History

CHESTERFIELD RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB

THE PAST, PRESENT

&

FUTURE

1919-2008-????

THE MEN WHO STARTED IT ALL

THE START
Notice in Derbyshire Times
15th November 1919

It has been proposed to make an effort to establish Rugby football in Derbyshire and a meeting will shortly be held in Chesterfield for that purpose. Mr J.T.Todd of Blackwell the old Durham and international player has kindly consented to preside,and it is hoped all enthusiasts of amateur rugby will make an effort to form a committee etc. Mr W.Walton Pitt of the Mill House, Unstone,will be glad to receive the names of all those interested, both past and present players,and headmasters of schools, the latter being specially invited. “Every writer’s wish will be studied as far as possible, so each one should state the most convenient night in the week for a meeting”,writes Mr Pitt

THE FIRST MEETING
Notice in the Derbyshire Times
29TH NOVEMBER 1919

Mr J.T.Todd of Blackwell, and Mr W.Walton Pitt,of The Mill House,Unstone are leaving no stone unturned to make the proposed Rugby football club for North Derbyshire a great success. They have called a meeting for Wednesday night next at 7p.m. at the Portland Hotel, Chesterfield, to which all who take an interest in Rugby football,whether players or not,are invited. We hope the club will go full steam ahead, and with the enthusiasm of Mr Todd and Mr Pitt as secretary,if Rugger enthusiasts will rally around them, success is assured.

18 Men of widely varying backgrounds and social standing,answered the invitation. In a smoke filled room the first firm plans were made and

CHESTERFIELD RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB WAS DULY FOUNDED.

GETTING STARTED

Some of the major personalities behind the foundation were local dignatories with a strong interest in sport, namely Messrs D.I.Jones, H.D.Orr and Dr T.R.Evans.

The new club however did not immediately become active on the field, as Founder Member Harold Webb recalled “We didn’t have a shirt, a pair of boots or a ball between us and what’s more we didn’t have a rugby field to play on” .

Early games and practice were played at various venues including an area of ground at Highfield and then Brampton on fields which are now Brookfield School. The players changed at this time in stables at the Terminus Hotel and bathed in two halves of a beer cask.

STARTING TO MOVE

Quote from the Derbyshire Times November 1919

“The club will start under excellent auspices for Mr Todd has promised the free use of the Blackwell cricket ground(10 minutes from Westhouses Station),which,as we all know is a beautiful level enclosure, with fine turf, and has also offered full enjoyment of the handsome club dressing rooms with hot and cold baths and other luxuries. To some of us who often in our early enthusiastic days had to change under a hedge or in the stable of a village pub, such an offer is pure luxury to Rugger players.”

• With this offer of good facilities away from the town it was decided early in 1920 to rename the club

• “Chesterfield & District Rugby Union Football Club”

THE EARLY DAYS

• The opposition in these early days was almost entirely made up of schools and colleges which included

• Mount St.Mary’s College,Spinkhill

• Sheffield University

• Worksop & Burton Grammer Schools

• In one game against these school boys the emerging Chesterfield side of men were beaten 67-3 and warned before the start to play within the rules only to be physically and mentally thrashed.

THE FIRST GAME
MARCH 1920

Quote from the Derbyshire Times 6th March 1920.

“Chesterfield and District Rugby Football Club after their successful send-off last week by means of the All England XV v Yorkshire match, play their first match today (Saturday) at Blackwell,kick-off at 3p.m. The opposing side is Burton, and the brewers , who generally put a strong side into the field what ever the sport is, will give the Chesterfield club a good game.

The home team is as follows:- Beastall,Wright,Short,Widdowson,Bion,Dr.Smart,Chambers,Harry,Jones,Johnston,Ellis,Ackroyd,Yeomans,Taylor and Fowler.

The teams strength was boosted by a group of Welsh colliers transferred to Blackwell pit, one of their more illustrious being Grenville Chambers.

REPORT ON THE FIRST MATCH
13TH MARCH 1920

Quote from the Derbyshire Times.

“The Chesterfield and District club’s debut at Blackwell on Saturday against Burton-on-Trent ‘A’ side was a good start and encouraging to the officials having regard to the weather. The Chesterfield team did just as much as could be expected of them,for it was really a contest between a combination of aspirants and capable and experienced players. That Burton won by 14 points to 3 points is not a discouraging result.

The homesters led at the interval with a try by Colin Linathan, a Blackwell youth.”

Chesterfield & District Rugby Football Club
Season 1923-24

Backrow:S.J.O’Farrell,J.Hardy,T.T.Savage,C.A.Hall,G.Green,J.K.Bradfield

2nd Row:D.I.Jones (Hon.Sec),Dr.J.P.Michael,Dr T.R.Evans,M.Morris,F.Hardy,L.Morris,K.Bond,J.Fletcher,A.G.Samuel,J.L.Warner

Capt.H.D.Orr(President), A.Hudson, Dr. P.Walshe

3rd Row: F.G.Wilkinson, C.Bond, H.Webb, D.J.Davies, J.Shentall

THE SPLIT WITH BLACKWELL

The aim of the committee was always to have two separate clubs, Chesterfield and Blackwell and in 1923 that ambition was achieved.

Blackwell went on to be the more successful in these early days, good enough to play top senior clubs like like Blackheath and Waterloo and Chesterfield Rugby Football Club became a club in its own right.

Blackwell however folded and passed their considerable wealth onto the Chesterfield Club, rumour had it a sum of £10,000 but no record exists of this transaction

Chesterfield Rugby Football Club 1st XV 1926-27

Playing at Highfield 1926

THE MOVE TO STONEGRAVELS

By 1923 the name “SHENTALL” was appearing in the clubs teams and with this arrived the clubs long association with the Shentall family.

In 1925 a piece of land had been identified at Stonegravels that would be suitable (with some levelling work) for a rugby ground.

The ground was acquired from S.E.Redfern Limited on 15th September 1927

Through the good offices of Messrs. Charles Shentall and J.W.Thompson the club was able to purchase enough land for a rugby pitch for the sum of £1200.

Work was put in hand and the first match was played at the clubs current ground on Saturday 8th October 1927

S.E.REDFERN. Ltd.1905 ish

Opening of Stonegravels

The Early Representative Honours

Play for Notts,Lincs & Derbys 1928

1929-30

Was this picture taken outside the original clubhouse ?

The 1930’s

PRINCE ALEXANDER OBOLENSKY

Rugby’s oldest iconic moment preserved on film – “The Wonder Try”- which propelled England towards an historic first victory over New Zealand in 1936 was scored by

Prince Alexander Oblensky.

(Chesterfield, Leicester Tigers, Rosslyn Park, Barbarians & England)

Born in Russia in 1916 the prince came to England at the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917 and at the age of 13 was sent to school at Trent College in Derbyshire.

The Prince proved to be an outstanding rugby player whilst at the school between 1929 & 1933 and it was at this time that the prince donned the Red and White Hoops for Chesterfield.

The prince is the only Russian to have played rugby for England.

He was apparent ally a dashingly hansom man but like so many of that era did not survive the war, he was the first international rugby player to be killed, he was just 24 when his Hurricane fighter crashed during a training exercise

C.G.GILTHORPE

Clarence George Gilthorpe

Chesterfield,Wasps,R.A.F.,Coventry,Oxford University & England

After the war years the club need to re-establish its self and this it did with the return of many old players from war service with stories of their contribution to Hitler’s downfall.
Of those who told their story we still have John Kenning who saw service with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean before playing a higher level of Rugby with Harrogate and Shrewsbury before returning to Chesterfield.
The late Tommy Slack who flew 96 missions in Lancaster's when the the return expectancy was only 4 returned to give exceptional service to the club.
Unfortunately some never returned including Tommy Blackshaw,Jack Street & H.O.Ferguson

After the 2nd world war the club played in plain red shirts as the hooped shirts previously worn could not be purchased because of rationing, the hooped shirts were only reintroduced in 1956.

Jack Shenstall was club secretary at this time. Derrick Drabble was a driving force from 1947 and captain 1952-53 finally retiring in 1954.

The club obtained its first clubhouse on the ground in 1952-53 with the members doing most of the work to keep the cost down to £300.

Two tennis courts on the Sheffield Road frontage were added in 1955 as members became interested in keeping fit during the summer. According to Tommy Slack it was also an attraction for young ladies to get with the “Rugger Buggers” as Spike Milligan put it.

1950-51

The Expansion of the Ground and Club House

The club by the 1960’s was running three teams and required to expand its facilities and this was made possible by the purchase of land from the Short family namely Elsie Short and Peter Burkitt Short.

The land comprising a second pitch and training area was acquired on 20th July 1961 with the Westminster Bank acting as the club’s trustees. The cost of the land was £1250

1960-61

1964-65

1967-68

1970’s

The 1970’s

The 1970’s was the most successful period in the club’s history at senior level. At this time many honours were earned as County and 3 Counties champions with the club playing top clubs all across the Midlands and holding their own.

I this period the club was able to get it’s first floodlights and became the envy of many.

Chesterfield with this facility host many representative fixtures.

The Club also at this time extended and improved the clubhouse and changing facilities.

Many members worked to achieve this new level they included John Wilson,who’s father was secretary,Fran O’Neill, Norman Tate, Geoff Cass,The Kenning Family etc.

1979ish

1980-81

1982-83

1983-84

Late1980’s

The Late 1980’s and Junior Rugby

In the Mid to late 1980’s the club started encouraging junior rugby, firstly sons of former players then their mates and then the expansion to a full junior section and currently expansion to junior ladies.

The junior section now boast almost 300 playing members from 7 to 19 years of age.

With the juniors have come Mum’s and Dad’s and Grandma’s and Granddad's.

The investment in youth has lead to today’s success at junior level and will hopefully lead to success again at senior level soon.

2000-2001

Welcome to Ladies Rugby
Chesterfield Ladies 2006-07

Chesterfield Ladies Sponsored by Brampton Manor