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A brief history of the Clarets

By Mrs Trellis of North Wales
August 2 2015

A Brief History of the Clarets — the Stockport Rugby Union team who first played at Edgeley Park.

Stockport RFC — the “Clarets” — was founded 1884 by men associated with Stockport Sunday School, the largest such school in the world at the time.

There had earlier been many workshop leagues in Stockport and eventually the Stockport Crusaders (Rugby) Football Club was formed but disbanded following the death of a player, a Mr Barlow of Greek Street Edgeley, during a game. He was thrown to the ground which broke several ribs and he perished from a punctured lung. After the decision to disband was made at the end of the season the players returned from a game by train which was held at signals in Chorlton right in front of an exhibition Lacrosse game between two Native American tribes. The rugby players decided there and then to take up Lacrosse and formed the Stockport Lacrosse Club , now claimed to be the oldest Lacrosse club still extant.

The Clarets first played on a field behind their HQ - The Plough Inn, Shaw Heath SK2 6QZ (about 1 mile from EP) and the first gate was 3sh 9d. = 19p.

They managed to attract top Lancs & Yorks clubs to the Plough ground and such was the rise in popularity that they moved in with Stockport Cricket Club at Cale Green in 1890. (This is about four hundred yards from the Plough.)

In January 1889 they played the Maori touring team and came away with a draw. This was the 42nd game of the 1888/9 Maori tour.

In 1891 they moved to sole occupation of EP. This was leased from the Sykes family for ú200. The first game at EP was a win against Tyldesley ("The Mighty Bongers").

In 1895 they joined the Northern Union (applying by telegraph ) and were quite successful for a few seasons and attracted average crowds of 3000.

In 1901 a "Super league" was formed and Stockport was excluded - so interest and gates dwindled. In 1902 they were elected to the second division of the Rugby League and SCFC arrived to share EP during this season. Being in the 2nd div. the Clarets lost many of their top pro players and finished bottom of the 2nd Division. They disbanded in August 1903. The last captain, Yorkshireman William Robinson, took a tobacconist's shop on Castle Street, Edgeley — no doubt supplying SCFC fans with Woodbines on their way to and from games.

The Maori tour of 1888/9

Tour record :-

Total (all codes): played 118: won 81, drew 7, lost 30

Total (rugby games): played 107: won 78, drew 6, lost 23
Points for: 773; Points against: 305

In Great Britain & Ireland (as now): played 74: won 49, drew 5, lost 20
Points for: 394; Points against: 188

The tour itinerary was basically NZ-Oz-GB&I-Oz-NZ.

On the British Isles section they played England, Ireland and wales plus many clubs and counties — but not Sale FC. Stockport must have been a decent side as the Maoris beat Ireland, Wigan, St Helens, Salford, Manchester , Swansea and others quite convincingly. They played every two or three days, playing thirteen games in both December 1888 and January 1889. Their biggest defeat in these islands was to Yorkshire 16 - 4 at Wakefield.

I will post a link to the complete tour record which makes fascinating reading.

 

 

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