FOLKESTONE RFC

A Short History of Folkestone Rugby Club

Folkestone Rugby Club was started by a few enthusiasts in the 1973/74 season. Two of those original enthusiasts are still playing for the Club, Gary McCarthy and John Cadwallader. Caddy has actually played at least once for the First XV in each of the first 28 years of the club.

The club attracted many former players of the Ashford Club who formed the main source of administrators and finance for the club. The first Chairman was Derek Searle and the Hon Secretary was Alan Frew. Bob Pocock was the successful fundraiser. Early and generous benefactors included Frank Barber, Conrad Blakey, Keith Rawlings and Anthony Record but of these only Frank went on to hold high office as President of the club

The club operated out of the Sports centre where Derek Searle was the manager and they played at the Polo Field and More Hall Recreation Ground. Very soon they realised that the bar profits would be better coming into the club and an ambitious scheme was launched to raise the funds for our own grounds and clubhouse.

This was done with a lot of self-help and an imaginative “buy a brick” campaign. Paul Tory released some land at a generous price near the A20. John Ovenden designed the clubhouse and “Caddy” virtually built it with his own hands. Former England Captain Dickie Jeeps officially opened it in 1983. The moment was given a hilarious “rugby twist”, we think by Ron Prothero, and when Dickie unveiled the plaque it revealed a very saucy female nude!

With the achievement of his great project Derek Searle handed over the reins as Chairman to Alan Frew and Paul Barber took over as Hon Secretary little realising what a key role he was to play in the survival of the club.

By this time, with the help of Army players from Shorncliffe camp we were able to sustain 3 and four teams each week and were challenging and beating our rivals in East Kent. In addition to those mentioned above the club had stalwart members in Steve Durham, Barrie Lee, Glenn Foreman, Alex Ruddock and Steve Cribbens, all of whom were to play an essential part in the club’s playing and administrative success.

With the purchase of the new grounds the club was able to launch into its most important role, namely, the establishment of the Youth and Minis sections. Under John Turbutt Snr, John McPartlin, Mike O’Sullivan, Don Turner, Colin Hodges, Richard Wincote, Andrew Dagger, Ian Fell and Bob Gillett these sections have grown into the largest and most flourishing sections of the club and recently Phil Cooper, Alan Perkins, Peter White, Dave Ward and Peter Pritchard have been responsible for the constant development of enough players of calibre to replace our inevitable player wastage to Universities, distant jobs and age! These gentlemen have introduced Folkestone’s youngsters to the joys of touring and have enjoyed great success in France, Belgium, Holland and Wales where they have made many friends. Recently they have seen one of the club’s finest young players, Tom Johnson snapped up by Saracens and the club has high hopes that this talented young man will go on to be a star and be joined by some of the new youngsters coming through. John Turbutt produced one of the best Colts squads we have ever had. He indulged them by organising a tour to San Diego, California!! One of the best players the club has produced was Toby Booth. Through playing for Kent Toby was recruited by Blackheath. He then, inevitably became their recruiting sergeant and lured away the cream of our first XV. These included, Tony Hughes, Gary Furneaux and Neil Cousens. Luckily Tony and Neil came back after a few years to do good work for the club. Toby is now the forwards coach for Premiership club London Irish and also coach to England youth sides.

Mention of Toby Booth brings us to Don Turner. Don joined the club in 1977 and started coaching minis almost immediately.  He coached Toby Booth first and with the aid of Toby's mum recruited boys left right and centre to be a team around him, because his talent was recognised! Don and his cohorts held boot fairs and made much money for the youth section until it was decided the money should be taken over by the club and should not just be for the minis/youth. When the rugby World Cup was held in England he organised a day of youth rugby at Folkestone prior to the ball going to France via the channel tunnel (still under construction) Mike O'Sullivan's son Cieran and Will Turner (now club captain) and his brother Rob (who played mini rugby but now for some reason has given up the game!) took the ball to the entrance of the tunnel.  Don got an RFU scroll thanking him for his efforts and a big red rose plaque which ages ago disappeared from the club.  Don was also given a presentation and special award by the Society of Kent Rugby Coaches in 1998 for services to youth rugby as he had actually been coaching mini/youth since 1972.  He also coached the Kent Development Squad at one time.  He has given a lot of his time to Folkestone RFC (even standing in as director of rugby at one time) although most of it has been unsung for the youth/mini section.

Two years after opening the new clubhouse and grounds we received a not unexpected but nonetheless earthmoving shock. The Channel Tunnel Bill was passed into law and our cherished grounds were served with a compulsory purchase order. This unfair device meant that we not only had to part with our grounds but at less than market value. In addition to this the club officers led by Paul Barber and the Hon Treasurer, Phil Hoad, had to defend the club against a claim by the Channel Tunnel Group that the club should not be replaced because it was very young and of little importance to the community. They were only honorary officers, with jobs to hold down, but they were pitched against the professional legal and financial might of government-backed officialdom.

Things were not looking good for Folkestone rugby Club but “cometh the hour cometh the man” and the club had a couple of strokes of luck. Paul Barber had the inspired idea to tell the House of Commons Committee that we were not an insignificant club because we played regularly against the mighty Harlequins FC. This was not a lie, because we had made friends with Bill Cuthbertson, the Scottish International player who, at that time was captaining Harlequins 3rd team. Bill enjoyed our company so much that he brought his side down every year for four or five years. The mention of the word Harlequins was a masterstroke and Paul and Phil returned with the glad news that we would be reinstated in a new ground at the Channel Tunnel Group’s expense.

The second stroke of luck was that John Kidson retired at the early age of 55. At the time John was a VP of Linton (now Aylesford) and came to watch them play against Folkestone. Messrs Searle and Pocock quickly ascertained that John was a local man and recruited him into the club. Alan Frew urgently needed a deputy chairman, because his own business life had gone the other way and he was travelling round the world as a self-employed consultant. John was persuaded to become Vice Chairman and a year later took over from Alan who assumed the role of President. Another very lucky find was Ted Sutton, a recently retired chartered accountant, who took on the challenging role of Hon Treasurer.

It fell to John to complete the deal to move to the new grounds at Bargrove. After negotiating the terms, John became the de facto site manager as the new site was developed. The pitches were built by Birch and Co and the clubhouse by Dobinson’s of Canterbury. The architect was Vice President Nigel Thorpe. Channel Tunnel Group, after their initial intransigent stance, changed personality and became supportive, helpful partners. They allowed us to use the old clubhouse and grounds until the last possible minute to enable our rebuilding to take place. They also became club sponsors and paid for the opening ceremony and then made generous donations over the first years in our new home. The Rt Hon Colin Moynihan MP, the then Minister for Sport, opened the new complex in September 1989. Eurotunnel also paid for the start up the Eurotunnel Tournament organised by John Kidson and directed by Steve Hughes. These two stalwarts are still running it and it has become a popular and wealth generating part of the club’s year and is now known as “The Spitfire Challenge Trophy”.

But all was not sweetness and light. As the pitches were being built they were caught up in the great storm of 1987 and the drain-laying machine was bogged down and unable to move for 4 whole winter months.

At the time of the changeover we were very lucky to have 4 strong captains in Barrie Lee, Jim Nixon, Anton Phillips and Simon Cloke. With their playing skill, drive and enthusiasm they kept the club’s progress going with the players motivated to play good rugby and enjoy the club facilities. Jim captained the club when we first beat Canterbury, a milestone for the club. Anton led us when we beat Dartfordians, against all the odds, in the Kent Cup. Simon took us into the last 16 of the National Vase when we went down to Cornwall and lost by one score, when Tony Hughes’ last long range kick at goal floated a foot wide. But the greatest match of all was when Steve Hughes picked up a fixture with “The Eagles”, an American Services side on tour in the UK. We had to disguise it as East Kent or they would not have accepted the fixture but it was Folkestone with a couple of additional players from Canterbury and Betteshanger. The Eagles had many USA international players but we gave them a hard run and only just lost. The highlight of the game was seeing Micky Scott at

6ft 5” being dwarfed by the Swords Brothers, who towered over him at 6ft 9”! After the game they said it was the best and most enjoyable hospitality they had had.

Yet another change was necessary because we found that the running of the club bar and catering was becoming too much for a gang of enthusiastic amateurs. So we employed John Harrison, well known in the hotel business in Folkestone, to be our first club bar manager. We were doubly lucky in that appointment in that John’s wife Gill was a superb cook and she was able to develop an excellent catering side for herself and the club.

In spite of the fact that throughout its property-owning phase the club had operated with a huge overdraft, it never let that obstacle get in the way of its spirit of adventure. No sooner had we occupied the New Burlington Field, as it was now named, than David Teague brought along a company to quote for installing floodlights. Ted said “No” John said “Maybe” and David persuaded them to floodlight one pitch. The players then put on pressure saying, “if we have one we might as well have both pitches floodlit. Don’t worry we will raise the money to pay for them”. So both pitches had lights installed. Having got the lights, enthusiasm for raising the money to pay for them dwindled and the club was left with a long hard struggle over many years to balance its books.

In raising money to do this two events were used, which have become highlights of our and the town’s social calendar. The first was the Vice Presidents Lunch, organised originally by Andy Beggs, with his wife Sue and Evelyn Joyce as the cooks. Now it is organised by John McPartlin and the club has refined it into its present mixture of fine food, good wine, amusing anecdotes, with a good rugby match thrown in.

The second was the Summer Ball originally set up by John Kidson and Andy Beggs mainly to provide a marquee as extra changing rooms for the Eurotunnel Tournament. This event quickly grew in stature and about ten tears ago it was taken over by Richard Worker who increased its quality and entertainment to make it one of the most sought after venues in the town.

To add to the cost problems the leagues had just arrived. Although Gordon Elliott was a member of the County Committee, Folkestone were placed in Kent Div 2, which we thought was ungenerous considering the playing strength of the club at that time. Although we ended up as one of the top three teams every year we lost promotion by points difference for four successive years. On one occasion, in the last match against Sheppey, Neil Cousens smacked his opposite number, as we were about to kick a penalty goal to win the match and promotion. The penalty was reversed, we only drew and we spent another year in Kent 2. In spite of the fact that we were strapped for cash, it was plain we had a need for a professional coach.

We were blessed with another stroke of luck when the army posted Steve Powley to Shorncliffe along with a seasoned prop named Gary Stocks. Under their leadership and coaching the First XV achieved promotion in successive seasons. Ten years later under Trevor Brazier as coach and with Dave Easby as captain we rose to the dizzy heights of London SE Div 3.

The succeeding Chairmen of the club, John Sutton, Gary George, Steve Cribbens, Paul Nash, Andrew Dagger and currently Glenn Foreman have had a hard task to run the club throughout these burgeoning years because the higher you are promoted the further you have to travel and that means more cost. As if they had not got enough on their plate another threat appeared – The Fast Link Project (which was later named Eurostar). For ten years they faffed about and wasted the valuable time of our Executive Committee. In the 1990s they put up one plan and then ran out of finance. Then a new team came and started afresh with the same result. The final session has taken about seven years and just been completed by Glenn Foreman and his team. Our unpaid barrister, Mike O’Sullivan must have felt he was in the “Jarndice and Jarndice” case in “Bleak House”, but the end result is not bad. We have a bit less land but a lot more money.

The Club, never lacking when it comes to enterprise, immediately started a scheme to lease land to make a 4^th pitch and rebuild the original two pitches to be better drained. On the principle of “in for a penny in for a few hundred thousand pounds” they have plans to rebuild the clubhouse to provide more changing rooms, a bigger social area, a viewing balcony and more storage space. These projects are vital to accommodate our ever-growing Mini and Youth sections.

The Mini and Junior sections continued to improve in both skill and numbers throughout these difficult times. Then a new phenomenon appeared in the club led by Angie Smith – Women’s Rugby! Keith Woodward, who had lost out in applying for the club coach job, took them on. “Caddy”, who only had daughters, became his able assistant coach and these two have led the girls to the greatest heights. Through them one of our original minis, Catherine Spencer, has risen to become a current full England international. She was not the first international though. Maika …..? had achieved that honour when she captained Japan’s Women’s’ International team. We currently have two other girls who wear the England shirt, Lucinda “Lucy” Howland is in the England Under 19s and sister Abigail “Abi” Howland is captain of the England Under 15s. Sadly our club ladies side has temporarily fallen by the wayside but efforts are being made to rebuild it.

Throughout all of these years another phenomenon has been enthusiastically embraced by Folkestone players, that of touring. The first tour was to St Nazaire way back in 1979. France was the venue for the early tours but hard rugby and some animosity made the later tourists look for more distant and amenable places. Holland under Simon Cloke and Ian Spicer became a favourite destination and we have long-standing and happy relationships with Breda, Uden, Den Haag and Valkenburg. We have visited Octopus Rugby Club in Uden each year for the last 17 years. Their club is the same age as ours and they opened their clubhouse at the same time that we opened at Bargrove. Mike O’Sullivan and Philippe Nortier also fixed up the annual home and away fixture for our Veterans against Arras “Papis”. This very convivial and gastronomic affair has lasted 18 years and veterans are now playing in it who were colts when it first started. Sadly Arras cannot find the players and, as they say, the fixture is now “en someille”

Simon and Ian took us back to St Nazaire on the 20^th anniversary of our first visit there. The following year Grant Husband, our resident Kiwi, took us to Guernsey.

Then Jaroslav Novak visited the Folkestone Language School and popped into the club to see if we could host a tour for his club, Tatra Schmichov RC of Prague. We did so and were invited back to Prague two years later, because in the intervening year a tour to Portugal was organised by Gary Stocks and Barrie Lee.

The Prague tour was organised by John Kidson, Simon Cloke and Glenn Foreman and these three have been the tour committee ever since. It heralded many trips to east Europe. We were the firsts tourists to visit Tallinn in Estonia. We have been to Slovenia, Prague again, Poland and Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

So we arrived in 2007 as a well rounded, professionally run club, catering for all ages and running social activities of high quality and good value for money. We have nearly balanced our books thanks to a hard working team led by Jill Scott, our bar manager and by Gordon and Lisa Russell our caterers. Our enthusiastic Social Secretary and fundraiser Phil Scott ably assists them. Paul Nash is doing a grand job a Sponsorship secretary. With the help of loans and grants and sheer hard work the club in 2007 embarked on an ambitious re-development of the club, acquiring a new pitch to give us 4 and extending the club house to have a balcony area and a total of 8 changing rooms and a refs changing room.

Unfortunately after some seasons wrestling with relegation from London SE 3, the inevitable happened at the end of the 2006/7 season. Many youngsters were drafted into the 1^st XV to replace older more experienced players who retired. These 17 and18 year olds found the going tough but what commitment and pride they showed in playing for their club. In particular a Saturday in Sidcup when they stood up, together with vets, Ian Spicer and Mark Rogers and played their hearts out in defeat, glorious defeat. Special praise here to Sidcup who were gentlemen and sportsmen to the final whistle. We wish them well. Those who were there will never forget it. The club is rightly proud of their Junior ranks and 2 members of the Under 16 Squad, Tom Wood and Brandon Jordan, were invited to join Gloucester’s Academy. Meanwhile Tom Johnson continues to impress at Saracens and is closing in on a place in their A team at just 18 years old.

The Under 16 squad became Kent 7s Champions and Phil Cooper took his Colts team to Ghent to play in their prestigious international tournament where they came runners up to National Colts Finalists, Moseley. The Colts also brought back The Sportsmanship Trophy as a gesture from all the friends (mainly female) they made in Belgium. And at the end of the season it was very heartening to see our young Ladies team reformed and coming runners up in the Kent Festival. Importantly, though, Folkestone were the only team to field a team whereas other teams in the competition were made up by clubs amalgamating. The icing on the cake was Abigail Howland being invited to join England’s Development Squad.

John V Kidson who seems to have rugby contacts all over the world has continued his Import Scheme assisting good young players to come to the club. Summer 2007 saw his most ambitious import when he beat the bureaucracy to help Brandon Sparks to fly in from USA to join the club. He has also recruited the Polish Light Cavalry of Pawel Martyniuk, Rafal Matusiak and now Adrian Mialkowski all of whom add considerable flair to the squads. In 2007 John was deservedly honoured by the Kent RFU and became a Vice President of the Union.

The club now looks forward with great optimism and in great shape under our Chairman, Glenn Foreman, now in his 30^th year with the club who leads from the front has appointed Lee Jeffery and Richard Guck to coach the lads and at the start of the current season we are seeing more players than ever attending and working hard to play for their club. The Minis now under Karina O’Donnell and the Juniors under Bob Gillett continue to grow in numbers and in 2008 the membership exceeded 500.

At the end of 2007 we saw Catherine Spencer appointed as Captain of England Ladies and in her first game as skipper, England beat USA 34-0. A large group of Stones supporters travelled to Sunbury to roar her on on what was a great day for the club. Further international honours came the club’s way when Rob Hill was selected for the England Deaf XV playing for them in 2007 and 2008. As a gesture to the club Rob gave us his first England shirt won against Wales.

John Kidson

Photos

Can You See Yourself When You Were Young And Had A Stupid Haircut???

Rob Hill after England beat Scotland in 2008

Catherine Spencer’s 1^st match as England Captain in 2007

Arras Papis v Les Enfants Jolis at Duisans in France in 1998

Hello Sailor

The Tallinn Tour 2001 Whale Boat Race

Cox Glenn Foreman urges his sailors on!

Sailors include Woody, Andy Parmenter, Peter White, Grant Husband, Mark Rogers, Gary McCarthy and Karl Beverley

3rd Xv beating Canterbury at Polo Ground Scrum half: Olly Barratt
Forwrds from tail: John-John Cardwell; Don Turner; C,Hodges; Eddy Chard:
Alan Asfhford: Micky Scott; Billy Usher

The above 3 photos show The Stones beating Dover Borstal at Newington Playersl include Colin Hodges; Gary George; "Oscar" Briidgeman; Olly Barratt; Roy Grace; "Frank" Bridges; Alex
Ruddock; and Tim Wren [then Kent cricketer]

A match between Folkestone Gentlemen and Ladies featuring Dave Gibert; John Lord; Mike O'Sullivan; Frank Mahon; Blake Slade and Chas
Sinstead [very important in early days of minis].

John McPartlin took picture and reffed

Folkestone 4 in 1988

Included are Jim Davay; Gary McArthy; Lee
Jeffries; Tim Wren; Roy Grace Alex Ruddock; Brendon flannery; Pete the
roofer and John Lord [touchingly holding hands]

The Last Game v Park House at Newington in 1988

The Old Ground

U17s 1992

Back Row: Colin Hodges; John[?] Wickens; Dave Vivani; Paul Gordon; Sam Shortland; Ian Norris; Paul Garrard; Duncan Munge; John McDonald; Charles[?] Wickens; Andrew Slade; Jamie Harries ; David Rae;

John Turbutt [snr]; Blake Slade;
Front Row; James Jarvis; Dan Porte; James Thornhill; Ben Raworth; Greg Timmins; Lee Cavanagh; James Fagg; Danny Barnes; Scott Lambert and Jolyon
Evans

After beating Ashford; Danny Barnes {FRFC} and Danny Porte {FRFC;
Glasgow Hawks, Exeter and Barbarians]

FRFC Colts beating Dover 24-0 in 1997

FRFC Under 11's winning Bruxelles Tournament[April 98].

Ollie Brooks with ball

FRFC Under 14's thrash O Elthamians 57-5 May 2001

U10 v U11 to celebrate the World Cup in 1991. Can you spot Roy Mercer, Bill Searle, Will Tuirner, Lawrence Bill and Mark Root?

Will Turner at the back of a line out

and here’s Will and his Under 15s a few years later after winning the Kent Sevens Plate

Oh Dear Oh Dear Some right villains in this photo of a Coaches v Vets game. Good to see a young Will Turner helping his dad!

And here’s the day Folkestone RFC became front page news!!!! Good to see present coach Lee Jeffrey setting such a good example!

John Porter seems to be having fun and good to see Caddy sitting erect. For some reason Lee Jeffrey hasn’t ever changed his leg warmers since.

Speaking of members, here are the first members to earn the Club’s Honour Tie

Standing (LtoR) John Cadwallader, John Ovenden, Don Turner, John Kidson, Alan Frew, Alex Ruddock, Gary George,Ian Fell, Ian Stewart, Richard Wincote, Andy Beggs, John Sutton, Barry Keating.
Sitting: Roy Grace, Barry lee.
Not Present: Derek Searle (first Chairman), Ted Sutton

The 2007 Colts with Miss Belgium

The 2007 Colt Virgins Race!!!!

JVK not at his sartorial best (it was a surprise presentation) was made a Kent RFU Vice President in 2007

James Woolford scores the first try of the 2007/8 season as the 1^st XV beat Whitstable

The 2007/8 U15 Ladies team before their first match

The 2007/8 U7 squad. Where will they be in 15 years????

MANY MANY THANKS to Yvonne Turner, Alex Ruddock, Trolley Howland,Tony Jones, John Kidson and Colin Hodges for the photos

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