Colts Rugby
In the mid-eighties there was
a sudden decline in inter-schools rugby and it was realised that junior rugby
clubs would have to encourage and coach youngsters to play the game. We like
many others set up the post of Youth Development Officer which for many years
was successfully filled by Chris Watts. One man of vision was Dave Feintly
Hall who employed his deft organising skills to recruit players and establish
a fixture list. His teams owed a lot to a group of very young-looking thirty
year olds who were prepared to share their Sunday morning bath with nubile,
pubescent youths. Dave did most of his coaching from the bar and his teams
were always loyal to him and the club.
Two Sad Losses
The club lost a friend when
our landlord Dennis Horne died in 1986 after a short illness. Dennis, who had
been a regular visitor along with his friend Stan Barnard, was always ready
with advice on the ground and maintenance of the tractor. The following year
we lost another stalwart, Jim Hartley, who had donated the Hartley Cup for
meritorious service.
BRMB Merit Tables
We had been very successful since
the commencement of merit tables and we topped the table in 1986. Tony Butler of
BRMB providing some entertaining comments and predictions during the season.