Glenn Melvin Allen

Glenn Melvin Allen (born 29 March 1976) is a South African underwater rugby champion. He began his underwater rugby (UWR) career in 1993 after winning several informal tournaments most notably at the Margaret Maytom aquatic centre in Viginia, Durban. He eventually retired from the sport in 1997 (to pursue a business career) having won three South African UWR titles and became the face of UWR in South Africa.

His participation in UWR began with the more traditional field rugby, where in 1989 he starred as the Northlands Boys High School right wing. Throughout his high school field rugby career Allen showed a lot of promise but failed to fully reach his potential in the more traditional version of the game. It was in his final year in High School that Allen began entering informally arranged UWR tournaments.At the time UWR was seen as a borderline sport with no organising bodies and no formal sports affiliations, the tournaments Allen began competing in were arranged informally between UWR enthusiasts and typically involved meeting at the Virginia UWR club headquarters the "Virginia Grill and Tavern" a local eatery.

Throughout the summer of 1993 Allen began to make a name for himself in UWR circles as a genuine talent albeit with discipline problems. While Allen was building his formidable reputation, the sport of UWR was staring to develop along more traditional lines. Formal tournaments were arranged and the UWRSSA was formed (Under Water Rugby Society of South Africa), the UWRSSA began to formalise regional tournaments and in 1994 started the South African UWR national championships, this provided the platform for UWR legends such as Glenn "Poodle" Allen, Claudio "Luciano" Beltramini, Grant "Monkey" Oliver, Craig "Bushman" Davidson and Darren "Smoothie" Morgan. [Davidson left the sport of UWR in 1996 to pursue field rugby and went on to play for the Natal Sharks and Springboks] .

After the successes of 1993, the summer of 1994 proved to be a defining year for Allen, the sport he had been instrumental in founding had started to define itself with an official national body and provincial sub committee's which ran the sport in the provinces co-ordinating district, regional and provincial championships. It was with the KZN UWR organising committee that Allen had his most publicised disputes with many in the sport referring to him as UWR's John Macenroe. Several disciplinary issues led to a three week suspension in June 1994, most infamously the incident during the KZN duo finals.

In UWR "Duo's" is the most competitive and popular format, this involves a two man team competing in a specially reduced pool of no more than 10m x 5m.The disciplinary incident in question happened during the 1994 KZN provincial duo championship, Allen was playing with his long time duo partner Darren "Smoothie" Morgan, [nicknamed after his alleged popularity with the opposite sex] against their fiercest duo rivals, the team of Craig Davidson and Claudio Beltramini, Allen was penalised by referee Garth Parsons for illegal use of the elbow late in the fourth quarter, this culminated with Allen out the pool and confronting a UWR official in Parsons, after physical contact with the referee, Allen was red carded leaving Morgan to play the last three minutes of the championship match alone (which amazingly Allen/Morgan won due to a 32-18 lead at the time of Allen's red card).

Allen spent the three week suspension training hard and overcoming his mental shortcomings, to return to the pool in July 2004, in the meantime his duo partner Morgan had won the 1994 UWR National championship with stand in partner Grant Oliver.Allen ended 1994 winning the Durban North classic regional tournament at the Ennisdale baths.

In 1995 Allen dominated the sport of UWR winning the singles, duo and team events, the duo final between Allen/Morgan and the Gauteng pair of Pienaar/Bothma was a UWR classic with the Durban team winning it on the final hooter.

Regional and National championships were again won by Allen in 1996 earning him the 1996 UWR player of the year at gala awards dinner in Johannesburg.

In 1997 Allen met his future wife Fiona Harris and began contemplating a career in the business world, UWR may have been Allen's passion but it did not pay the bills. At the end of 1997 Allen retired from the then fledgling sport but not before scooping the duo title again with Morgan. Allen lost the singles title to Gary "Stabsie" Woolley an aggressive new up and coming player also from Allen's home town of Durban. Once again in this match controversy was not far away with Woolley accused of "illegal manhandling", many claim this tactic was enough to rob Allen of the 1997 title.

In 2005 Allen was inducted into the South African UWR hall of fame and has been instrumental in the development of UWR in South Africa.

Allen currently resides in Durban North and is a director of one of South Africa's biggest security firms, he has a 16 month old son named Luke.

References

* [http://www.enforce.co.za Enforce South Africa (20 August 2008)] , retrieved on 21 August 2008
* UWR Annual 2000 (15 July 2000) "UWR Annual 2000" Retrieved on 21 August 2008