History
Eighty years ago a couple of Spalding's energetic young sportsmen, seeking a new release for their vitality, came up with the idea of forming a Rugby Football Club.
Without a field, nor facilities of any kind, the prospects for getting such a club off the ground seemed daunting. But they persevered and on September 18th 1923 the Lincolnshire Free Press carried the following:
"The newly formed Spalding Rugby Football Club held their first practice game in the field loaned to them by Mr Fred Sharman on Saturday".
The main instigators of the club were Mr Willis White and Mr Frank Herd who adopted the rules of Westleigh RFC in Leicester to suit their needs. The first season saw ten matches being played. The first one was against Stamford School on £rd November with Willis White as captain. The following year the head quarters of the club became the White hart Hotel and the playing facilities transferred to Mr A. White's field at Little London. Players paid a match tax of one shilling, which included the use of two tin baths in the kitchen at the White Hart Hotel.
A further twelve 12years on and the Club transferred to Fulney to use a field owned by Messrs Seymour Cobley. During this period the club Flourished both on and off the field and had already commenced fielding a second team. The outbreak of the Second World War meant that play ceased during the conflict and recommenced in 1946.
At the recommencement George Plowman took over the capaincy and with only a few players available a difficult task lay in front of him. But numbers increased and a second team commenced in 1948. During the season 1949/50 the club was undefeated. With the plans being announced for the Coronation Channel in 1953 the Club was again looking for a new ground. The Headmaster and the Governors of the Grammar School came to the rescue offering the use of the School playing facilities.
With the construction of "the hut" next to the field the social side moved from the White Hart to St Thomas's Road. The close ties with the Grammar School brought additional players and made the Club one of the Premier rugby clubs in the Three Counties. Perhaps during this period one of the most successful players was Doug Beba who captained both the County and Three Counties ssides for some years with great distinction and whose cap hangs in the club today. In 1960/61 under the guidance of Jim Peach the first fifteen were undefeated winning all thirty three matches with 609 points being scored and only 59 conceded.
The next milestone in the Club's history was the building in 1973 of the Spalding Sports Club on the Mrmorial Field to replace "the hut". A joint effort by the Cricket, Hockey and Rugby clubs from the town saw the new Clubhouse opened on the 8th April 1973 and a special celebration match prior to the opening ceremony was played between the club and C.R. Jacobs XV, which included two internationals and the remainder had played representative rugby. After the match Dickie Jeeps the former British Lion and England international performed the official opening ceremony.
More recently the Club has run into a rich vein of success commencing in the early 90's winning the Lincolnshire Cup six times in the last nine years and also the prestigious Three Counties Cup for the last two. We are currently holders of both the Lincolnshire and Three Counties Cup.
Many players have represented the Club at Three Counties level but noticeably in recent years, Peter Sly who returned to the Club from Leicester Tigers in 1990 and captained the Club for four years before tragically stopped from gaining more honours in 19995 and Paddy Wheeler who after many appearances for the Three Counties was awarded his Counties cap in 2000.