Nigel Owens was just 16 when he refereed his first senior club game.
In an interview for BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs', the Welshman discussed that experience. It was one made all the more difficult by something which many a 16-year-old could empathise with: not being able to drive.
His father being a nervous driver also limited the range of games which he could officiate - or so he thought. The man organising officials for club games in Owens's area had a plan - he could travel to his first game with the away team.
Inevitably, this coloured the day for Owens.
The highlight was refereeing my first senior game. The lowlight was that I couldn't drive at 16 years of age.
So I told Ally West, a wonderful guy, I told him, 'Look I'm ready to referee now but don't send me too far because my dad can't drive further than two or three miles local.' He'd never driven on the dual carriageway. When my mother was in hospital very ill, my dad drove down to see her one night on his own and he drove the wrong way down the dual carriageway. He was, very, very lucky.
So I said, 'Don't take me too far.' For my first game he sent me to Tregaron which is about an hour-and-a-half car drive away. He said 'Don't worry, I've sorted out a lift. You can go with the away team on the bus.'
Even at 16, Owens was aware how it would look for a referee to arrive at the home team's ground on the opposition bus. So, he stepped off well before arriving at the venue.
A last minute penalty to the away team and a captain with a sense of mischievousness meant there were some angry home supporters that day.
I told the bus driver to drop me off about half a mile before the club. I got off, got changed, reffed the game. Last minute penalty to the away team and they won 9-6.
Back to the clubhouse. The captain of the away team goes, 'Nige, come on, the bus is ready.'
As I'm going out to the bus, they're all in the windows, sticking two fingers up and shouting at me.
I could well have finished refereeing then.
The full Desert Island Discs interview will be broadcast at 11:15am on Sunday.
