He was aged six, undergoing his rugby union baptism. And as he played at Pownall Park on the junior pitches at Wilmslow Rugby Club, there was a man watching him. The same man would be on the touchline as his career ascended to the professional game, crowned with a stint at one of this country's most famous clubs.
The boy was Charlie Mulchrone, and the man was Paddy, his father. Paddy was a giant of a man, at a strapping six foot one inch, and a rugby playing journalist who was blessed with authentic charm and charisma.
Paddy, who worked for the Manchester Evening News as a reporter and later the Daily Mirror, died aged 64 in October 2020. But he did so a very proud father - both his sons, Charlie, and Fergus, had gone on to play rugby union professionally.
