or something on wars, but I'll wait to see how Kingdom Come does."

Kingdom Come is available direct from publishers AuthorHouse, £9.87 or e-book £5.99. Amazon, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble £17.19

This appeared on the Croydon Advertiser website and newspaper. You can read it here. 

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