2. Early Days

The Rugby Football Union was formed in 1873 and Redditch is not listed in the founding clubs still in existence.

However in researching for this history we came across an article in the Birmingham Sports Argus bemoaning the fact that Redditch RFC, founded in 1873, had not reformed after the 1914-18 War! The implication here is that Rugby was played in Redditch in the period from 1873 through to 1914. Unfortunately, unless someone out there can send photos, stories etc this will go down as legend.

Not quite! The history of Moseley Rugby Club reveals that they beat Redditch by 4 tries to nil on the 4th March 1876. The following season (17th February 1877) the score line had increased to 8 tries although it is recorded that Redditch disputed 2 of these. Back then each team provided an umpire, and you could appeal to your umpire if you thought something was wrong. If he agreed he would refer it to the referee who would make a decision. If there was no agreement the score was recorded as disputed. A treasured photo in the club house of the team circa 1885 demonstrates that we were still playing at that time.

This places Redditch a year after Bromsgrove in starting, the same year as Moseley and a year before Coventry, though three years behind Handsworth which pre-dates the formation of the RFU.

There are also photos from the 1929-30 season. There is no doubt that Rugby was being played in Redditch during the seasons 1936-37, 37-38, and 38-39 as Brian Carr’s attic produced fixture cards for those three seasons. Listed among the office bearers is a young Frank Cardy who had been “transported” from the depths of Wales up to Redditch in 1934. History shows that it didn’t take Frank long to get involved in sport in his adopted town. However, for the second time greater things were to interrupt our pleasure, as the world went to war. Frank spent the war as an ambulance driver for Redditch District Council and gave greatly of himself to this town. As a long standing councillor Frank was involved in everything to do with Redditch, fighting hard to make this place a better place to live for young people. (My first memory of Frank was back in 1975, when, playing my first ever game for Redditch I suffered a split above the eye. As I wandered off Terry’s field feeling pretty sorry for myself, Frank opened his box of tricks, sewed up the gash and sent me back on! The following week he removed the stitches before the game. Skippy).

After the war, during which players had drifted off to other clubs in the neighbourhood, it was not until 1966 that Rugby was reborn in Redditch.

(Pete Hutton recalls playing Rugby in Redditch in 1965, but, like the rest of us with fading memories, can’t recall the details. He thinks it may have been arranged through Ian Johnson and the school. He is sure of the year because it was before he went off to university. Skippy)

Former Secretary Bryn Richards did an interview with Tony Carr to celebrate 25 years since the reformation. A grainy old tape was given up from Brian’s loft, so Tony takes up the story:

Tony: Over at least a couple of pints of beer and a glass of sherry a meeting took place between Frank Cardy, Ian Johnstone and myself at the Police Club, Church Road, Redditch.

Bryn: Who is Ian Johnstone?

Tony: Ian Johnson? He was head of French at what was then County High School Redditch. Frank was involved with the Twinning. Ian and myself were both playing at Bromsgrove. Frank used to play for Redditch, pre-war, then I think post war at Bromsgrove. Ian and myself were only playing 3rd or 4th team rugby at Bromsgrove and thought that we were at least capable of playing 2nd team. There were conversations between Ian and Frank, Frank and myself and Ian and myself followed by enquiries of R.K. (Dick) Thomas, long term club member and solicitor with Kerwoods, who now lives in Australia. Dick said that there was a facility there at the Cricket and Hockey club, that there was room and they would be able to accommodate us.

Bryn: So this happened straight from the start, the move into Bromsgrove Road?

Tony: All this talk was going on you see, and we then had this meeting at the police club to discuss it. We proposed a letter which went in the Indicator to call an open meeting for July 1st 1966. We had the meeting and all those people turned up and the club was born, as of then.

When we reformed, our first home pitch was at Walkwood School, then we had the facility of the pitch down at Mappleborough, on Noel Green’s farm, then we went to Lodge Farm, played there on the most horrendous slope. At Lodge Farm the pitch was marked out and goal posts erected on the morning of the match. One of the players “Bones” Thomas collected a sheep’s skeleton from the pitch before the match. He shoved it in his anorak, took it to school and used it for a biology class. He is known as “Bones” to this day.

Bryn: How many games did you play at these places? Was it just the odd game?

Tony: Difficult to say. I would have to go into that. From there we came to Terry’s I think, then out to Bordesley Corner. Before, eventually the pitch where it is and where the Astroturf now is. We had to level all the chunks of rough ground and concrete to clear the area.

Bryn: So we had two pitches side by side?

Tony: We had two pitches side by side and changed at the club. And we then gave up the one pitch which became the Hockey artificial pitch.

Bryn: So what date would that have been when you were actually settled at the club?

Tony: I’m not too sure, I would have to look back through the reports.

Bryn: Where did the players come from?

Tony: For the best part, half a dozen came from Bromsgrove, quite a few came from round here and all over the place, we don’t know where, we don’t know when……they just appeared. A lot of players had just drifted away, played rugby for other clubs, or had played rugby with the forces. There were some who had played rugby in their younger days who just took it up again.

Bryn: How did the club develop, you started off with one side, when did the seconds appear?

Tony: After a while we had too many people to give everyone a game and selection was becoming difficult so we started a second team.

Bryn: Was that in the first season?

Tony: Yes we were putting out a second team before the end of the first season. The third team probably came about in the second season. We had certainly been playing second team games before the end of the first season.

Bryn: In terms of the history of the place, how did that fit in with the New Town?

Tony: We were going before the New Town. Redditch was designated a New Town in 1968, by which time we had two seasons under our belt. We pre-dated the Kingfisher Centre by two years. We adopted the Kingfisher as the emblem of the town on our badge as such. The first club tie was black and white with the kingfisher. I have always been keen on keeping the kingfisher emblem as part of the club.

Bryn: Did the New Town make a difference?

Tony: I suppose it did. Annoyingly though many players came to work for the Corporation and other employers but continued to play for other clubs. Woodrush, Harbury and others. Sometimes our better players were here one day and gone the next. Players drifted in and out which was a little symptomatic of the Redditch population as people came here chasing work and then moved on.

Bryn: Tell us about the trips and links to Auxerre.

Tony: The first trip was Easter 1971. It had taken a fair while to get compatible dates.

We then played home and away for several seasons until in 1976 Auxerre came to us and all hell broke loose. The referee ignored his touch judge and the visitors took objection. One of the players grabbed the referee and spun him round to look at the touch judge. Unfortunately he fell over and subsequently sent the player off. The French team walked off in protest. They did return with 15 and it all got very messy. The speeches were interesting and I think there was a lot said that was missed in the translations. It was the end of the senior tours but the colts continued to exchange for a few more seasons. Also Auxerre were getting too strong for us as they went up the French Leagues. We had some great exchanges and it was a shame that it all ended the way it did.

First Treasurer, Mike Lewis takes up the story:

“The memory is not what it used to be and 48 years is a long, long time ago, but here goes.

Ian Johnson, Tony Carr and myself had been playing for Bromsgrove Rugby Club for a while and on and off chatted about a club in Redditch as there had been one before the war.
Don’t know who was in contact with Frank Cardy but the upshot was that a Public meeting was arranged. This could have been in 65 or 66.

We were surprised at the number of people who turned up. About 35 or 40ish from all walks of life from the Redditch area. Teachers, police, doctors, solicitors and ex Redditch players. Note that in those days the interest in playing rugby was mainly was mainly professional people. That's how it was in England then.

The meeting lasted about three hours and a vote was firstly taken to see if there were enough people interested in reforming Redditch. Discussion then ensued as to how we were to progress. This included where we would play initially whereby local landowners offered as fields especially Noel Green who owned a farm at Mappleborough Green and the possibility of playing at local schools.

Frank Cardy was voted in as Chairman, Ian Johnson as Secretary, and Tony Carr as committee member and myself as Treasurer.

Someone suggested that a collection be made then and there so there would be an initial fund to start the club off. As treasurer I collected in the money which poured in and I had to borrow a plastic bag to carry it home in. I can recall that we gathered in 48pounds which for such a meeting was a lot of money. In those days, to put it into context, I, as a teacher was earning £520 per year and a driving lesson was £1 an hour. I know this as I was a teacher and also a driving instructor to supplement my meagre salary,
I remember that as I was walking home along the path behind the old
Laundry that I had more than a month’s wages sitting in an old bag. That night I had a very expensive plastic bag under my bed and slept very little”.

That was the beginning of the rebirth of Redditch Rugby Club.

Mike continues by reminiscing on a matter that rears its head every decade or so as the debate roars on:

“Dickinson's Field. This is the field next door to Bordesley Garage. We played quite a few games there and it became the first bit of contention in the early days.

A few of us thought that this would be an ideal ground and also ideal situation to help take the club forward. We thought that there would be too many restrictions if we stayed at Bromsgrove Road where there was quite a bit of opposition to us being there, especially from the Hockey Club.

Roger Westwood, Frank Cardy, myself and one or two others thought that the best way forward would be to stand on our own two feet.

At that time money was readily available from banks and other sources so it was decided to go into it further. So Roger and myself started approaching various Breweries and had a couple of informal chats with one or two Banks. The Breweries showed definite interest and we met one or two Reps at the field. We would have had definite help with building a club house and there would have been no problem with planning as the New Town hadn't started. Now the Rugby Club could stand on its own two feet.

It wasn't to be, too many members thought that the risk was too great so the whole thing was shelved and the club stayed where it was. Bromsgrove Road.

In later years Roger Westwood and myself came to the conclusion that if the Club had moved then it would be much more of a force than it is. Despite all the improvements and additions to the Club House the fact that we stayed where we were greatly held us back as a forward looking Rugby Club. If one looks at some of the clubs which we used to play against and where they are now proves this point somewhat. E.g. Old Patesians, Cheltenham and dare I mention Bromsgrove.”

This topic came up in later years when Birmingham RFC’s old ground and club house at the Portway became available. However there was little enthusiasm for the hard work and effort which would have been needed to make a move from Bromsgrove Road happen and be successful. The Portway is a long way from Redditch but, who knows, Dickinson’s Field may have been a great option. Cows graze peacefully on it now!