Rugby Football in Victorian Leamington

Part 1: Origins to 1882

Part 1: Origins to 1882
Part 2: 1882 to 1890
Part 3: 1890 to 1898

By John Lyons, Honorary Secretary, Leamington RFC. Updated September 2022.

The fixture tables retain the dates, results, scoring notation and abbreviations used in the original account. “For” and “Against” follow the original columns; a dash marks an empty entry.

Introduction

Although the modern Leamington Rugby Club was not formed until 1926, there was an earlier town club in Victorian times, initially called Leamington Rovers. Not much was known about them, but it was thought that the club had folded at some time during the 1890s, along with the other rugby clubs in the area. By trawling through the local newspapers of the time, the British Newspaper Archive and other on-line sources, it has now been possible to put together a record of the Rovers and the early years of the rugby game in Leamington, in the era of gas-light and horse drawn carriages.

Rugby Rules

Football has been played since pigs had bladders. It has its origins in games and pastimes dating back to ancient times. From the Middle Ages, mass street-games were played in towns and villages on Shrove Tuesday and other festivals. Edward II, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I all enacted laws banning football, due to its extreme violence, but despite this the game survived. The development of organised sport was a feature of Victorian life. From the early 1800s, different forms of football were played in the major public schools, as a way of providing healthy exercise and diversion for the boys. Each school developed its own set of rules to suit its particular circumstances.

Several factors came together which allowed the game to develop. When students left school, or university, many were keen to continue playing football and they established clubs in the rapidly expanding towns and cities. Working men were given Saturday afternoons off and were looking for ways of using their new leisure time to let off steam. Crucially, the development of the railways allowed teams and their supporters to travel considerable distances to play one another.

With every school or club having its own rules, when they came together, their captains had to agree which ones to play to, before the start of each game. At Rugby School, William Webb Ellis is famously said to have picked up the ball and run it over the goal-line during a match in 1823. The technique of “running in” to score a “try at goal” was subsequently included in Rugby’s rules in 1845. The Rugby Rules became popular and were spread widely by old boys. Clubs playing to these rules were formed – Guy’s Hospital (1843) is thought to be the first and others soon followed.

Other forms of football were developing however, with the Cambridge University kicking style becoming ever more popular. Similar developments were taking place in the cities and the Sheffield Football Club’s (1857) rules became widely used in the North and the Midlands. The need for uniformity became more and more vital and so, in 1863, a group of London clubs met to draw up a common set of rules. This resulted in the formation of the Football Association, whose rules evolved to favour kicking and dribbling and incorporated some of the Sheffield Rules, such as heading. It banned handling and the more violent features of the Rugby Rules, - including charging, tripping and particularly, shin-hacking.

Blackheath and Richmond withdrew from the group and along with those other clubs that preferred a handling game, formed the Rugby Football Union, in 1871. Separate codes for Association and Rugby Football therefore came into being. The RFU “laws” [they were written by lawyers!] were based on the Rugby School rules, but without shin-hacking. Most clubs decided to go one way or the other but some played both the Rugby and the Association codes during the early years of separation.

Many of the early clubs were simply teams which formed organically through the efforts of committed individuals. They were often old boys, or were based on companies, cricket clubs (looking for winter activity) and particularly church teams, as many clergy were ex-public schoolboys. These teams usually had no assets and came and went, some merging and forming into constituted clubs. The following clubs came into being in the Midlands over the next decade: Burton (1870), Lutterworth (1872), Moseley, Northampton, Rugby (all 1873), Coventry, Wolverhampton, Lichfield (all 1874), Edgbaston (c1876), Stratford and Nuneaton (1879) and Leicester (1880). Leamington (1876) was one of this early tranche of Midlands clubs.

Although some of the 1871 laws remain familiar today, there have been significant changes affecting how the game is played, the scoring method, the refereeing and the terminology used. The number of players per side was set at 15 in 1877 (down from 20) but numbers were fluid in the early days, because of tradition, player availability and when involving clubs that alternated between Rugby and Association. The usual line-up was 6 backs and 9 forwards, with the forward “pack” not having set positions. There was less passing and tactics were based on moving the ball up the field, through foot charges or long-drawn-out scrums, to gain position for a kick at goal or to touch down and secure a “try at goal”.

The game was decided in favour of the team scoring the most goals - from “drop kicks” or converted “tries”. Goals were difficult to score and draws were common, so informally, methods of count-back were used to decide the winning team, or a draw in favour of the side scoring the most “minors” - which included unconverted tries and forcing the opposition to concede in-touches, or touch-downs behind their own goal. This often resulted in teams recording the outcome of games differently to one another. From 1885, if the number of goals was equal, the game would be decided by the most tries scored. Point scoring was introduced in 1888-89 and initially it was 3 for a goal, 2 for a penalty and 1 for a try. These values were changed in 1891 to give 5 for a goal, 2 for a try, 3 for a penalty and 4 for a drop goal, or a kick from a mark.

The refereeing of the game in the early years was done by the two captains. By 1871 both sides provided an umpire, but the captains remained the arbiters of all disputes. These were common and there are many local references to crowd trouble and teams walking off in disgust at the perceived unwillingness of their opponents to referee fairly. Independent referees (with whistles) first appeared in the 1885-86 season and they had the authority to award penalty kicks at goal.

Local Beginnings

The specific events leading to the formation of a football club in Leamington are not clear, but the circumstances of the town made it a fairly obvious development. It grew from being a small village of around 300 people at the start of the 19th century into a prosperous spa resort, with a population of almost 23,000, by 1881. Its expansion and prosperity were due largely to the popularity of the salt water treatments available. This attracted many wealthy visitors and residents and healthy exercise was advocated by the eminent medical men of the town as an accompaniment to their therapies.

Various sports and pastimes developed in order to satisfy and entertain the growing population. The local hunt met on six days a week and the Leamington Grand Steeplechase was first run in 1826. There were various local cricket teams from the 1820s onwards and the town also hosted major archery events. Leamington Real Tennis Club was opened in 1846 and the world’s first Lawn Tennis Club was formed in 1872, three years before Wimbledon. The railways reached Leamington in 1844 which put the town on the main line from London to Oxford and Birmingham, with spurs to Rugby and Coventry. The proximity of Rugby and Warwick Schools makes it likely that some of their former pupils and masters lived locally and promoted football here. Leamington College was also a public school from 1852 until 1902 and it played Rugby Rules as its main winter sport.

In 1859, the Leamington Spa Courier reported that an “animated game of football” had been played between 20 gentlemen of Leamington and 14 of Kenilworth. The latter side won, despite their fewer numbers. A series of games between Leamington and Warwick was played under Association Rules in 1871, with each town winning once and another game drawn. In November 1871 the Leamington Cricket Club formed a “Foot-Ball Club” to play under Rugby Rules. W.J. Pratt was the Honorary Secretary. Games were to be held at the cricket field on Leam Terrace East and the season’s subscription was 3/- [15p] Their first home match was against Allesley Park School on 10 March 1872, and they won by 2 goals to nil, with Pratt, Davy, Hubbard and a Mr Lyon all playing well - the latter described as worth “five or six men” and running “as fast as a deer”. Kenilworth Cricket Club took a similar step in 1873 and undercut Leamington with a 1/- [5p] subscription. They were unsure whether to play Rugby or Association rules and ordered a set of both to compare. There is no record of their fixtures and it is not known what happened to either club.

On 30 January 1875 a match was played between Coventry Wanderers and Warwick, on Warwick Common, with the visitors winning by 1 goal to nil. The Wanderers then drew with Leamington Gingeriferas on 13 March 1875, under Association rules. The local side comprised – J.M. Feasey, K. Young, Burns, Gibson, P and T. Muddeman, Curren, G. Rogers, Jones, Standbridge, Lightfoot and Tredwell.

Some of these players appeared in an embryonic Leamington town side, which began playing under Rugby rules in 1875-76. Nineteen-year-old, H.C. “Hal” King was its driving force and star player. He had recently moved to the town from Marlborough School to take up articles with local Solicitor, A.S. Field. His colleague, Harry Field, had played for Oxford in the 1873 Varsity match. The “town club” played against Whitnash Cricket & Football Club on 20 November 1875, at Leam Terrace East, with Whitnash coming out on top by 3 goals to 1, due in part to Leamington playing 6 men short for much of the game and Muddeman breaking his leg. King scored for Leamington and he was well supported by Beck, Mulliner, Robinson and Tropplin. For Whitnash, H. Field (2) and Standbridge scored and they, Young and Henry, were prominent. The Whitnash club continued but it seems they played mostly Association rules and their best rugby players moved to the new town side.

On 5 February 1876, Leamington played Leamington College. The game was 11 a-side and Leamington won, with King kicking 3 goals and Young 2, plus a try. The Leamington team was: Hill (back) - Standbridge (three-quarter) – Field, Beck (half-backs) – Young, Gascoigne, Rogers, Littlewood, Rogers, Shaw and King (forwards) . There is reference to two other fixtures, against Stratford Town, the second of which being a return fixture at Cannings Meadow on 1 April. The results have not been found.

1876-77: Rovers formed

A meeting was held at the Manor House Hotel, on 19th August 1876, to form a permanent football club in Leamington, to be known as Leamington Rovers. H.C. King was in the Chair and he was elected as club captain. The initial membership was around 40 strong and prominent amongst them was a group of keen all-round sportsmen and public figures who formed the Committee, including: W.K. Young (Treasurer and Secretary), Charles DuMoulin (solicitor), Frank Glover (editor of the Leamington Courier) John Beck (publisher) William “Bodger” Gascoyne (builder) Charles Standbridge (boot-maker) and George Gill (Lloyds Bank). Other gentlemen wishing to join were invited to send in their names. The Committee then drew up the rules of the club. It was intended that, besides playing both Union and Association codes, the club should also play hockey and other games. The colours adopted were red and white striped jerseys (with a Skull and Crossbones emblem) and white knickers. Home games were to be played at Leam Terrace East cricket field, which is indicated on an 1881 map as being close to where the reservoir and the allotments are now situated.

Leam Terrace East cricket field on the 1881 map

The first game was won against Allesley Park College and this was followed by a success against Stratford College. The first club opponents were Edgbaston and they inflicted on Rovers their first defeat, by a single try. The line-up was - Rutherford, HC King, Buckley, E Young, Lacy – Bainbridge, Beck, Gascoyne, Gill, Glover, Greaves, Middleton, Stanbridge, Trepplin, K Young. After securing a draw against Exeter College, the Rovers

took a weakened side to All Saints School, Bloxham and in a constant downpour, the school triumphed by 4 goals to nil. The game was 12-a-side and the school loaned Rovers 3 players.

The Rovers took on Leamington College at Leam Terrace in a mid-week game. This was described as having been played in half a foot of slush. The College boys were overmatched and their “lack of amphibiousness” told against them. The game was won by 10 goals to nil and the students didn’t fare much better in the return fixture, going down by 8 goals. This began a winning run, interspersed with the occasional draw, which continued throughout the winter months. Opponents included Stratford Town, Scorpions (Nottingham), Banbury, Rugby Crusaders and Brasenose College, Oxford (aka the Flutterers). The Rovers did not lose again until mid-March, when they went down by 3 goals to nil, in their first fixture against Coventry. In its first season, the new club played 20 matches, winning 13, drawing 4 and losing 3, with some disputes.

It was intended that the Rovers would play both codes and records suggest that the games against Allesley Park and Bloxham schools were played under Association rules. Two games were played against the Coventry Association Club, with the first under Rugby Rules and the return under the kicking code. Leamington won both games by two goals to nil. There are reports that Association Football was frowned upon by the local establishment and that the more familiar game of Rugby Rules was preferred for gentlemen, despite a lot of bad publicity concerning its violence and barbarity. The first Association clubs did not appear in the town until around 1890.

By the end of the season, the membership numbered around 100, although some 20 of the original group had drifted away. There were about 40-50 players and although teams were reduced from 20 to 15 a-side during the season, this was somewhat academic as Rovers often had to make do with fewer. As to individual performances, it was reported that skipper H.C. King, played fairly well at three-quarter and was described as being lucky with his dropped goals. Rutherford and Bell also played well in the backs. Of the forwards, E. Young and G. Gill played “up to their well-known form” and of the new players: W. Young, R. Wheal, C. Standbridge and Walmsley made great progress. The club held its first annual post-season supper at the Crown Hotel on 19th April. About 25 members and guests attended and H.C. King presided. Some excellent songs added much to the enjoyment of the evening, but Lloyd George, being 14 at the time, was unlikely to have been there or to have known their fathers!

Leamington Rovers 1876-77

1877-78: Second Season

The second annual meeting of the club was held on 21 October 1877 at the Manor House Hotel. W. Willes became President of the club, H.C. King was re-elected as captain and W.K. Young and G. Gill became joint Treasurer and Secretary. H. Field, W. Bell, J.P. Beck, W. Gascoyne and C. Standbridge were elected to the Committee. The main decisions were to raise the annual subscription to 5/- [25p] and to award medals for the best drop kick and place kick at goal, to be decided in an end of season competition.

Although matches had been arranged with most of the surrounding clubs, as there were still few of these, the fixture list depended heavily on games with local schools. The season commenced at Leam Terrace against Stratford College. The boys were outweighed and Rovers won by a goal, converted by King. Three losses followed – to Edgbaston, Birmingham Athletic Club and Wednesbury Strollers. The Wednesbury game was in the first round of the Birmingham & District Cup, and was lost 5-0. It was probably the last Association game played by the Rovers.

The Rovers’ form picked up after that and Rugby Crusaders were beaten in the gloom at the end November and Stratford were defeated twice. For the Edgbaston game in January, there was a breakdown on the Hatton railway line which delayed the start. The game was then curtailed due to bad light and the result appears to have been a draw. The closing match of the season was the return game against Coventry, played in front of some 600 spectators at Leam Terrace. As with the first match, this game was drawn (but this time in favour of Leamington) with Coventry conceding five touchdowns to Rovers’ one. The side was – H.T. Rutherford - H.C. King, W. Bell - G. Gill, E. Wheeler - C.D. Curry, Hawkins, W. Howard, T. Winterton, C. Standbridge, W. Gascoyne, F. Glover, Thornley, W.R. Branson, Hodkinson

Leamington Rovers 1877-78

Not all scores are available, but it is reported that 16 games were played although some games were scratched due to bad weather in mid-winter. There were 8 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses which was down on the results of the first year, but 8 of the original team had left the club and ill-health deprived it of the services of K. Young, one of the more energetic forwards. There was a host of new forwards, including Leaver, Winterton and Jackson, but the established members, including: Howard, Gascoyne, Glover, Standbridge, Gill, Beck Rutherford and King were still “well to the fore”. A second team played Warwick College in December. The only other local club mentioned in reports is Whitnash, who defeated Rugby 2nd XV in February.

1878-79: King abdicates

The third AGM was held at the Avenue Hotel on 2nd August. W. Willes was re-elected as President, with H.C. King remaining as captain, supported by W. Bell as his vice-captain. Standbridge, Gascoyne, Field, Curry and Young completed the committee. It was decided to field an occasional second XV, to play the reserve strings of the schools and C. Wincote Jnr was elected to captain the side. Admission prices were set at 6d [2.5p] and 3d. The Club decided to change its colours from red and white stripes to plain black, but retained the skull and crossbones emblem on the chest, which was popular with a number of clubs at the time, including School House at Rugby, Cardiff and the Barbarians.

As the season was about to get underway, the Courier published a letter from H.C. King, stating that only 27 of the 87 members from the previous season had paid a subscription. It was also noted, that in order to counteract crowd trouble, a roped area would be put around the pitch. The issue of non-payment of subscriptions would come to haunt the Rovers later on.

The opening game was against Birmingham Athletic Club who came out on top by a goal, a try and a “poster”, to a try and a disputed try. Ratcliff and King touched down for Rovers who were two men short from the start and then lost Ratcliff to injury for most of the game. Wins against Stratford College, Stratford Rangers and Queen’s College, Birmingham followed. The backs were in grand form against Queens with King scoring a magnificent drop goal to add to tries from Gill, Beck and Fagge, one of which was converted. There were defeats against Rugby and Leamington College, when Rovers went down by 4 goals to 2, fielding a scratch side, with only a few Rovers’ playing.

The game against Edgbaston Crusaders, on 7 December, was an evening kick-off, played at the back of the Portobello Inn, under “new-fangled” electric light. A number of experimental games of this sort were being held around the country and this was the first time that electric light had been demonstrated in the locality: courtesy of Titus Robottom, an engineer from Nuneaton. There was a lot of curiosity and a large crowd gathered. Three dynamo-electric machines made by Siemens were used, one supplying each of the lights, which were estimated to be equal to 1,600 sperm candles. The light was reported as being exceedingly brilliant and white but the illuminated area was comparatively small. The lights were powered by a portable engine belonging to Mr Reading of Ashorne, but the main band snapped, causing the lights to be extinguished until repairs could be done. When it happened for a second time, the game was abandoned in Rovers’ favour at half-time, when they were ahead through a try by King. The event was not regarded as a success and was not repeated. The Rovers team was: Dawson, Hawkes - King, Kirby - H. Field, Gill - Beck, Gascoyne, Bell, Short, Curry, Williamson, Winterton, Standbridge and Mason.

There was then a long freeze between the middle of December and early February. It appears that no games were played during this period, but when things got underway again Rovers won their return fixtures against Leamington College, Stratford and Edgbaston Crusaders, scoring a total of 11 goals and 12 tries and forcing 42 touchdowns in the three games. Further successes against Stratford College, Edgbaston and St John’s College Oxford followed, the Oxford game being reported as a hard-fought clash to which” many a bruised shin bore testimony”. The last defeat was at Coventry at the end of March when the Rovers were “over-weighted” by the home side and the season ended with a draw against Rugby.

The end of term report was that it had been another good season, with 13 games played and only 4 lost – 2 of which could be put down to the misfortune of having to play shorthanded. With regard to individual performances, the two bearded veterans, Gascoyne and Standbridge, continued to “play-up hard”, despite not being as quick as before and they were an example to the other core forwards such as: Wheildon, Williamson and Winterton. Harry Wheildon (known as Sergeant) was a particularly robust player and was said to be always ready to back up an argument with a “display of fisticuffs”. In the backs – Field Gill, Curry and King all played well.

At the end of the season, Hal King (pictured) resigned as captain. He had led the club from its start, but was moving from the area for business reasons. Tributes were paid to him at the annual supper at the Angel Hotel on 5 May. He was the undoubted star of the side, famous for his brilliant drop goals, nimble footwork and fearless defence. But it was his personality and organising ability that singled him out and made him impossible to replace. The setting up of the Rovers and the growth of football in the area was largely due to King. Other sports also benefited from his exertions and his other main interest was cricket. Whilst in Leamington he played for the Gentlemen of Warwickshire, in 1877. After leaving the town he moved to India where he became a leading light in the Madras Cricket Club, for whom he played between 1882 and 1903. He played one game for the MCC in 1895 when home from India. He received a knighthood in 1906 in reward for organising the Prince of Wales’ Royal visit to Madras. He also established the King and Partridge law firm which drew up the constitution of the Indian Cricket Board in 1920, the year he died.

Hal King

Another local club to come into being this year was the 10th Warwickshire Rifle Volunteer Corps. They were, in effect an off-shoot of the Rovers, being captained by H.C. (Lieutenant) King and with a number of other dual members. They were scheduled to play the Rovers twice during the season but the results are not reported and it is probable that the games were not played. Other smaller but well supported clubs were now playing rugby in the area, including, in Leamington - the Saxons, Britons, Rangers and Normans, and in Warwick – the Excelsiors, Rovers and Stars. Whitnash were continuing under the leadership of H. Maycock.

Leamington Rovers 1878-79

1879-80: Dust up with Moseley

The Midlands Counties Union was formed in September 1879. This was the brainchild of a Mr Richards of Derby, who saw it an opportunity for the newly created clubs in the Midlands to get together to form a representative side to play the leading teams in the country. H. C. King, who was still playing locally in the early part of the season, appears to have been involved in setting this up, as the Rovers’ representative. Leamington teamed up with Coventry to play as a joint side against Rugby, Burton and Derby in October, in a trial for the Midland Counties side. The local combination won and The Midlands’ first game was against Yorkshire on 14 February 1880, with King, Field and Curry in their line-up of - H.C. King, G. Ratcliff – H.E. Ratcliff, F. Ratcliff – A. Mason, H. Evershed – E. Field, C.D. Curry – Whittaker, Bourne, Hopewell, Evans, Hunt, Sugden, Rotherham. The Midland Counties remained the constituent “county” body until 1914, when Warwickshire split away and later, Leicestershire, North Midlands and East Midlands formed separate Unions.

The club general meeting was held at the Avenue Hotel on 5 September. Mr W. Willes continued as President with H.C. King his Vice-President. Harry Field was elected to succeed King as captain, with George Gill his sub-captain. Gill was also elected as Secretary and Treasurer. The Committee comprised - C.D. Curry, E. Field, W.K. Young, C. Standbridge, W. Gascoyne, W.R. Branson, and J. Reid. King was presented with a club cap in recognition of his services as captain.

The Rovers began the season on 4th October with their first fixture against Moseley. It might have been their last, as the game was abandoned with 20 minutes to go following an incident when a Moseley player delayed releasing the ball at a scrimmage and it was kicked out of his hand by a Leamington player, resulting in a drop goal by King. The umpires could not agree on the application of the laws and the game ended in acrimony and prompted letters to the Courier. The circumstances were referred to the RFU, and although the outcome is not clear, the Birmingham Mail shows it as a win for Leamington.

Rovers then entertained Coventry and won convincingly by 3 goals to nil. King ran the show, scoring a brilliant try and kicking all three goals, including a drop goal, in what was one of his last games for the club [It is said that he played in his overcoat in his final match]. A number of results are missing but wins are recorded against Edgbaston Crusaders, Leamington College (Past & Present) and Stratford prior to Christmas.

The Stratford game, in November, was the maiden fixture for the new Stratford Town Club which had been formed at a general meeting held at the Falcon Hotel in September. The meeting took a vote on whether to play Association or Rugby rules and this split 11 – 11. The Chairman had the casting vote and he went with Association, but after several members expressed their unwillingness to go along with this, it was in the end agreed to play Rugby Rules which most comparable clubs were doing. Rovers as the first visitors, were welcomed as “the best club of the Midlands” and won comfortably.

This good form was carried over into the New Year, with wins against Wolverhampton Lancers and the return game against Stratford, when Bellot, Crawford, Gascoyne and Standbridge all scored tries and veterans Standbridge and Gascoyne kicked goals. Although it is not reflected in the line-up named below it was reported in the Stratford Herald that Rovers had fielded 16 players in the first half when Stratford were a man short. The numbers were corrected in the second half but it didn’t make much difference to the balance of play - Hannay - C.D. Curry © Crawford - Bellot, Howard - Standbridge, Gascoyne, Branson, Young, Hiron, Hancock, Mills, Mitchell, Ricketts, Beck .

The only defeats recorded were narrow losses home and away to Rugby and against Banbury at the Old County Ground near the end of the season.

The Volunteers held their second AGM on 26th August 1879. Lt. King resigned as captain, to be replaced by Lt. Glover, with Sgt. Beck becoming his vice-captain. Pte. Gascoyne was elected as Secretary and Sgt. Wheal as Treasurer, to complete the Rovers’ connection. In this, their second season, the Volunteers had developed a strong fixture list, including teams played by the Rovers. The known results are that they beat Coventry St Mary’s, won and lost to Edgbaston Crusaders and lost to Handsworth. Their line-up against Dudley in December was – Bloomfield – W. Gascoyne, Cleverly – E. Davies Hawkins - Ratcliff, Wheildon, Randall, Lewis, Read, J. Gascoyne, Hawkes and Watkin.

Leamington Saxons were thriving. They held an end of season supper and reported15 wins and 3 draws from 20 games

Leamington Rovers 1879-80

1880-81: More disputes

The season opened with a game against Leamington College. It was drawn in favour of Rovers although they played two men down throughout. Moseley then proved far too strong and won easily by 2 goals and 5 tries. Allesley Park College were beaten at the end of October but the return match in December ended prematurely in controversial circumstances, as the overpowered students sought to avoid defeat by the refusal of two “legitimate” tries against them. Results were patchy through the autumn. A win against Edgbaston Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club was followed by a defeat at Edgbaston Crusaders the following week, when Rovers were unable to field their best backs and went down heavily.

A first ever game against Burton was won by a disputed try against only 11 men. Dudley were another first-time opponent and their visit proved to be an unpleasant affair. According to The Midland Athlete newspaper, Dudley were developing a reputation for unsporting conduct. Two of the three tries scored against them were disputed and they claimed a draw, although this was not conceded by Rovers. Rugby were extremely lucky to sneak a win at Rovers in the next game, which started late and had to finish after an hour. Rugby scored a late try against the run of play and were said to be exhausted and hanging on at the end.

The New Year began with a narrow win over Banbury, which was followed by the first meeting of the season with Coventry. On a hard fand frosty ground the game began with 14 against 12. Power scored the only try, converted by Crabb, to give Rovers the win. The Rovers’ team was: Mulliner – Pritchard, Crabb, S.D. Crawford, - G. Gill, H. Bellot – C. Standbridge, W. Gascoyne, Wheal, Power, Browne, A.S. Wheildon, Smith, P. Winterton, Howard. Of the remaining fixtures, several of the results are missing, but wins were achieved against Leamington College, the College (Past & Present) and Rugby and Coventry in the return fixtures. The season ended with a win against Handsworth and narrow defeat against Moseley with the help of two guests from Burton and one from Nuneaton.

The newly formed Leicester club were another new name on the fixture list and in their inaugural season, two games were scheduled, although it is thought they were not played. It appears that the second game, on Boxing Day, was replaced by a Leamington versus Warwick fixture, based on the residency of the players, rather than any club affiliation [The Warwick club was formed the following season]. The game was drawn. Overall, of the scores that can be traced, Rovers won 14, drew 1 and lost 5.

Leamington Rovers 1880-81

Elsewhere in the town, the Volunteers’ fixtures are not recorded. A new name, which was to become significant later, was The Buffs, a team of employees of Nelson Dale & Co, gelatine manufacturers of Emscote. They played a match against the White Star Club. Warwick Excelsior and Warwick Crusaders both continued, with the Crusaders winning 7 and drawing 4 of their 15 games. Brailles, Shipston, Kineton and Wellesbourne also formed teams.

For a second time, Leamington teamed up with Coventry in a Midland Counties trial game, this time losing to Burton & Rugby. The Midlands played Yorkshire, Oxford University and Gloucester, with G. Gill, A. Brown and H. Rawlinson all appearing.

1881-82: Midlands Final

The General Meeting was held on the 24th of September at the Bath Street Hotel, with Edward Field in the chair. There was a deficit of £14 on the previous season, due largely to the provision of ropes and stakes to control spectators. Arrears of subscriptions amounted to £12 and it was resolved that those who had not paid within a month would be removed from the membership. Mr Moreton Lucas was elected as President with Mr E. Field his Vice-President. Mr Mitchell was elected as Secretary and George Gill was captain.

The main event of this season was the introduction of the Midland Counties Cup, to be played for by all the clubs in the Midland Counties Union. Rovers were drawn at home to Wolverhampton in the first round in October and a try from Bellot, two from Piper (one converted by Richardson) plus a drop goal from the same player saw the Rovers proceed. The following Saturday, Rovers took on Edgbaston Crusaders in the second round. Again, they were at home and in a close game the two teams were deadlocked, having forced only two touchdowns each. It was still level after 10 minutes of extra time. The replay, at Bristol Road, Edgbaston, did not take place until March. This time Rovers came out on top, winning by 2 goals and 1try, to 1try. The next round was the semi-final and Rovers were drawn away at Rushden, who had eliminated Stourbridge and Handsworth. Rovers inflicted Rushden’s only defeat of the season and their local newspaper claimed that Leamington were lucky. The Courier reported that Rovers won easily.

The final was played against Moseley on 8 April 1882 at the Athletic Ground in Coventry. The Birmingham side were unbeaten and having walloped Rovers twice, in December and February, were strong favourites. It proved to be a one-sided game and Moseley won by 3 goals, 3 tries and 6 touchdowns to nil. The Courier reported that Rovers were still suffering from the effects of the Rushden tie the week before and that Moseley were continually offside and over-rough in their style of play. Leamington lined up as follows: A.S. Brown - McGawley, Bullock, L. Richardson, H. Bellot – Pritchard, G. Gill – Harding, T. Winterton, C. Smith, W.H. Rawlinson, C. Standbridge, Leaver, and Green

Overall, a number of the results were not reported but of those known, Rovers won 10, drew 1 and lost 7. The season began with a win against Banbury Rovers in the first game between the clubs. They were due to play again in January but Leamington cried off very late claiming they could not field a team. Banbury were most upset, threatened legal action for compensation and dropped the fixture. After the opening rounds of the Cup there was a loss and a draw against Edgbaston Crusaders and losses to Leicester (when two players short) and Moseley before Christmas. The tables were turned on Leicester on Boxing Day at Leam Terrace, when a single goal settled the game in Rovers’ favour. In the New Year, wins over Handsworth and Edgbaston Rovers were set against losses to Stratford, Coventry and Moseley.

Leamington Rovers 1881-82

The number of local teams was continuing to grow. Southam played their first game on 26 November when they entertained Leamington Gas Works. They also played Leamington Britons and Leamington Volunteers. Leamington College were still active with a limited fixture list, which included Stratford College and the Rovers. The school also played against Rovers as a Past and Present side. A Warwick town club was formed this season and they played Rovers on 25 February, with the Spa side coming out on top by a goal and 4 tries to nil. There seems to have been a significant crossover of players between the two clubs and Warwick played some of their games on Wednesday afternoons and drew in several Rovers’ regulars. Their fixtures included Queens College (Birmingham), Trinity College (Stratford) and Kings Grammar School. There was also a Boxing Day game between Warwick and Mr Bellot’s XV, representing Leamington, which was won easily by Warwick, with the Rovers playing Leicester the same day.

The Midland Counties made their first trip to London to play Surrey in November. They also played Gloucestershire, Yorkshire and Lancashire and included Piper, Rawlinson and Brown from the Rovers. The Lancashire fixture, played at Coventry on 26th March, was Lancashire’s first ever game.

Part 1: Origins to 1882
Part 2: 1882 to 1890
Part 3: 1890 to 1898