Fifty years ago middle-aged Banburians used to assert that rugby football was played at Banbury around the turn of the century. Some used to embellish their story with horrific tales of encounters and bare their legs to show the damage they suffered in the course of a game. There does not appear to be any written record of these matches.

It is, however, quite certain that rugby, under union rules, was not played here before the mid 1920s.
Sport at Banbury in the early twenties was, indeed, at a low ebb. Soccer was better organised than cricket but there was no rugby.

A young doctor, educated at Taunton School and St. Thomas' Hospital, London, had recently joined a practice at Banbury. He was Dr. Thomas Fielden Briggs. He was keen on rugby having played for his hospital and he and his friends decided that the time was ripe to call a meeting and "count the heads" of would-be rugby players in the town.

And so a meeting was called at Westminster Bank House (now the National Westminster Bank) in the High Street on September 10th, 1925. This meeting decided that "there are sufficient players to form a team at once".

The meeting was chaired by Mr. C.W. Hurst, the manager of the bank and by whose permission the meeting was held on bank premises. Another local doctor, Dr. C.J.L. Wells, was voted to the chair.
The Banbury Guardian of September 17th, 1925 recorded that "the attendance included many who had played rugger at school and in other towns". Also that "there are more enthusiasts than at one time seemed in evidence".

Mr. Tom Hankinson, called on to speak, remarked that there were many enthusiasts who wanted to start a club and get a game. He knew of twelve players, he said. He suggested that they "play a few matches" and then launch out. Mr. C. MacGillivray supported the idea saying he thought a scratch side should be formed.
Mr. R.C. Rogers, to test the suggestion, proposed that a club be formed and, on a show of hands, thirteen declared themselves as being willing to play.

Mr. R.C. Rogers was elected chairman, Mr. T. Hankinson secretary and Mr. C.W. Hurst treasurer. A committee elected comprised Dr. T.F. Briggs, E.T. Abbotts, L.Wilks, L. Walker, J. Hurst, J. Stockton and T.H. Stothard.

The committee instructed the secretary to try and arrange matches with Banbury County School, who had recently started to play the game, Stowe School, All Saints School, Bloxham, Magdalen College School, Brackley and possibly with Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa.

The committee met at Westminster Bank House the following week and The Banbury Guardian published an appeal in its next issue. It read "we are asked to state that anyone wishing to play would oblige by giving their names to Mr. Hankinson at once".

The enthusiasm of the committee was obvious for they met two or three times before the next full meeting which was held at the Red Lion Hotel (which stood where Woolworths store is today) on Monday, September 21st.

The first requisite was a ground on which to play and Tom Hankinson reported that he had made arrangements for a pitch on the Bloxham Road, opposite Springfields. It would be let to them by Mr. Colegrave.

The meeting decided that the subscription would be 10/6d a year for "all members, playing or otherwise". The subscription for holiday players was set at 5/- and for visitors introduced by members 2/- a game. It was also agreed that a practice match should be played the following Saturday and that the club colours should be white shirts and blue knickers.

The meeting laid it down that visitors would only be selected if there was a vacancy in the team.
The subscription was fixed at a low level because the initial expenses were small. All that had to be covered was the rent of the ground, the cost of posts, their erection and balls. Mr. Colman, popular mine-host at the Red Lion, lent the room for the meeting.

Tom Hankinson reported that 23 members wanted to play. However it was agreed to issue a further general invitation.

The start of a club at Banbury was received with obvious pleasure in surrounding towns. The Banbury Guardian published a letter in its October 8th issue from Mr. H.C. Rochfort, of Broad Marston Manor, Stratford-upon-Avon, congratulating the new club and expressing the hope that they would arrange a fixture with Stratford.

Despite the enthusiasm a full side could not be raised for the first fixture on a Wednesday against All Saints School, Bloxham, at Bloxham.

Eleven travelled and the fifteen was completed with three from the school and the Rev. Maxwell Rennie, of Kings Sutton, played full back.

The school won the match by a goal and four tries to nil but considering that Banbury's was a scratch side it was concluded that the result was "not so bad as the score might indicate". Banbury was stated to have played "all out" and to have finished as strongly as they started.

The next match was at Oxford against the Oxford Nomads on a ground almost flooded. This was on November 7th. Banbury lost by the small margin of 8 points to 3 points. A report of the match notes the, "improved play of the Banbury forwards led by Dr. Briggs" and records that Wilks scored for Banbury and Stockton "nearly equalised near the end".

Banbury tasted its first success the very next Saturday at Warwick but this was a hollow victory as Warwick could field only eleven players. Banbury lent two men and Banbury triumphed 28 to nil in this thirteen-a-side encounter. For the winners tries were scored by Briggs, Wilks (2),Stockton, Wilson (2), Black and Wimbush, one each being converted by Stockton and Walker. Abbotts was commended for good work as scrum half and Passmore for safe play at full back.

The first home match was keenly anticipated in the local press, by the players and would-be spectators. The match was arranged for November 21st against Lincoln College, Oxford and the Mayor (Councillor Theo Clark) was invited to kick-off. The game, however, was never played. Just three hours before the match was due to begin Lincoln College sent a telegram to say that they had been unable to raise a team.

A subsequent letter in The Banbury Guardian from the club's chairman, Mr. R.C. Rogers, offered apologies and hoped that "enthusiasts for the game will not allow this unfortunate happening to withhold their support".
Severe frosts then upset further fixtures. So low was the temperature that skating was enjoyed on the moat at Broughton Castle. Conditions were quite the reverse, however, on January 3rd, 1926, when the first home match actually took place. The ground was water-logged, water to a depth of three or four inches had gathered in a number of large declivities and, as the writer of this narrative recalls, one had to "dive in" if one wished to secure the ball. As a result of the conditions Dr. C.J.L. Wells, who refereed, decided that play should be limited to 25 minutes each way. The Banbury Guardian reported that quite a number of spectators could not decide whether it was "rugby football or water polo". The visitors, the Oxford Nomads, adapted themselves rather better to the conditions and won by 9 points to nil.

Banbury played four more matches before their first season ended. They defeated Kenilworth at home by 11 points to 3 points in very heavy conditions and they beat M.C.S., Brackley, by 18 points to nil in a downpour. They were heavily defeated by Long Buckby who won by 30 points to 3 points but in late February they had the pleasure of winning against All Saints School, Bloxham, by 17 points to 3 points on the home ground. It was the first home match with a dry ball.

Players who were outstanding in the early matches and not mentioned previously were Meikle, Taylor and Bush, the latter being a fast runner on the wing.

In April, 1926, the club held its first dinner, appropriately at the Red Lion Hotel. Canon A.J. Jones, the Vicar of Banbury and a former Oxford rowing blue, presided as president. in proposing a toast to the club, Mr. MacGillivray, a founder member, said that the necessity for the club was overwhelming. "The local needs of youth and returning students were entirely uncatered for and they were merely left to rusticate as spectators of other codes".

Many pessimists had told them, he said, that they could not last, but they were rightly and justly proud of the results. Dr. Briggs, replying, said they had gone through the first season with twenty players and had only failed to raise a side once.

Giving the results Tom Hankinson reported 12 matches played, 5 won, 7 lost, 126 points for and 117 against.
The club began the second season (1926-27) with 23 members and a fixture list of 21 matches. Dr. Briggs was re-elected captain, E.T. Abbotts vice-captain and the committee consisted of these two and Walker, Rogers, Stockton, MacGillivray and Hankinson.

The first match against Stratford was cancelled because of hard ground but the club then played four games with creditable results. They defeated All Saints School, Bloxham, Kenilworth and the Oxford Nomads and drew with Kenilworth in a return fixture.

This, it seemed, was but a flash in the pan for stiffer opposition was now being met and there was a dearth of players to match the demands being made on them. Dr. Briggs put the matter in a nutshell at the club's annual dinner in April, 1927 over which Dr. C. Gardiner-Hill presided in the absence of the president, Major Eric Crossley. He spoke of "little success but much enthusiasm" and added "if we could get more playing members the club would really go". Illness had taken serious toll of the 26 playing members.

At this dinner a comment by Mr. E.C. Fortescue, a local solicitor, gave rise to the idea that the club hardly ever won a game. He said that he had been a member of the Banbury Casuals (soccer) team who, like the rugby club "scarcely ever won a match". This comment, made in humorous vein, was the source of much good natured leg-pulling for many months.