A story from India... referred to us by Paul Walsh, manager of the Kolkata Jungle Crows XV in Calcutta...
VI Nations tournament is about to start, and Paul reminds us of the fact that there is another Calcutta Cup... another trophy as old as the Cup challenged by England and Scotland every year, disputed among local clubs in Calcutta.
Above is the 1917 Calcutta Cup winner, i.e. the Brecnockshire Battalion from South Wales Borderers (larger picture here). This picture is used by kind permission from the Museums of the Royal Regiment of Wales. Curator Martin Everett indicates that "soldiers of Brecknockshire territorials were mobilised in August 1914 at the start of the First World War. The battalion was sent to Mhow in India as a garrison battalion. The Calcutta Cricket & Football Club had introduced Rugby in India in 1872 and the club provided a Challenge Cup for army teams in India. The Brechnocks XV, containing a number of Welsh club players, won the cup in 1917".
Martin mentions that several members of the South Wales Borderers regiment were also Welsh international players, i.e. Charles M. Pritchard, who was part of the famous Welsh side that beat the All Blacks in 1905 and was killed in France in August 1916. There's a full story about Welsh rugby players who died in service during WW1 here @ BBC Wales : this story was published last November when our rugby memorabilia fellow Phil Atkinson brought his pupils to Pritchard's grave in France and had them work on his bio (too bad : only UK residents can play the video...)
And, as a nice shortcurt in history, here are the Calcutta guys who won the very same trophy last summer (Jungle Crows b CCFC 45-20 mid of page here)... Congrats, Crows !
(picture credit to The Telegraph - larger pic here)
Finally, let me also take this opportunity to share my only vintage print about rugby in India... published in 1894 in Germany (how come... ?!)
Caption (in German) reads "Englishmen in India - Soldiers playing Football"... larger picture here. I am not able to identify the place nor the team (though one of them has a very distinctive jersey) but it could be another episode of this famous Calcutta Cup ...
05/02/2009
The Cup records that a team called 'The Buffs' won the 1894 edition of the Cup. In 1893 and 1895 'Calcutta Football Club' were the winners. In 1897 the Welsh connection is revived with the winners recorded as 'The Welsh Regiment'. If the picture is Calcutta then we might think it is the 1894 final....Buffs v CFC!?!
Posted by: Paul Walsh | 06/02/2009 at 02:09
great rugby..........
Posted by: sailen tudu | 06/02/2009 at 11:21
The German print "Englishmen in India - Soldiers playing Football" is interesting...
1. Sleeveless jerseys - something thought to be unique in world football to the Australian game in Melbourne....apparently not!
2. Which player is passing the ball? If the off-side law is in place, the team in the stripes is close to scoring a try - if that is so, then is the man being tackled passing the ball forwards? If not, why is the man closer to goal (and who is not being tackled at all!) passing back to a team mate already held?
Posted by: Sean Fagan - ColonialRugby.com.au | 06/02/2009 at 22:20
Looks like a Aussie Rules match.
Posted by: chris | 03/09/2012 at 23:40