A Century of Rugby Celebrated

William Webb Ellis certainly started something when in 1823, while a pupil at Rugby School, England, he picked up the ball and ran with it. Forty-seven years after this notable sporting feat, Charles John Monro returned from England to Nelson and suggested that the Nelson Football Club (founded 1868) should try the Rugby rules. Thus it was, that on May 14, 1870, the Nelson Rugby Football Club met a Nelson College team at the Botanical Reserve in the first Rugby match played in New Zealand.

The centennial of this event and the centennial of the Nelson club were celebrated at Nelson during Queen's Birthday weekend. Former members of the club from many parts of New Zealand joined local past and present players for the weekend-long celebrations. These included a full parade of members, after-match functions, a centennial debutante ball (covered elsewhere in this issue), a thanksgiving service, a re-enactment of the 1870 game and a banquet. In all a very comprehensive programme. We have covered here as wide a variety of functions as was possible.

The parade of club members marches to Trafalgar Park.

"Veterans" in the back seat of Andy Beattie's veteran Vauxhall are three of the club's oldest members, Arch Williamson (1914-15), Bill Shane (1904), and Tom Houlker (1890s).

Talking over old times: Frank Oakly (1923-36), Jack Turley (1926-32) and Clive Drummond (1927-37).

The re-enactment of the 1870 game by members of the Nelson club's third and junior grade teams was one of the highlights of the weekend. The rules of the day (such as they were), were followed as closely as possible and the large crowd which saw the game was thrilled by the lack of stoppages and the absence of whistle. A referee semi-controlled the game, but his interpretations were often disputed volubly by umpires which would rush on to the field. A lot of fun.