Gate Post

Harrogate Football Club Founded 1871

Gate Post No. 121 April 2021 This newsletter is sent to all the supporters, current and past members of Harrogate Rugby Club for whom we have an email address. Your contributions would be most welcome along with your feedback. WELCOME BACK TO RUGBY AT HRUFC! We’re delighted that rugby is r e t u r n i n g t o Rudding Lane in stages, as per the poster above. See the relevant contacts on the club website, or i f i n d o u b t , please call Dave Doherty 07908 279092, w h o w i l l b e p l e a s e d t o a n s w e r y o u r questions. Stay Safe and please follow all Covid guidelines when visiting Rudding Lane!

Great Show Parking at Harrogate Rugby Club From Sunday 11th July to Friday 16th July 2021 the club will be providing caravan, motorhome and camping facilities with a bar and light meals available for visitors to the Great Yorkshire Show. For bookings please contact: [email protected]

1 Message from Mike Cowling HRUFC is working to improve our website and social media communications in a coordinated way. If there is anything members need to do to ensure they receive more communications, we’ll be letting everyone know that in the coming month. One improvement we’ve already made is to remove outside adverts from the website, so that the only content on there should be ours! International Players Who Have Played Against Harrogate Before the professional era began in 1995 for the game of rugby union, clubs could have international players in their own or the opposition teams. Below are some of the international players who have played against Harrogate. Please see Gate Post No. 120 March 2021 for details of International players who have played for Harrogate.

David Duckham (B.28/6/1946) Centre, wing, full back. For his club, , he played 12 seasons from 1967 to 1979 making 188 appearances. He played 36 games for from 1969 to 1976 and 3 games for the 1971 British Lions.

Bill Gittings Played 337 games at scrum half for Coventry RFC until 1977. In 1967 he earned an England playing against the All Blacks. He died 6/2/2019 aged 80.

Peter Rossborough (B. 30/6/1948) Coventry Full Back Played 7 games for England 1971 - 1975

Coventry (Blue and white - red and white) 3/10/1908 Coventry 33 - 0 Harrogate 17/1/1970 Coventry 32 - 9 Harrogate (First Game) 16/1/1971 Harrogate 14 - 17 Coventry 25/3/1972 Cancelled 24/3/1973 Harrogate 4- 21 Coventry 24/10/1992 Coventry 20 - 7 Harrogate 18/9/1993 Harrogate 16 - 13 Coventry (Courage L4) 28/1/1995 Coventry 25 - 9 Harrogate 9/9/1995 Harrogate 6 - 17 Coventry (Courage L3) 6/4/1996 Coventry 36 - 20 Harrogate (Courage L3)

2 Duncan Madsen (B.16/4/1947) Hooker Played for The Barbarians, (14 games) 1974 - 1978 and Gosforth.

Roger Uttley O.B.E. (B.11/9/1949) Back row. 23 appearances for England, 4 British Lions (1973 - 1980) Played for Fylde, Gosforth and Wasps. In this photo is in the background.

Gosforth (It is believed that fixtures against Gosforth began in 1921) 22/9/1928 Harrogate O.B. 11- 3 Gosforth 2/2/1929 Gosforth(won) v Harrogate O.B. 28/11/1931 Harrogate O.B. 11 - 7 Gosforth 25/11/1933 Harrogate Old Boys v Gosforth (Score unknown) 10/4/1948 Gosforth 8 - 15 Harrogate 1949 Gosforth v Harrogate(won) 21/10/1950 Harrogate(won) v Gosforth 20/10/1951 Gosforth 9 - 17 Harrogate 11/10/1952 Harrogate v Gosforth 10/4/1954 Gosforth 11 - 24 Harrogate 2/4/1955 Harrogate 30 - 3 Gosforth 8/10/1955 Gosforth 9 - 14 Harrogate 12/10/1957 Gosforth 19 - 6 Harrogate 11/10/1958 Harrogate 5 - 0 Gosforth 10/10/1959 Gosforth 6 - 3 Harrogate 8/10/1960 Harrogate 6 - 12 Gosforth 7/10/1961 Gosforth 6 - 9 Harrogate 6/10/1962 Harrogate 6 - 19 Gosforth 12/10/1963 Gosforth 8 - 5 Harrogate 9/10/1965 Harrogate 16 - 0 Gosforth 8/10/1966 Gosforth 6 - 0 Harrogate 12/10/1968 Gosforth 34 - 6 Harrogate 11/10/1969 Harrogate 8 - 8 Gosforth 8/4/1972 Harrogate 12 - 31 Gosforth 14/4/1973 Gosforth 32 - 9 Harrogate 8/12/1973 Harrogate 0 - 48 Gosforth 14/12/1974 Gosforth 19 - 3 Harrogate 13/12/1975 Harrogate 4 - 13 Gosforth 1976 Cancelled - Ground frozen 10/12/1977 Harrogate 12 - 26 Gosforth 9/12/1978 Gosforth 6 - 9 Harrogate 8/12/1979 Harrogate 3 - 11 Gosforth 13/12/1980 Gosforth 14 - 3 Harrogate 11/12/1982 Gosforth 24 - 10 Harrogate 10/12/1983 Harrogate 13 - 12 Gosforth 8/12/1984 Gosforth 25 - 12 Harrogate (Merit Table Qualifier) 14/12/1985 Gosforth 26 - 0 Harrogate 13/12/1986 Harrogate 16 - 15 Gosforth

Steve Smith (B. 22/7/1951) Scrum half. Loughborough Colleges, Sale. 28 appearances for England 1973 - 1983. Harrogate first played against Steve when he was playing scrum half for Wilmslow.

3 Wilmslow 12/9/1970 Wilmslow 14 - 6 Harrogate 11/9/1971 Harrogate 13 - 12 Wilmslow 9/9/1972 Wilmslow 28 - 23 Harrogate 8/9/1973 Harrogate 6 - 19 Wilmslow Sale 6/9/1969 Sale 16 - 6 Harrogate 30/1/1971 Harrogate 17 - 0 Sale 22/4/1972 Sale v Harrogate 30/12/1972 Harrogate 12 - 35 Sale 1/9/1973 Sale 39 - 16 Harrogate 12/4/1975 Harrogate 0 - 12 Sale 6/9/1975 Sale 15 - 0 Harrogate 5/11/1977 Sale 12 - 9 Harrogate 4/11/1978 Harrogate 17 - 0 Sale 3/11/1979 Sale 21 - 15 Harrogate 1/11/1980 Harrogate 13 - 7 Sale 7/11/1981 Sale 27 - 6 Harrogate 6/11/1982 Harrogate 3 - 19 Sale 5/11/1983 Sale 27 - 10 Harrogate 27/10/1984 Harrogate 12 - 31 Sale (Merit Table Qualifier) 26/10/1985 Sale 41 - 10 Harrogate 25/10/1986 Harrogate 17 - 51 Sale (7.30 k.o.) 7/9/1991 Harrogate 12 - 30 Sale 17/12/1994 Sale 33 - 0 Harrogate (4th Rd. Pilk. Cup) 30/8/2003 Harrogate 48 - 15 (F) 7/11/2015 Sale 22 - 25 Harrogate N2N 20/2/2016 Harrogate 17 - 6 Sale N2N 29/10/2016 Sale 37 - 13 Harrogate N2N 18/2/2017 Harrogate 10 - 21 Sale N2N

Fran Cotton (B.3/1/1947) Prop. , Liverpool, Loughborough Colleges, Coventry, Sale, England, 7 British Lions(1974, 1977), 31 appearances for England (1971 - 1981)

Sir Ian McGeechan O.B.E. (B.30/10/1946) Fly half, outside centre. 1964 - 1979 Headingley, 1972 - 1979 Scotland (32 appearances), 1974 and 1977 British Lions (8 appearances) 25/11/1972 Headingley 27 - 12 Harrogate 17/2/1973 Harrogate 24 - 10 Headingley 24/11/1973 Harrogate 9 - 16 Headlingley 23/11/1974 Headingley 35 - 9 Harrogate 22/11/1975 Harrogate 7 - 9 Headingley 27/11/1976 Headingley 7 - 8 Harrogate 26/11/1977 Harrogate 0 - 13 Headingley 25/11/1978 Headingley 10 - 10 Harrogate 24/11/1979 Harrogate 12 - 3 Headingley

John Spencer (B.10/8/1947) Centre. 1966 - 1969 Cambridge University. 1966 - 1970s Headingley. 1969 - 1971 14 appearances for England and Captain.

4 Sir Bill Beaumont C.B.E. (B.9/3/1952) Lock forward. 1969 - 1982 Fylde, 1975 - 1981 Barbarians, 1972 - 1982 Lancashire,1975 - 1982 England 34 appearances, 1977 - 1980 7 appearances for British Lions.

Harrogate 26 - 11 Fylde (7/2/1981) On Saturday 7th February 1981 Harrogate defeated Fylde with several internationals appearing in the game. The photograph above left shows Leo Niemic, Alf Abbott and Mike Stephenson in the lineout for Harrogate opposite Bill Beaumont (with moustache). Above right is a photograph, taken after the Fylde match, of Bill Beaumont, Roger Shackleton and Peter Squires with Colin Simmonds and Joe Grunwald in the background. A few days after this game Bill Beaumont was one of the guest speakers at the Harrogate Rugby Club Dinner.

Mike Slemen Wing (B.11/5/1951 Died 20/7/2020) Wing. Liverpool, 31 appearances for England 1976 - 1984, British Lions 1980, World XV 1980. (Both and are in this photo with in the background.

Liverpool (Founded 1857 - Colours: Red, black and blue) 13/3/1965 Liverpool 35 - 6 Harrogate 22/4/1967 Harrogate 5 - 3 Liverpool 15/3/1969 Liverpool 24 - 8 Harrogate 10/1/1970 Harrogate v Liverpool (Cancelled-fog) 20/3/1971 Liverpool 36 - 6 Harrogate 19/2/1972 Liverpool 8 - 9 Harrogate 30/9/1972 Liverpool 32 - 9 Harrogate 16/2/1974 Harrogate 7 - 14 Liverpool 11/1/1975 Liverpool 46 - 6 Harrogate 19/4/1976 Liverpool 30 - 4 Harrogate 8/1/1977 Harrogate v Liverpool 14/1/1978 Harrogate 6 - 8 Liverpool 7/4/1980 Harrogate 10 - 3 Liverpool 1981 Liverpool 3 - 7 Harrogate 27/3/1982 Harrogate 9 - 3 Liverpool 26/3/1983 Liverpool 23 - 12 Harrogate 24/3/1984 Harrogate 10 - 6 Liverpool 20/10/1984 Liverpool 21 - 6 Harrogate (Merit Table Qualifier)

5 John Carleton (B. 24/11/1955) Wing. 26 caps for England1979 - 1984. Britsh Lions 1980 and 1983. Played for Orrell RUFC.

Orrell 21/1/1978 Orrell 20 - 6 Harrogate(First match) 17/11/1979 Orrell 25 - 12 Harrogate 15/11/1980 Harrogate 12 - 6 Orrell 21/11/1981 Orrell 4 - 16 Harrogate 20/11/1982 Harrogate 13 - 15 Orrell 19/11/1983 Orrell 32 - 0 Harrogate 10/11/1984 Harrogate 6 - 18 Orrell (Merit Table Qualifier) 16/11/1985 Orrell 58 - 3 Harrogate 15/11/1986 Harrogate 23 - 7 Orrell 21/11/1987 Orrell 13 - 18 Harrogate 5/11/1988 Harrogate 6 - 17 Orrell 12/10/1991 Orrell 27 - 4 Harrogate (Courage 4N) 2/9/1995 Orrell 32 - 29 Harrogate 30/3/2002 Harrogate 24 - 40 Orrell (NL2) 8/10/2005 Orrell 32 - 29 Harrogate NL2 28/1/2006 Harrogate 29 - 3 Orrell (B. 6/1/1961) Scrum half. Otley, Wakefield, Wasps 1981 - 1988, Gloucester 2002 - 2005. 13 appearances for England 1984 - 1988.

Photo - Harrogate v Otley, Jeremy Hopkinson, Steve Fawcett, Nigel Melville, Andrew Simpson.

Wade Dooley 2nd Row. (B.2/10/1957) Preston Grasshoppers, Fylde and New Brighton, 57 caps for England, 2 appearances for the British lions.

Tony Neary Flanker (B.25/11/1948) 43 appearances for England, 1 British Isles and Broughton Park.

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Alan Old - Fly half (B.23/9/1945) - 16 caps for England, Middlesbrough, Sheffield.

Dick Greenwood Back row. (B.11/9/1941) - England (5 caps), Waterloo, Cambridge University, Lancashire.

S.A.M. (Sam) Hodgson (Hooker) (B. 14/5/1928 - D. 25/3/2015) Durham City and 11 caps for England. 72 appearances for Durham County and 4 appearances for the Barbarians

Nigel Starmer Smith - scrum half (B.25/12/1944) - Oxford University, Harlequins, Barbarians and England (7 caps) 4/9/1971 Harrogate 21 - 23 Harlequins

Andy Irvine Full back. (B. 16/9/1951) - Heriots, 51 caps for Scotland, 3 British Lions tours. Heriots 48 - 18 Harrogate 2/9/1972 (Photo below). Left to right: Andy Irvine(with ball), Keith Jones, Gordon Meadows (tackling), unknown, Brian Forshaw, Bernard Henry.

If you know of any other internationals who played for or against Harrogate please email any information to [email protected]

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