Markus Burcham, 283 caps, Club Legend, has finally (and officially!) hung up his boots.
A lot has already been written about Markus, so we leave it to those who knew him best to describe him — the man on and off the pitch.
“It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our ex ‘Captain Fantastic’, Markus Burcham,” writes Russell Ticehurst, Managing Director. “Over the years Markus has had many things written about him and has received many awards and plaudits from Club supporters, playing peers and National Rugby alike, and rightly so. An outstanding achievement of over 150 consecutive starts in the 1st XV is his stand out stat for me. Whenever I mention that I always like to remind people that with 26 games per season, that actually represents nearly 6 seasons of never missing a game. That’s not to say he didn’t pick up knocks or didn’t have the odd 50/50, but he knew how pivotal he was each and every week and put Club first. On the pitch Markus was intelligent, physical and quietly went about his business with efficiency and purposes. He wasn’t a shouter but rather lead by example in attack, and arguably even more in defence, and delivered consistently week in week out.”
Tom Stradwick, who was presented with his 200th cap on the same day as Markus, agrees, and says “Markus was an exceptional player and leader. He would always be one of the top performers on the pitch and you could rely on him to give every ounce of effort in the big matches. Breaking the club appearance record is something that he can be immensely proud of: to have kept himself physically conditioned and maintain the level of performance required for that number of games is nothing short of astounding. In that time Burch was not only one of the stand out centres in Nat 1, but across the overall players too.”
Whilst Markus was part of the initial squad last year, it soon became clear that he wasn’t going to do another season, and he says “I genuinely considered coming back — I wanted to play for Strads in his first year as a coach and add value to the team one more time. However the 3.5 years of travelling up from Bournemouth had started to take its toll on me, Guin and our recently born daughter Florence, and the massive commitment had to come to an end at some point.
“So my retirement (officially!)…
“When Guin and I decided we would move back to Bournemouth at the end of the 2019/20 season I essentially ‘retired’ as Covid struck. I always felt like I had cut my club career short and in the first season after lockdown the club were having a very tough season. I spoke to my mates in the team as well as Shanners and we agreed I would travel up from Bournemouth to try and help the team stay in National One, unfortunately we were unsuccessful in our efforts and I contemplated retiring again at the end of that season but couldn’t finish like that. So I decided I would come back for one more year to help the club climb their way back to where they belong, this time we were successful and the club was back in National One.
“Somehow I managed to convince Guin (and myself) that another season of helping the team settle back into National one was a good idea, and I ended up doing another two seasons at the club, eventually breaking the club’s appearance record which is something pretty special to me. But this is really it now.”
So, there you go. Official retirement. James Shanahan, Director of Rugby throughout much of Markus’s career at Blackheath, says “So, it’s finally official. Official, official, official… Marcus has retired from rugby and won’t be pulling on a Blackheath shirt again… or is this just another one of those retirements where he somehow ends up playing a few more games..? Time will tell!” He goes on to say “Jokes aside, working with Burch during my time at Blackheath was a privilege. He was the driver of the team, the leader, the captain, the heartbeat of the squad, and someone who genuinely cared about the players and the club. He was also one of those rare players who simply never had a bad game. Every week you knew what you were getting—an eight out of ten at the very least. If he ever thought he’d played a seven, he’d probably be disappointed with himself.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is seeing how much his game evolved. When I first arrived, he’d largely been coached to tackle, carry and hit rucks. He did all of those things brilliantly, but over the next couple of years he developed into a genuine playmaker. He still brought the physicality, still made his tackles, won collisions and hit rucks, but he added another dimension. His vision improved, his communication improved, and he started putting people into space rather than just finding it himself. He didn’t kick often but, when he did, they were intelligent, attacking kicks that created opportunities. He became the complete inside centre—someone who could win you hard yards with his footwork and power, but also unlock defences with his rugby brain. Physically, he was never the biggest player on the field, but every single Saturday he was ready. Mentally and physically, he turned up week after week, and that’s incredibly rare over such a long season.
“Then there’s his durability. He reached 158 consecutive games without an injury forcing him to miss a match. Put that into context—that’s around five seasons of rugby without missing a game through injury. That’s phenomenal. In fact, I think the only game he missed was the week after reaching that number because he had a dead leg, and I told him he might as well enjoy the milestone and take the weekend off!”
Shanners adds “It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Markus. With the number of appearances he’s made and everything he’s give to the club, he’ll rightly go down as a Blackheath legend. For me, he’s Mr. Blackheath. So, if this really is the final retirement, then congratulations on an outstanding career. Hopefully we’ll still see you around the club, wearing the Blackheath blazer, watching games, and telling the younger lads stories about your time. And to be fair, unlike most old boys… every one of those stories will be true.”
Strads knows there will always be plenty of stories. “When rugby is all said and done you have your playing memories and what people think about you as a bloke. I have huge respect for Burch and have seen him a couple of times this Summer, had a few beers and shared some stories — I hope to be able to do this for many years to come. A top man.”
A top man on and off the pitch. Talking further about the man away from rugby, Russell says “I was very sensible many years ago and employed Markus at Hurstmedical where he developed and found his way in the Medical Devices industry where he still works over 10 years later. He has moved on from humble beginnings and now works for one of the largest US manufacturers in the sector and is forging a successful career. He’s also married, is a father, and is well and truly focussed on his change of life. Thanks Markus from me and everyone at the Club, we wish you nothing but success.”
Markus knows the time is right “I never wanted to be that player who was hanging on at the end of his career and preventing new talent from having their shot in the team and so, after a lot of discussion with Guin, I decided that time had come. Playing at Blackheath was incredibly special to me and I will always consider it my club, I made life long friends and share wonderful memories with some great people. I can’t thank all of the players, coaches, staff, volunteers and supporters enough for the impact they’ve had on my time at a very special place, and I just hope I was able to repay you through giving my all whenever I wore the club jersey!”
Repay us you did, Markus. In spades. Final words go to Shanners, and sum up your place in the Club. “Congratulations, Burch. In a club that is all about history, you’ve earned your chapter in the book.”
Listen to Coxy interviewing Markus ahead of his 250th game in November 2023 https://youtu.be/HC6t2yyZCjs
Read his write up https://blackheathrugby.co.uk/landmark-day-for-markus/
And enjoy the montage of photos from the archives for the same milestone https://youtu.be/WGxacm9n5og
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