Bolton & Southport return to 1872
Few rugby clubs can claim a 150-year heritage but Bolton Rugby Club has joined that small and elite group.
Also in the group is Southport, the clubs playing their first ever fixture against each other to kick off the history of rugby in the town.
Fast forward 150 years and Bolton and Southport once again took the field at the Avenue Street ground in a rerun of that inaugural game. This time Southport and Bolton fielded 3 teams on a Super Saturday that heralded the start of celebrations. The 1st XV result went the way of Bolton, with the 2nd & 3rd matches going to Southport but everyone agreed that the real winner on the day was rugby.
We were fortunate to have the mayor and consort come down to the club, both of them big rugby fans so it really added to the event."
Bolton Chair, Mark Brocklehurst
Bolton Chair, Mark Brocklehurst said: “To be able to kick off our celebrations against the team we played when it all began was absolutely incredible and marked a double celebration for both of our clubs. We spend most of our time focusing on looking to the future, but it was right and proper on this special anniversary to remember how we got here. We were fortunate to have the mayor and consort come down to the club, both of them big rugby fans so it really added to the event”.
The club mobilised an army of volunteers to start the celebrations, Bolton Director of Rugby, Dave Crouch said: “We wanted to make sure we started the celebrations in style and everyone played their part. We had a special birthday cake which the mayor and all the six captains on the day helped to cut, we also reproduced the original kit from 1872, blue top, white shorts and blue knickerbockers. The players were allowed to keep the kit as a memento of the special day”.
There are a number of events planned for the year at Bolton, culminating in a festival on August 20th at Avenue Street. The club will be joined by their twin club in Sicily, Briganti Di Librino who will be bringing around 50 young people from a deprived area of Catania.
Bolton Rugby Club operates three senior male teams plus a team at each age group from under 7s all the way up to under 18’s and colts. In this anniversary year, they are looking to start women’s and girls’ rugby and welcome players, volunteers and supporters each Saturday and Sunday morning.
