Ely Tigers legend celebrates possible lockdown miracle thanks to baby Rex

For one Ely Tigers legend and his family, the coronavirus pandemic has perhaps been a tougher battle than for others, but now they are celebrating what could be classed as a lockdown miracle.

Dan Coulson and wife Sarah welcomed the arrival of baby Rex in June, but discovered soon after his birth, Rex was having breathing difficulties and would need surgery.

However, following an operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, it is hoped baby Rex can finally come home.

“They’ve both had to go through a lot but they’ve both been so strong and I’m sure can’t wait to get Rex home and fingers crossed put all this behind them,” Chris Day, chairman of Ely Tigers, said.

The Coulson family have become a major part of the fabric at Cambridge Commodities Park.

Dan has spent over 10 years in the first-team as scrum-half, while his brother Lee was a former first-team captain and father Paul, known as ‘Buzz’, also played for the club for several years.

“They are a major part of the club with mother Kim also being the club’s biggest supporter, travelling all over East Anglia with husband Buzz watching every game,” Day said.

“We are also very hopeful Rex will be a third generation Tiger!”

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Friends, families as well as current and former players have also been sporting the club’s limited edition t-shirts to raise money for NHS Charities.

The club has been flooded with positive messages on social media, with those wearing the shirts either at home, at work, out for the day or on holiday to send their pictures in.

Having aimed to raise between £650-700, Tigers instead smashed their target after coming up with the idea in June.

It’s planned that all funds will go towards the Head to Toe charity, formed by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust to help improve care for patients and service users that use the Trust.

“We have loved seeing people in their shirts,” Day added.

“We were blown away by the amount of people who purchased them, and knowing there will be over 150 Ely shirts out there with the positive message is really great.

“They’ve treated enough of us on a Saturday afternoon and are a vital part of the Ely community, so they deserve every penny.”