Bangor Rugby Club

[Admin (Matt)]

1870's

Several enthusiasts for the game of Rugby were playing members of Bangor cricket club in the 1870's and they decided to form a rugby club in the city. Amongst the prime movers were  Charles Allen, Godfrey Darbeyshire and  Hugh Vincent. A club was eventually formed in 1876 to play under the rules of Rugby football, but because there was limited opportunity for fixtures, they were also prepared to play teams under the rules of Association football. The club colours were royal blue and scarlet arranged in vertical stripes.

1881

Bangor rugby club sent a delegate to Neath to meet with the representatives of ten other Welsh rugby clubs to form the Welsh Rugby Union. The first ever rugby match played by a Welsh team was played against England at Blackheath. Godfrey Darbyshire of Bangor was in the Welsh team

1882

Hugh Vincent of Bangor played for Wales in the first match between Wales and Ireland in Dublin.

1884

Charles Allen of Bangor played for Wales against England at Leeds and scored the first ever try by a Welsh player against England. He also played against Scotland at Newport in the same year.

1914

All competitive rugby ceased in Wales after the outbreak of World War I, and Bangor RFC disbanded.

1920’s

Rugby restarted in Bangor.

1929

Early games were played at Maes-y-dref, the fields at Ffriddeodd, Bangor City's Farrar road ground, Penrhyn Park and Ty Newydd

But by 1929 Bangor Rugby Club had established itself at Beaumaris until 1962

1962

The club reformed as BANGOR RUGBY UNION AND SPORTS CLUB  and located at Y Wern, Caernarfon Road. The site of a former refuse tip.





1995

The club sold up the ground in Caernarfon Road to be developed for a Tesco store and relocated to new premises and grounds at  Cae Milltir, LLANDEGAI. This started a brief professional era under Dan Thomas and players such as Phil Vievers, Ben Barton, Alan Owen and  Roland de Marigny were seen in the seaon 1995 - 96. This period saw some of the best rugby ever played by a North Wales side and Bangor competed in the National league division 8a. The professional era could not be maintained and Bangor started to pay the price for dumping their second team and later their youth team and in the season 2006- 07 reached an all time low failing to win a single game in Division 5 North.



Club history is based on the publication "100 years of Rugby Football in Bangor" by the late R. Wendell Edwards, and The Football and Rugby Playing Fields of Wales, Richard E Huws.


Images from 1930s etc...
http://www.bangor-rugby.co.uk/old_team_pictures.htm
now.. http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bangor/photos/old-team-pictures-523231.html#

[Admin (Matt)]