A HISTORY OF LOUGHTON RUGBY CLUB

PART ONE
1955 to 1970

Loughton RFC was established in 1955 with its roots resting firmly at Loughton Secondary Modern School, Roding Road (later The Brook). Rugby arrived at the school in 1952 when Gordon Stephens (Steve) was appointed as its PE Teacher. His task was not easy, as Essex has always been a soccer stronghold; indeed, when Steve started a school team it was only the second secondary modern school playing rugby in the county, Barking Park (also under the influence of a Welsh teacher) being the first. The Brook’s headmaster, F.G. Davies, was also Welsh, and a rugby fan, and the game was taken up with enthusiasm by many pupils.

For a year Steve had been discussing with members of the school team the idea of forming a rugby club after they left school in the summer. This proposal was enthusiastically agreed and other potential players were contacted. Given that the majority of the founding members had a strong relationship with the school the club was named Loughton Old Boys RFC (LOB). However, it was never a truly Old Boys club as right from the start it had members who had not attended the school, including Mike Wardle who was to act as the Club Secretary for 27 years.

LOB was launched with 30 members, 24 of whom were players, with 14 from the last season’s school team. The club affiliated to the Loughton Youth Centre and it was thought that it was the first rugby club in Essex and possibly in the UK to have such a relationship.

F.G. Davies was elected as President, with Steve as Chairman and coach. Bill Thake, who had left the school in 1954, was the Secretary and Treasurer for the first year. Then, Colin Mitchley, who was a non-playing member, took over as Secretary, with Bill Thake carrying on as Treasurer until 1958 when David Sewell was elected. The membership fee was £1, with those under 18 paying 62p and schoolboys 30p. After some confusion about match fees it was agreed that 12.5p would be charged for both home and away matches, of which 7.5p was for the tea and 5p for beer!

One of the key issues that had concerned Steve for some time was finding a rugby pitch as on Saturdays the school ground was used by the Old Bancroftians. This was resolved when the Loughton Youth centre offered a pitch at Avondale Drive. After a practice game took place against the Bank Shipping Line, a team both Steve and his brother played for, the first official club match took place against Chingford “C” on 24 September 1955. Steve warned the players that they would get a “terrific thrashing”, but that did not prove to be the case, and the game was lost by 19 points to 11. Alan Younger has the distinction of scoring the first try for the club and Roy Brown the first conversion.

As no club shirts were available the team played in the school shirt of green, with a white collar, and black shorts, but it was not long before they used a white shirt with green hoops. The captain was Hugh Southgate, who had just left school; Scoot, as he was called, was a remarkable character and a strong tackler, who in 1954-1955 had played for Essex, and also London & the Home Counties in the under 15 age group.

The team used the school gymnasium for training on Friday nights, the only free evening. Training lasted for about one and a half hours and as it was quite vigorous, injuries occurred from time to time. As the membership was small, even one injury could create a problem especially if there was a game the following day. The following year, training took place on a Wednesday, and there it remains to this day.

Approximately 17 games were played in the first season and most were lost, which is not surprising given that most players were 16 or 17 years of age lacking experience and enough weight to make their presence felt in the scrum. Steve’s advice was “hit hard and get out or you will get hurt”. There were some mature players such as Steve, his brother, and another teacher from the school, Viv Gwynne. However, Viv’s prime role was to referee virtually all our home games until he retired in 1964. It is unfortunate that the records for the first two seasons are missing and memories are fading; apart from the first game which was reported in the Chigwell Times, no further games have been found other than one in The West Essex Gazette on 25 October 1957 from Harlow recording that their “A” team had beaten Loughton Old Boys by 17 points to 6. This said that it had been an even first half but Harlow had emerged as “easy winners” after the “initial enthusiasm and dash of the Loughton team had gone.” Our try, was a “consolation”. This is probably a reasonable summary of LOB abilities in the early years but despite the losses there was a positive atmosphere, good friendships were established, and the club prospered.

The changing-room was in the school and as no-one had a car, apart from Steve and Viv, virtually everyone walked to the ground which took about ten minutes.
It is important to note that the lack of private transport in these early years meant that trains and buses were the means of getting to away matches and it was not until Mike Wardle purchased a Rover for £30 in 1957 that a regular player had a car. Steve and Viv would frequently take players to the match and Peter Reed remembers that it was not unusual for players to get changed in Viv’s small Bristol on the way. From time to time a coach was hired and on one occasion the team travelled by coach to Westcliffe-on-Sea; it was a night to remember as everyone finished up in Southend and had an excellent time in the bars and the funfair.

Although it is now standard practice for players to receive a bottle of water regularly during a game this was unheard of for many years; a slice of orange at half-time was the only refreshment on offer even in the warmer months. The oranges cost the club 23p per match. The tea, after the game, was composed of sandwiches and cakes; these were eaten in the domestic science room before both sides adjourned to The Crown. The teas were organised by Kay Stephens (Steve’s wife, who also taught at Roding Road) who had the assistance of girlfriends and pupils, the first of a long line of friends and wives for whom the club has always been grateful. However, it must be said that men, too, have also prepared the teas.

Although some senior clubs did have matches arranged for several years this was not always so and rugby was still a class issue; we were certainly denied a fixture with the Old Bancroftians for years despite the relationship that their club had with the school. In fact, many of our early fixtures were against factory sides such as AEC Southall, Brigands, Siemans, Fords, Lyons, Central YMCA, Thomas Cook, May & Baker, London Transport, GEC and Standard Telephones. We also played Harlow, Eton Manor, Chingford, Wanstead, Ilford Wanderers, Barking Park, Basildon, Upper Clapton, Thurrock, Old Easthamians (now East London) Old Creightonians, and the Old Westcliffians. As time went by more “Old Boy” fixtures were arranged and on 1 April 1961 we played the Old Bancroftians “A” for the first time. This resulted in a draw, with both sides failing to score any points, but it was not until the 1967/68 season that the next game was played.

Matches were arranged at a meeting of club Fixture Secretaries in a pub in Westminster. The practice was that the Fixture Secretary would meet colleagues from other clubs in London, Essex, Kent and Middlesex and, with a pint in hand, he would discuss their playing strength and arrange matches. This was a rough and ready method of doing business but, on balance, it worked well, and good relationships were built up between the clubs. Unfortunately, on one night when Colin Mitchley took Malcolm Wallace (Wally) to assist him, the beer flowed too well and the club suffered quite heavily from some of their more ambitious decisions. Loughton has had many excellent Fixture Secretaries over the years but the highest accolade must be awarded to Brian Westley who has held the post since his election in 1974.

Loughton has always had a good reputation for its hospitality but it was through the experience of seasoned players such as Steve and Viv that we learned how to entertain our opponents in the traditional rugby manner. Sometimes, this meant changing pubs and, in due course, the club was forced to transfer its affections from The Crown to The Standard, and then the Foresters Arms. Fortunately, a good relationship was maintained with the proprietor of the Foresters and by 1962 he was providing match teas for £3, an arrangement that continued until the end of 1969, although the price did increase slightly over the years. Hugh Southgate was, as I have said, a remarkable character but it was not just on the field. Scoot did not drink alcohol and had no difficulty asking a landlord for a pint of milk or orange juice; a practice unheard of in those days. Today, I am pleased to say, this is more common but not so much fun.

In 1957 the club held its first Annual Dinner and Dance in the school hall. This was prepared by Scoot and Wally, both of whom were serving an apprenticeship as cooks. They prepared the meal of tomato soup, roast turkey and Christmas pudding in the morning and then played a game in the afternoon. Kay Stephens arranged for schoolgirls to serve the meal and afterwards everyone joined in the dancing; the music came from records played on a gramophone. Wine was served but it had to be paid for by donation as the school did not have a license. This event was so successful that it was repeated the following year with tickets being sold at 72p, and 15p for those who only wished to attend the dance. A dinner did not take place in 1959 as Wally went to work in Switzerland and it was considered to be too much work for Scoot on his own. As a result the next dinner was held in 1960 at The Bald Faced Stag; from then on a variety of venues were used for the dinner and dance. These were popular events and it is very difficult to understand why the members rejected a proposal from Alan Younger and David Bywater in May 1964, that “Club members be allowed to invite more than one guest”.

It was not until 1958 that the committee decided it was time to have a club tie; these were purchased by Wally from a shop that specialised in rugby ties close to St. James’s Park underground station. The tie was black with green and white stripes and cost 72p. Scarves were also purchased and the following year the club discussed having a club badge. The school had a squirrel badge and this was considered, but Mike Wardle proposed that it be based on the Loughton Epping Forest cow brand. Mike developed a number of designs, including one within a shield, and this was approved by members. A sample was made and sent to the College of Arms for approval. Unfortunately, this was denied on the basis that it would become “heraldic” and could only be used if a grant of arms was made. The College of Arms said that such permission was “unlikely” and if it were granted, the fee for the patent would be £157. 50p. So that was that. However, we were also advised that if we did not give the badge a heraldic character, it would not be of concern to the College. As the Forest Verderers had already given their support it was now up to the Corporation of London, and their approval was granted on 12 May 1959; the original proposed design, with the shield, is now in the safekeeping of Loughton’s clubhouse.

During his time at Loughton Steve trained a number of pupils to such a high standard that several were selected for the Essex under 15 team, the first being Gerald Brazier who joined LOB on its formation. Gerald was much larger than most of his contemporaries and very tough. It is remembered that when he turned up for one match for LOB he forgot his boots and played the whole game in socks; his position was a second row forward! John Howard followed Hugh as a school hero; he played for the Eastern Counties and was captain of LOB from 1958-59. Many others played at even higher levels with Bill West and David Lodge being the first to obtain a final England trial in 1956. The following season Robert (Bob) Caunt became the first Loughton schoolboy to play for England. Bob won his cap as a prop, and the programme for the England versus Wales game, held on 29 March 1958, describes him as 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing 11 stone 5 lbs and a good hard scrummager – very strong and mobile in the loose; very true. Bob’s achievement was followed by David Peaston in 1960 and Danny Farrow in 1961. Steve must have had a talent for developing hookers and when David played for England against Wales on 5 March 1960 at Cardiff Arms Park, he was described as “5ft 71/2 inches tall, 9stone 7lbs, small but tough and a quick striker.” The return match on 16 April took place at the RFU ground at Twickenham. Many others followed and the majority of these went on to play for LOB.

The first major honour for LOB came in 1958 when David Lodge represented England on behalf of the National Association of Boys’ Clubs; the first Essex player to be awarded an England cap. The match, against Wales, took place at Bridgewater on 5 April 1958 with Dave playing as a lock forward. The following year both Bob Caunt and David Lodge were selected for England. Then, in 1960, Bill West played as a hooker, with David Lodge appointed as captain of the English team. In 1962 Danny Farrow and David Peaston were selected for the English Boys’ Clubs with Danny playing on the right wing and David as a reserve. Bill West became captain of LOB from 1962–1963 and from 1964-1967, a remarkable achievement that has not been surpassed.

Even though up to 1958 there had been more losses than wins new members were being attracted to the club from outside the local area. It was, however, still the school that provided a steady flow of talented players; this eventually led to a Colts side being formed in 1959, with Bob Caunt looking after the team. In its first season the Colts played 6 games, won 2, with two drawn; this team continued for five seasons. This was an excellent period for the club and after being captain for the first two seasons, Scoot returned as captain in 1959 when the 1st team played 21 games, won 17 and drew 1; in fact the team played 17 games without a single loss, a record that still stands.

During the following season a second team was established playing 9 games although only 2 were won. It was, however, a firmly established side within the club that lasted for many years. Statistically, the first team had more losses than wins, but this did not prevent players enjoying themselves in the way that all rugby players have done for many years. The club also participated in several seven-a-side tournaments including those of Essex and Oxford; the Colts played at Rochford and LOB took part in a number of Easter Festivals including Southend and Upper Clapton.

Although regular committee meetings and AGMs were held it was not until July 1961 that a constitution was agreed. The club committee has always taken its duties seriously but it is worth noting that on 12 November 1964, after it was agreed that Viv Gwynne be presented with a miniature rugby ball and tankard to mark his retirement, the meeting was adjourned to enable members to watch the final stages of the Miss World competition!

The President, F.G. Davies, retired in 1964 and went to live in Fishguard. The club granted him Life Membership, the first to be awarded the honour, and presented him with a miniature rugby ball and an engraved table lighter, purchased from a collection amongst the members. His resignation as President of LOB led to his successor at the school, L. McQuillan, being elected as President, but it was a position that he never fulfilled in any meaningful way. In 1968 he was replaced by A.H. (Tony) Swallow, a former pupil at Loughton Secondary School and a Loughton Town councillor since 1952. Another to retire was Steve who had been appointed as a National Trampolene coach and this was taking up a considerable amount of his time. Steve had been an England schoolboy rugby selector for many years and had gained a considerable reputation in rugby circles; he was now about to achieve similar successes on the trampolene and trained a number of pupils who became regional and national champions. When Steve relinquished his position as Chairman in 1967, Cedric (Cedge) Salter, a founder member, took over. In 1971 Steve left Loughton to teach at Waltham Abbey and shortly afterwards rugby was discontinued at The Brook, creating recruitment problems for the club. In due course, the school was closed and pulled down to make way for a housing development.
Viv Gwynne’s retirement led to LOB affiliating to the London Society in 1967.

The club has appointed a number of Vice-Presidents over the years the first being Lyn Cockburn, the manager of Loughton Youth Centre. When Lyn retired George Barker replaced him as manager and he, too, became a Vice-President. George, who had taught at The Brook, was a New Zealander but he only played one or two games for the club. He was, however, an enthusiastic member and spent many happy hours supporting teams on the touchline and in the bar. Viv Gwynne was also a Vice-President and both he and George were later awarded Life Membership of the club. Les Syms, who taught science at Roding Road, also became a Vice-President.

As the Colts had played only one game in 1962-63 and seven the following season, a discussion took place at the 1964 AGM about its continuation. When the debate concluded everyone was convinced that there was no real alternative if LOB was to make progress and games were arranged. However, the number of games played did not meet the club’s expectations and also issues around selection and communications created problems.

All the sides were having their usual wins and losses but there were a number of talented young players who felt that they deserved to play in the first team. From the selectors’ point of view the first team players merited their place. However, the growing dissension led to a special meeting being called for 3 February 1965 to discuss “the lack of training, the fixture secretary’s non-appearance, the lack of mixing, team selection and any other general complaints.” It is a matter of opinion who was right or wrong but the result was that a number of youngsters left to join Upper Clapton; to their credit they played a significant part in that Club’s development. Indeed, at one Essex seven-a-side competition, four of the winning Upper Clapton team had started their playing career under Steve and were ex- members of LOB. Although this loss did weaken the playing strength of the club, life moved on, and Bill West, Richard Bathard and Brian Smith had an Essex County trial in 1966. However, in the same season the club also recorded its worst ever loss, 106 points to nil, against London Welsh.

A number of clubs were now wearing the same design of shirt as LOB, green hoops on white, and this had created difficulties. Any suggestion of a change in shirt design is bound to bring differences of opinion especially as most players were proud of the colours they had worn since the club’s formation. Change was necessary and it was decided to have a unique shirt still based on white, with a broad body band consisting of a 2 inch black stripe, a 4 inch green stripe, and a 2 inch black stripe. This was introduced in the 1965-66 season but members were not exactly pleased when they heard that the designer had sold our “unique” shirt design to a West London club with whom we had a fixture the following year!

Since 1958 members had been talking about establishing a clubhouse; the purchase of a prefabricated house was considered but this was shelved as at £180 it was considered too expensive. Then, when it was reconsidered, and after an architect said that it was not worth the expenditure, the plan was abandoned. By 1966, with three teams, there was a desperate need for more pitches, and when an opportunity arose to hire land from Chigwell Urban District Council in Hornbeam Road, Buckhurst Hill, the committee agreed it was a good offer, and time to leave Avondale Drive.

In March 1966 a sub-committee was formed of Steve, Peter Badcock, Richard Bathard and Michael Wardle, and meetings were held with Chigwell Urban District Council to discuss the hiring arrangements. The plan was to work with Riverdale Cricket Club, to erect a clubhouse, and to have two rugby pitches and a cricket square. The Council was favourable to the scheme, particularly as a clubhouse was a key part of the plan; matters went well until just after the club’s AGM in May when the Council’s Recreation Committee considered that insufficient space was available. At the same time a local football club had also staked a claim for the site but this had been refused; to make matters worse, Roding Valley Residents’ Association was trying to reverse the Council’s decision. In spite of all these difficulties when LOB was asked if it still wished to pursue negotiations, the response was “Yes”.

A meeting took place with the Council’s engineer and its surveyor to discuss the size of the two pitches and cricket square; there was definitely a problem of space, but adjustments were made and the difficulties were overcome. Then, after the cricket club and the rugby club agreed to form a sports club, the Council gave its approval, and it was full steam ahead. The total space available for the two pitches, cricket square, and carpark came to 6 acres.

Joint meetings between the two clubs took place and in October 1966 a bank account was opened, with a float of £5 being paid by both clubs; it was agreed that all costs would be shared equally. The cricket club representatives, together with Michael Wardle, Peter Badcock, Derek Payne and Richard Bathard, agreed that a sketch of the proposed clubhouse be made and that other clubs be approached to assist in preparing rules to administer the new club.

The Hornbeam Sports and Social Club was launched in 1967 and when the first AGM took place on 22 February 1968 in the Railway Tavern, Buckhurst Hill, the Secretary was Bill Wodroff, the Chairman was David Pinchin, the Vice Chairman, Mike Wardle, and the Treasurer was Peter Badcock. Brian Westley was elected to the committee and, in due course, was replaced by Richard Bathard.

Both clubs were totally focused on the tasks before them and some intense work now took place. As it was expected that the cost of the clubhouse would be approximately £8,000, requests for financial assistance were sent to various bodies; long term loans were provided by the National Playing Fields Association, Middlesex RFU and the brewer, Rayments of Pelham, who offered the club a loan of £1,000 and a bar. In all, £7,500 was assured in loans.

By 1967 a model of the proposed clubhouse was shown to members, and after tenders were invited, on 14 June 1968, J. Reynolds, Builder and Decorator, confirmed that his firm was willing to build the clubhouse for £7925.92p. In fact, the final price came to approximately £9300 and members assisted in keeping costs down by painting the clubhouse themselves. As the work continued the rugby club purchased posts at a cost of £51.75p, and the ground was used for the first time during the 1969–70 season. To enable the ground to be used effectively in the interests of both clubs it was decided that the rugby club would play on the second Saturday in September for its trial game and then arrange away matches for the remainder of the month. The last home game was to be on the first Saturday in April.

The opening of the clubhouse was celebrated by the first dance held on 21 March 1970. Social events and dances had been a regular part of club life for many years but these were now essential to pay off the loans and to maintain the upkeep of the building. The best thing, of course, was that the majority of these could take place in the clubhouse with good profits made through the bar. Donations were received and a Hornbeam 200 Club was established. There was now a rugby club committee, a selection committee, a general committee of the Hornbeam and a wine committee. In the same year Mike Wardle introduced “Rugger Rag” to improve communications amongst the membership

Another memorable event in 1970 took place at the AGM when it was proposed that the club should change its name. This was considered to be serious enough for a special meeting to be held and as a number of members could be on holiday, a postal vote was permitted. The meeting took place on 3 June with 24 members present. Peter Reed, as Club Chairman, announced that Loughton Old Boys had received 1 vote, Roding Valley 9 and Loughton RFC 16.

Mr. Reynolds, whose firm had built the clubhouse, became the President of Hornbeam Sports and Social Club, a Vice President and Life Member of Loughton RFC; his son, John, who had been playing for the club for some years would, in due course, be joined by his grandson, James. There are many people in Loughton RFC who should be thanked for all the work they did to establish the clubhouse but no-one deserves more praise than Peter Reed, Michael Wardle, Ritchard Bathard, John Reynolds Snr, John Reynolds Jnr, and Peter Badcock. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

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