The 1960's: The Club now experiences a period of gradual development on the playing side as the twin effects of the Grammar School and the expansion of the Bletchley area through re-settlement of people from London see the playing sides increase from one to three.

At the start of the 1960/61 season the Club leaves the Swan Hotel, its long time home hostelry, and move to the Bull. Before the decade ends though from a period of apparent stability the Club nearly collapses as a series of blows on both the financial and playing fronts render the Club unable to field anything more than a single XV and so desperate for cash they are evicted by the Council from Manor Fields.
At this moment of crisis Robin Bowen Williams, a player and Master at the Grammar School, steps up and guides the Club through its darkest hour and through a series of fund raisers helps to put the Club back on its feet.
Other notable events include:
1960 - Mel Davies becomes the first player to score 100 points for the Club in a season.
1961 – Club has a record season winning 22 of 31 games and scoring 352 points.
1965 – The Club leaves Manor Fields and play home games on the Eight Belles field in the Buckingham Road.
1966 – Because of the high cost of pitch rental Bletchley leave the Sports Club set up. A regular fourth and fifth team takes to the field. A regular rugby column in the Bletchley Gazette starts under the byline PROP. John Harper equals the Club try scoring record with eleven tries.
1967 – Fleetwood is the venue for the Club`s first ever Easter tour.
1968 – Bletchley inaugurates the North Bucks Shield involving Buckingham, Olney and Wolverton. It is the first cup competition to be held in Buckinghamshire.
1969 – Bletchley play their home fixtures at Bond Avenue.

Recollections – 1960's by Sinclair Holm, Bletchley Skipper 1966/67

I grew up in East Lothian and was a keen rugby player at school and then my local club North Berwick RFC where I played wing forward.

I first came to Bletchley on my honeymoon in October 1960. I had already applied for a job at the DWS in Hanslope Park and was paying them a visit before officially starting in November. In those days accommodation was very scarce in the area and the only available hotel was the Bull Hotel in Fenny Stratford where I noticed lots of pictures of Bletchley Rugby Club. I vowed to look them up once I started my new job and when I arrived at the Club I quickly became acquainted with Geoff White who was skipper, Mel Davies the vice captain, Bernard Bateman the Treasurer (Annual subs 1 or maybe 2 guineas) and 2nd team skipper Ken Malcolm.

I soon made the first XV and our fixtures were against Bedford Swifts, Vauxhalls, Queens Works as well as Buckingham, Old Dunstablians, Northampton BBOB and Ampthill. We were not considered good enough to play Olney, Aylesbury and Banbury at first team level.

I had the honour of captaining the Club in 1966/67 and I remember at the AGM it came down to a vote between me and Matt Armour and I was successful and one guy came up to me afterwards and said I only voted for you because you have a better car.

At this time wives were also an integral part of the Club and had the dubious pleasure of making the sandwiches and even washing the kit.

There was no clubhouse in those days and we used to hole up in various pubs around the town until we were asked to move on! During this period the Club used the Bull, the Park Hotel and the Bull again before finally ending up in the Maltsters.

At the Bull we were given the use of an outbuilding which was accessed by a set of rickety stairs above what were stables. The building was quite decrepit and we were amused at being told not to all congregate in the middle of the floor but to keep to the sides if possible.

As ever with rugby clubs there were plenty of characters and I can remember Keith Tarbox a large lock forward who had never scored a try in his entire career suddenly scoring twice in one game and thereafter insisting on being called `Two try Tarbox`.

There was a winger called David somebody (can’t remember now) who always played in a cravat and Trevor Davies an outside half who always shouted Peach Bomb! every time he did a decent kick .

It was during this period that the Club embarked on its first ever tour when in 1967 a party of players set off for Fleetwood. We were based at Kirby Lonsdale who made us very welcome. We were there for a wild, boozy week-end and certainly achieved that but we came up against a serious Welsh club.

We had a great time with them the night before the match but when their team came out the following morning resplendent in crisp, clean and all matching kit, we were surprised that not a single one of them had been in the bar the night before. Some of our players could hardly stand up as the match started and this was reflected in the scoreline.

The 1970's: Following the near catastrophe of the late 60`s in the early part of the next decade the Club`s fortunes begin to improve again. The playing side picks up with three regular sides taking to the field and the Club has record seasons in 1971/2 and 1973/4 and wins the North Bucks shield for the first time in 1973.
In other developments the Club takes a lease on a vacant public house on the Watling Street, the Kings Head and appoints a steward the Reverend T T Williams ( father of Club Chairman Robin Bowen Williams ).
In 1972 the Milton Keynes Development Corporation approach Bletchley and ask them to change their name to Milton Keynes and move to Greenleys. Following a long committee meeting the decision is taken to reject the offer and to continue as Bletchley Rugby Club.
In 1976 the Club agrees to re-form the old Sports Club arrangement and join with Bletchley Town cricket club in an improved club house facility built on top of the cricket club changing rooms at Manor Fields. The new club house is officially opened in October 1976.
Other notable events include:
1970 – The Club plays their first Bucks County Cup fixture against Old Marlovians and win by 50 points to nil.
1972 – Colin Spence sets a new Club point scoring record with 132 points
1973 – Mick Brown sets a new Club point scoring record with 135 points
1974 – Club enjoys a record season of 25 wins and 9 defeats
1975 – John Surguy sets a new Club point scoring record of 197 points and equals the Club try scoring record of 21 in a season.
1976 – John Surguy sets a new Club point scoring record of 310 points and equals the Club try scoring record of 23 in a season.
1978 – Mick Devonport captains the Club to a record season with 29 wins and only 4 defeats. Hayden Coggins sets a new try scoring record by scoring 29 tries in a season.
1979 – Frank Taylor becomes Bletchley’s first ever substitute when he comes on in a game against Barker Butts.

Recollections - 1970’s by Colin Spence (Skipper 1975 & 1979)

After the trials of the late 60’s when the Club had no real home either to play at or drink in, the acquisition in 1971 of the vacant King’s Head pub (now Pink Punters) on the Watling Street helped to provide a massive uplift in the Club’s fortunes.

The revenue generated by bar takes enables Bletchley to afford to return to their old pitch at Manor Fields having spent time playing at Bond Avenue and the old Grammar School pitch on the Eight Belles Field.

There was also born a new ‘esprit de corps’ provided by an influx of young players from the Bletchley Grammar School and new players moving into the Bletchley area as it continued to grow.

The King’s Head had a basement level as well as two quite small bars but at that early stage the Club was only running two teams, one would play at home whilst the other would play away so the bar was not too crowded for 30 or 40 people. It was not too long however before the Club began to be successful both on and off the pitch and soon there was a third XV then a fourth and by 1976 the fifth team (christened ‘The Barons’) was also doing well under the stewardship of firstly a Welshman called John ‘Boyo’ Moran and later a local haulage contractor called Alan Wheeler.

The Club had two record seasons in this period and in 1976 Bletchley RUFC was in a financially strong enough position to be able to return to its original home at Manor Fields. The facility there had been refurbished and a further storey added to the old single storey changing rooms to create a new bar area.

The playing side continued to flourish in the new building and it was not long before Bletchley were running a sixth team and alongside the playing there also developed a strong social side with regular functions and the luxury of being able to host their own Club dinners.

I always believed that this period gave the Club the springboard to move towards its peak achievements in the 1980’s when Bletchley were twice County champions and even advanced to the second round of the John Player Cup.