Gosport premiership rugby player who survived cancer wants people to get active for charity

IN THE middle of his career, a rugby star was left devastated after finding out he had cancer but says exercise kept him going.
Having treatment

Leicester Tigers rugby player Joe Batley (23) from Gosport, has overcome cancer and is taking part in the Race for Life from home.Having treatment

Leicester Tigers rugby player Joe Batley (23) from Gosport, has overcome cancer and is taking part in the Race for Life from home.
Having treatment Leicester Tigers rugby player Joe Batley (23) from Gosport, has overcome cancer and is taking part in the Race for Life from home.

Now Joe Batley from Gosport is encouraging people to take part in the Race for Life from home to raise money for cancer research and help their physical and mental health while in lockdown.

The 23-year-old, who plays for the Leicester Tigers on loan from the Bristol Bears, was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in March 2018.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Joe said: ‘It was my first season at Bristol Bears and as I was going in for training one of the lads pointed at a lump in my neck and asked if I was OK?

Leicester Tigers rugby player Joe Batley (23) from Gosport, has overcome cancer and is taking part in the Race for Life from home.

Picture: Sarah Standing (050520-1382)Leicester Tigers rugby player Joe Batley (23) from Gosport, has overcome cancer and is taking part in the Race for Life from home.

Picture: Sarah Standing (050520-1382)
Leicester Tigers rugby player Joe Batley (23) from Gosport, has overcome cancer and is taking part in the Race for Life from home. Picture: Sarah Standing (050520-1382)

‘I went to see the club doctor who advised I should go to hospital to get it checked out. I had a biopsy and two weeks later was told I had cancer.’

The former Bay House School student then underwent three months of chemotherapy.

He said: ‘I did feel wiped out, but during my better days I tried to build in a routine of fitness.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘I tried to stay as positive as I could and knowing that exercise made me feel better I knew that I would be back playing rugby in the not too distant future.’

For Joe it took just one year to get back to match fitness and he has been on loan to the Leicester Tigers since December 2019.

Although he is stuck inside like everyone else, Joe wants families to get involved with Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life at Home challenge after Portsmouth’s Race for Life and Pretty Muddy events this summer were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Joe said: ‘I know there are thousands of families out there who are looking to improve both their physical and mental health right now.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘For me working out at home is something I try to do on a regular basis and certainly when I was being treated for cancer, I did a little bit at a time and it made a big difference to how I felt.‘

Read More
Waterlooville man takes on 26 miles a day cycling challenge for seriously ill ch...

We might not be able to race together but we can still come together by raising money for vital research to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.’

With no entry fee, people might choose to twerk, limbo, star jump, squat, skip, dance, or come up with their own novel way of taking part and share it with friends.

Jenny Makin, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Portsmouth, said: ‘At a time when it feels like everything is at a standstill, there is one thing that hasn’t stopped, cancer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘But we are already getting people asking about doing Race for Life at Home because they don’t want to see the charity lose out on vital funding. It’s truly humbling to see the response.’

Race for Life events in Portsmouth have been rearranged for the weekend of October 31 and November 1.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.