Steve Bird looks ahead to Avon Rugby Club’s centenary season.
Avon Rugby Club’s line-up for 1925-26 – their inaugural season | Photo © Avon Rugby Club
Avon Rugby Club will achieve a memorable milestone in their history this season as they celebrate their centenary.
The club were formed in 1925 by members of Avon Rowing Club who wanted to do some other exercise during the winter months to help them keep fit during their rowing down-season. They also hoped to recruit new members for the rowing club from among the rugby club’s players.
The original founder members of Avon Rugby Club included Preston Jones, Don Tate, Laurie Fraser, Jack Pitt (captain), Frank Balding (secretary), Rudi Meyer (treasurer) and S V Rolleston (president). Rolleston was also the president of the rowing club.
Avon Rugby Club celebrate after winning the Davis Access Bath Combination Vase last season | Photo © Avon Rugby Club
Avon Rugby Club inherited two of the parent club’s features, both of which have continued through the following 100 years up to the present day – the authentic club colours of black and amber, and the original motif of the rampant lion.
Those intrepid oarsmen were obviously versatile sportsmen as they enjoyed an excellent first rugby season in 1925-26, with a final record of played 26, won 17, drew two, lost seven, points for 247 and points against 123.
A newspaper report on the Avon Rowing Club annual meeting in 1926 said: “The rugby club had, in its first season, been very successful and the members were to be congratulated on not only having won the majority of their games but in having laid the foundations of a sports club which is carrying on the true spirit of rugby and rowing.”
These were prophetic words which remain true today.
To commemorate their centenary, Avon are organising a series of special events and memorabilia.
They are reverting to a similar style of shirts as used by the 1925 team, namely an all black strip, together with a specially re-designed centenary logo, by Damien Sawyer, which features the rampant lion and rowing oars.
The new playing shirts are being sponsored by the Elizabethan Lodge of Bath Freemasons, for which Avon are hugely grateful.
A retro-style social shirt is also being designed by tailor Russ Hindmarch for members to wear as a souvenir.
A celebratory tour to Amsterdam has been arranged in memory of Avon’s initial tour there in 1959. That tour was believed to be the first by a West Country junior club outside Great Britain. One of their matches was billed on Dutch publicity posters as a “Grand international match – Holland vs England”.
A centenary painting is being produced by Avon RFC artist Jake Coates for display in the clubhouse. The painting will feature some selected stalwarts from the club across the 10 different decades, wearing the kit of their time.
Avon are hoping to stage a special commemorative match at their Hicks Field ground, in addition to holding a family-friendly fun day.
A centenary dinner dance will be held at the Apex City of Bath Hotel on Saturday 9th May 2026.
Tickets for the dinner dance are already in great demand, with more than 200 reservations made so far. To book one of the few remaining places at this prestigious event, please email Steve Bird at [email protected].
Avon are also preparing for the future. Funding for a pitch maintenance programme has been obtained from the Football Foundation, a new electronic scoreboard is being installed and other ground improvements are taking place at Hicks Field.
The experienced coaching regime continues under director of rugby Clive Book and head coach Kai Harwood.
Training sessions for the senior teams are taking place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as Avon seek to build on their third-placed finish in Counties 2 Tribute Ale Somerset last term.
Avon also won the Davis Access Bath Combination Vase in 2024-25, beating Corsham 31-26 in the final at the Rec.
The Avon 2nd XV will play a series of sociable friendlies during the 2025-26 season.
New players of any age and ability will be made most welcome as Avon embark on their new campaign.
After Jack Pitt helped to launch Avon RFC as the first club captain, Kane Book has the honour of following in his footsteps to skipper the club during the centenary season.
Those early pioneers from the rowing club would undoubtedly be pleased to see that Avon rugby is in safe hands and once again looking towards the future.
Kane Book is also acting as the co-ordinator of Avon Minis. Both the mini and junior sections will resume their sessions on Sunday mornings from the start of September – any new players and their parents are welcome at Hicks Field.
All in all, from rowing to rugby, Avon are celebrating an oarsome achievement.
