It is believed that the Club first
played in 1888, one of the main fixtures being
Downton, the journey undertaken by horses and traps.
Due to various stops en route and the state of
the winding roads, the away matches were inevitably
started late. The difficulties of transport and
the dearth of nearby fixtures were obstacles that
even the most enthusiastic could not overcome and
gradually the Clubs activities ceased.
About 1893
another Bournemouth club was started, the home
matches being played at Dean Park and their colours
being a blue jersey with a broad white hoop and
dark (blue?) shorts. The main fixtures being against
Trojans, Portsmouth and Sherborne School. Transport
was usually by train. Once again the difficulty
of arranging nearby fixtures caused a lapse of
several years before the club was restarted by
a Major Langley Taylor in 1906. It continued playing
for some three seasons with fixtures against the
Trojans, Castle Carey, Sherborne School and a Dorchester
and District XV. The colours were then large red
and white hoops. Once again transport difficulties
and lack of support caused failure. However,
during the 1914Ð18 War a New Zealand Forces
XV played rugby football in Meyrick Park.
In 1923 the Bournemouth Sports Club
started a team, playing at Iford, the colours being
green and white hoops but it was not a financial
success and the majority of the players formed
the Bournemouth RFC with Meyrick Park as their
home ground. Starting in season 1928/9 something
like half the games were played at Dean Park for
reasons that are not explained. The colours were
narrow black and white hoops. A very useful side
was got together and there were fixtures against
the London Banks, Barnstaple, Exeter, Sidmouth
and Bath United. Unfortunately only scratch sides
could be raised for these long-distance fixtures
although, however, a good show was put up at home.
The Club then cut the long-distance fixtures and
played within a 50 mile radius of Bournemouth.
On one occasion D A Kendrew (who won 10 caps for
England between 1930 and 1936) played for the 'A'
side! He also won four DSO's in the 1939/45 war.
In 1929, the Sports Club purchased the ground at
Kinson Park Road, Northbourne and, as there was
room, Bournemouth RFC were offered a pitch. However,
the offer was declined owing to the distance
from the town.
Dicks Richards then undertook
the job of raising the newly formed Rugby Section
of the Sports Club and, within a month, two teams
were being fielded, playing in black, yellow
and blue striped shirts. The Poole RFC closed
down about this time and, fortunately, the services
of all their members were obtained. As the ground
at Northbourne was not ready, a ground was hired
at Muscliffe Farm, near the Horse and Jockey
pub on the Wimborne Road. Changing and bathing
were in a loft followed by tea in a cow shed.
The farmer was paid 2s6d to clear the pitch of
cow dung but his idea of clearance seemed to
be spread it evenly over a larger area!
After going for three seasons, the Sports Club beat
Bournemouth RFC by an unspecified narrow margin
and a very keen and even contest developed between
the two clubs. The Bournemouth RFC fixture card
of 1930/1 (the second or third season of the
new Rugby Section of the Sports Club?) shows
two fixtures between the two 'A' teams and two
fixtures between the Bournemouth RFC 'B' and
the Sports Club 'A' team.
The Sports Club eventually obtained a stronger
fixture list, including games against the 'A'
XVs of some of the leading London clubs such
as Blackheath, Harlequins, London Scottish
and Richmond plus Woodford 1st XV, Bath United,
Bristol United, Clifton, Old Redingensians,
Taunton, Torquay, Sidmouth, Exmouth and Somerset
Police and of course the local 'blood battles'
such as Yeovil, Salisbury, US Portsmouth, Berkshire
Wanderers, Portsmouth and the Trojans.
Again the question of raising a representative side
for the long-distance matches caused much trouble
and in the 1938/9 season it was suggested that
the two clubs should merge to ensure adequate
reserves and to field six sides on Saturdays
( the Sports Club)s colours of black shirts with
narrow gold hoops to be worn. The war, however,
interfered with this programme but in the full
postwar season the idea was put into practise
and to be called Bournemouth RFCÑa Section
of the Bournemouth Sports Club. Through the hard
work of succesive Fixture Secretaries, the Club's
fixtures started to improve but it was hard work.
However the question of expense and raising sides for
the long-distance fixtures initially curtailed
the programme somewhat, the nearest club of 1st
XV standard being 30 miles away.
The Rugby Section (of the Sports Club) was the only
rugby club in Hampshire and Dorset to keep going
throughout the war and this was due to the hard
work and enthusiasm of Ken Baily and Dicks Richards
who was still the Hon Secretary until 1948, a
fine record.
The Easter Festivals, first organized by the Sports
Club in 1937, were always a tremendous success
with many prominent London, Northern and Welsh
clubs coming to play with great enthusiasm over
the four days, Friday to Monday in a programme
with as many as eight games in a day. Although
the festival continues to this day at the club
only hockey is played. With the advent of league
rugby there was less and less enthusiasm for
touring and it became difficult to raise enough
interest to make the venture worthwhile and the
last Easter Festival rugby was played in 1995.
The 7-a-sides were revived after the war after a lapse
of some years and were unofficially known as
the Hampshire 7s. Bristol for many years sent
a team as did Exeter University (St Lukes). But
they also declined with ever decreasing interest
and the competition stopped in the early 1990s.
It was felt in the immediate postwar period that the
Club was well served by the local schools but
Bournemouth School played rugby football from
1935 to 1955 under Percy Cushion (Bournemouth
and Hampshire) and several of the members of
these pre-war sides played for the Club. Just
before the war, the Old Boys became a section
of the Sports Club and played under its auspices
but nine of them lost their lives in the War.
The annual match against a Club XV on Boxing
Day became a postwar feature although this became
The Chairman's XV v The Vice-chairman's XV certainly
by the early 60s. However, as rugby football
was not immediately restarted at the school after
the war, the Club turned to and supported Portchester
School and several useful players have helped
the Club although National Service deprived the
Club of their services for long periods.
