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ALTHOUGH Selkirk Rugby Football
Club was not officially instituted until 1907, The "Southern Reporter" newspaper records a Selkirk v.
Gala rugby match in 1877, while Selkirk sent a team to the inaugural Melrose Sevens in 1883. The club officially
took over its present Philiphaugh ground in 1926, moving from the adjacent cricket field, and inaugurated the new
stand and pitch with a match against old rivals Gala.
Selkirk has produced a total of 12 Scotland internationalists, the best known being fly-half John Rutherford who
gained 42 caps for his country and represented the British Lions in New Zealand in 1983, scoring a try against
the All Blacks in the Dunedin Test. The full roll call of Selkirk's internationalists is as follows:-
Willie Bryce (1922-24) 11 caps; Jack Waters (1933-37) 16 caps; Jim Inglis (1952) 1 cap; Jock King (1953-54) 4 caps;
Ronnie Cowan (1961-62) 5 caps; John Rutherford (1979-87) 42 caps; Iain Paxton (1981-88) 36 caps; Gordon Hunter
(1984-85) 4 caps; Gregor Mackenzie (1984) 1 cap; Iwan Tukalo (1985-92) 36 caps; Graham Marshall (1988-91) 4 caps;
Scott Nichol (1994) 1 cap. Four players have played for the British Lions: Jack Waters (SA, 1938); Ronnie Cowan
(SA, 1968); John Rutherford (NZ, 1983) and Iain Paxton (NZ, 1983).
One of Selkirk Rugby Football Club's finest hours came in season 1952-53, when the 1st XV, captained by that great
character George Downie, won the Scottish Club Championship and the Border League. Another milestone was reached
in season 2007/2008, when the 1st XV, captained by Neil Darling, not only secured promotion to Premier One, but
retained their Radio Borders 'King of the Sevens' title and capped a truly amazing campaign by defeating Jed-Forest
19-9 at Poynder Park in the final of the BSPC Border League, so bringing the world's oldest club trophy back to
Philiphaugh for the first time in 55 years. Selkirk has lifted the Border League title on two other occasions -
in 1935 and in 1938. In the 1990s Selkirk appeared three times at Murrayfield in Cup Finals, winning the Bowl in
1997 and Shield in 1998. The club's 'A' XV has twice won the Border District League - in seasons 1929/30 and in
1976/77. In addition to running two club XVs, Selkirk has an active mini-rugby section called The Rhinos, while
its over-35 team - The Vets - has travelled throughout Europe and plays once a month during the season. The club
also enjoys close links with Selkirk Youth Club, as well as Selkirk High School, whose rugby teams use the club's
Philiphaugh facilities for their Saturday morning matches. .
Selkirk Rugby Football Club's first overseas tour was made to Toronto in 1979, with the team winning all five of
its matches. Three further trips have been made to Canada.
Over the years Selkirk has enjoyed success in the Autumn and Spring Sevens Tournaments, and the club was invited
to represent Scottish Rugby at the Middlesex Sevens held at Twickenham in May 1995, progressing to the quarter-finals.
The club has had three major floods in recent years - in 1977, 2003 and 2004. The 2003 flood proved the most costly,
with the clubrooms and main pitch flooded to a depth of three feet. Over £400,000 worth of damage was caused
to the buildings, with the lounge bar and kitchen having to be knocked down prior to re-building. The pitch had
to be replaced. Players, officials and supporters were quick to volunteer their services in the post-flood clean
up, with financial assistance being given by Selkirk's Common Good Fund, Ettrick & Lauderdale District Sports
Council and the Scottish Rugby Union. Interest-free loans and donations were also forthcoming from club members
and supporters.
Then, in the early hours of Friday, August 13, 2004 - just two days after Selkirk's first-ever SRU President, Bert
Duffy, had officially opened the new lounge bar - disaster struck again, when floodwater swept once more through
Selkirk's premises following days of persistent rainfall. Although the new building was not affected - having been
constructed one metre above ground level - accommodation under the grandstand was badly hit. Another clean-up operation
was launched, and further assistance from the Common Good Fund and also Scottish Borders Council helped mitigate
the scale of the catastrophe. Selkirk Rugby Club has undeniably emerged stronger from these recent travails, and
can look forward with confidence to the next 100 years of its existence.
PRESIDENT OF
SCOTTISH RUGBY UNION
2003-2004 B. S.
Duffy
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SELKIRK PRESIDENTS
1907-1924 G. T.
Scott
1924-1928 C. H. Roberts
1928-1931 D. Wright
1931-1933 W. R. Mitchell
1933-1937 A. S. Macvey
1937-1948 G. Roberts
1948-1954 W. E. Bryce
1954-1956 R. B. Dodds
1956-1958 W. Kirkpatrick
1958-1967 J. C. Rankine
1967-1971 T. Henderson
1971-1979 R. Lawrie
1979-1981 W. Brownlee
1981-1987 C. Bell
1987-1989 J. M. Inglis
1989-1991 W. C. Neil
1991-1993 B. S. Duffy
1993-1995 A. A. Pow
1995-1997 W. N. Douglas
1997-1999 P. Tomlinson
1999-2001 F. McCudden
2001-2002 J. M. Inglis
2003-2005 J. Smail
2005-2007 D. Henderson
2007-present G. Thomson |
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CAPTAINS
1907-1908 J. B.
Hall
1908-1909 W. Lees
1909-1910 T. D. Arthur
1910-1911 J. M. Hogg
1911-1912 H. A. M'Millan
1912-1913 A. Bunyan
1913-1914 J. Currie
1919-1920 W. H. Lawrie
1920-1921 G. T. Wilson
1921-1922 R. B. Dodds
1922-1923 W. E. Bryce
1924-1925 Geo. Wright
1925-1926 Jack Campbell
1926-1927 John Bisland
1927-1928 H. R. Waters
1928-1929 W. Amos
1929-1930 J. Mair
1930-1931 A. D. Benzies
1930-1931 A. R. Murray
1931-1932 J. A. Waters
1933-1934 Stewart Roberts
1934-1935 R. Edgar
1935-1936 J. Williamson
1936-1937 T. Henderson
1937-1938 Alex. Stewart
1938-1939 J. A. Waters
1939-1940 J. A. F. Beattie
1945-1946 H. S. A. Beattie
1946-1947 S. J. Carss
1946-1947 R. Anderson
1947-1948 I. C. Tait
1948-1949 R. A. Anderson
1949-1950 J. H. F. King
1950-1951 W. Bulloch
1951-1954 G. Downie
1954-1955 J. H. F.. King
1955-1956 J. Cowan
1956-1958 A. Little
1958-1960 W. W. Hamilton
1960-1961 L. H. Walker
1961-1962 J. N. Newlands
1962-1963 W. W. Hamilton
1963-1966 B. S. Duffy
1966-1967 A. Pearce
1967-1968 I. Johnston
1968-1970 B. S. Duffy
1970-1971 D. Piercy
1971-1973 D. Bell
1973-1974 D. Firth
1974-1975 A. Goodfellow
1975-1977 D. Bell
1977-1978 J. Y. Rutherford
1978-1980 D. Phaup
1980-1982 J. Y. Rutherford
1982-1983 P. Tomlinson
1983-1984 J. Y. Rutherford
1984-1985 K. Laurie
1985-1986 J. Y. Rutherford
1986-1988 I. A. M. Paxton
1988-1989 W. Craig
1989-1990 I. A. M. Paxton
1990-1991 K. Johnston
1991-1992 G. R. Marshall
1992-1993 I. Tukalo
1993-1995 R. L. Pow
1995-1997 K. McConnell
1997-1998 P. Minto
1998-1999 M. Jaffrey
1990-2000 S. McColm
2000-2001 M. Jaffray
2001-2003 C. Cochrane
2003-2004 S. Tomlinson
2004-2005 G. Blair
2005-2007 D. Hoggan
2007- present N. Darling |
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