Clifton Rugby Football Club History
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1950-1960

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List of Club Members 1872-1945
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Club Statistics 1872-2011

1950-51

Above the Clifton squad that toured Cornwall in September 1950. Ben Tuttiett standing extreme left. Roger Whyte sitting 2nd right. George McWatters seated centre (captain)

Above fixtures for 1950-51 from the Bristol and District Rugby Football Combination Handbook in its Jubilee Season.

Above team sheet for the Somerset v The Rest trial match with Clifton Vice Captain B.A.Tuttiett. This match was played on 5th October 1950 at Bridgwater. He went on to captain Clifton from 1952-54. Also playing was Michael Corbett who joined Clifton in 1957. Tuttiett went on to play 36 times for Somerset and eventually captained them.

1951-52

Back Row (L-R): F.W.Williams (Committee), Arthur House (Hon. Treas.), L.W.Bisgrove (Hon.Sec.), B.C.Barber (Committee), H.L.Bradford (Committee). Middle Row: A.O.Lewis (?), R.T.Moule (Bristol), I.W.Macey (Wellington), K.C.Smith (Bristol), J.T.Dingle (Bath), J.A.Scott (Bristol), D.Coles (Weston), J.Sainsbury (Weston-super-Mare), H.R.Bastable (Bridgwater), M.D.Corbett (Captain) (Bristol), R.G.B.Quick (Vice President), B.A.Tuttiett (Clifton), J.A.Holt (Bristol).

Above Somerset side that lost the County Semi-Final to Lancashire with Clifton captain B.A.Tuttiett.

Above programme cover and team sheet from the Lydney v Clifton match played on March 8th 1952. Lydney won 6-0. They had already beaten Clifton 16-8 at Eastfield Road on December 15th 1951.

Above: Roger Alan Malcolm Whyte (Born 17th August 1929. Clifton College April 1938 - 1947). He captained Clifton in 1951-52. He moved from Clifton to Harlequins. He's seen here at the White City where Harlequins played a number of games before the Stoop Ground opened in 1963. He played for both Gloucestershire and Somerset at rugby. He went on to become a Schoolmaster at Millfield school.

Above Ben Tuttietts signature from the minutes of a Clifton RFC meeting held at the Greyhound Hotel on 28th April 1952. For more on Ben Tuttiett click here

1952/3 Draw with Bath 3-3

Above programme cover and team sheet from the Stroud v Clifton match played on February 14th 1953.

1953/4 Beat Bristol 8-5 at the Memorial Ground the first time since 1932.

1954-55 - Peter Dalton Young selected for England (Lock) while playing for Dublin Wanderers. Born Bristol 9th November 1927. He captained England twice on his last 2 games v France on 26th Feb 1955 and v Scotland on 19th March 1955 . He scored 1 try for England against Scotland on 20th March 1954. Programme cover and team sheet lower on page. He was a Cambridge Blue in 1949. He went on to captain Gloucestershire. He started playing rugby at Clifton but met his future wife in Dublin and stayed. He was called up to the England team after captaining The Rest in the final Trial at Twickenham that beat England 8-6

INTERNATIONAL RECORD: England Appearances 1953-5

Career Record: P9, W4, D1, L4, Tries 1, Cons 0, Pen 0, DropG 0

16th Jan 1954 v Wales (Twickenham) (FN) W 9-6

30th Jan 1954 v New Zealand (Twickenham) L 0-5

13th Feb 1954 v Ireland (Twickenham) (FN) W 14-3

20th March 1954 v Scotland (Murrayfield) (FN) W 13-3

10th April 1954 v France (Stade Colombes, Paris) (FN) L 3-11

22nd Jan 1955 v Wales (Cardiff) (FN) L 0-3

12th Feb 1955 v Ireland (Lansdowne Road) (FN) D 6-6

26th Feb 1955 v France (Twickenham) (FN) L 9-16

19th March 1955 v Scotland (Twickenham) (FN) W 9-6

From 1937 until 1945 Peter Young attended Clifton College. He bequeathed his collection of England rugby shirts and programmes to Clifton College which are on display in the cricket pavilion. Peter was one of three former Clifton College players to captain England after the war, the others being Dr Keith Scott and David Perry.

For more details on Peter Young click here

1954 - Victor H. Leadbetter selected for England (No.8) while playing for Edinburgh Wanderers. Born Kettering 14th Feb 1930. He was a Cambridge Blue 1951-52. He joined Clifton for the start of the 1961-62 season. He was still playing and coaching at Clifton in 1966.

INTERNATIONAL RECORD: England Appearances 1954

Career Record: P2, W1, D0, L1, Tries 0, Cons 0, Pen 0, DropG 1

20th March 1954 v Scotland (Murrayfield) (FN) W 13-3

10th April 1954 v France (Stade Colombes) (FN) L 3-11

 

OTHER RECORD: Barbarians Appearances 1954-55

Career Record: P5, W4, D1, L0

16th April 1954 v Penarth W 15-0

19th April 1954 v Swansea W 16-6

8th April 1955 v Penarth D 3-3

9th April 1955 v Cardiff W 6-3

11th April 1955 v Swansea W 6-3

For more details on Vic Leadbetter click here

1954/5/6/7/8 - Robert Kenneth Gillespie MacEwen selected for Scotland (Hooker) while playing for Cambridge University and London Scottish. Born Oxford 25th Feb 1928. He was educated at Clifton College (1936-1942) and Bristol Grammar School. He played 6 times for the Barbarians while at Cambridge University and London Scottish and also Gloucestershire. He started his club rugby with Clifton. He ended it playing for Landsdowne.

INTERNATIONAL RECORD: Scotland Appearances 1954-58

Career Record: P13, W2, D0, L11, Tries 0, Cons 0, Pen 0, DropG 0

9th Jan 1954 v France (Murrayfield) (FN) L 0-3

13th Feb 1954 v New Zealand (Murrayfield) L 0-3

27th Feb 1954 v Ireland (Ravenhill, Belfast) (FN) L 0-6

10th April 1954 v Wales (Swansea) (FN) L 3-15

8th Jan 1955 v France (Stade Colombes, Paris) (FN) L 0-15

4th Feb 1956 v Wales (Cardiff) (FN) L 3-9

25th Feb 1956 v Ireland (Lansdowne Road, Dublin) (FN) L 10-14

17th March 1956 v England (Murrayfield) (FN) L 6-11

12th Jan 1957 v France (Stade Colombes, Paris) (FN) W 6-0

2nd Feb 1957 v Wales (Murrayfield) (FN) W 9-6

23rd Feb 1957 v Ireland (Murrayfield) (FN) L 3-5

16th March 1957 v England (Twickenham) (FN) L 3-16

1st Feb 1958 v Wales (Cardiff) (FN) L 3-8

For more details on Robert MacEwen click here

Above programme cover and teamsheet from the Somerset v Middlesex match played on 10th March 1955. Clifton players Tuttiett and Corbett are in the Somerset side which Tuttiett captains. This appears to be a friendly match that Somerset played against the 1954-55 County Champions, Middlesex.

1955-1956

The death of Clifton Groundsman William Saunders was announced on February 15th 1956. William served as Groundsman for 20 years between the two World Wars.

Above William Saunders

John David Currie (nicknamed Muscles) selected for England (Lock) while playing for Oxford University, Clifton, Harlequins and Bristol. Born 3rd May 1932 in Clifton, Bristol. Died 8th December 1990. John Currie started playing for Clifton while still at Bristol Grammar School in the 2nd half of the 1950-51 season when only 19 and then went on to Wadham College, Oxford where he gained 4 rugby blues. A noted cricketer he played 9 times for Oxford University (1956 and 1957) and one match for Somerset in 1953 against Leicestershire scoring 4 and 13. In 1959 he played in 3 Second XI matches for Gloucestershire. He is the most capped Clifton International.

John D. Currie

INTERNATIONAL RECORD: England Appearances 1956-58

Career Record: P25, W14, D6, L5, Tries 0, Cons 2, Pen 4, DropG 0

21st Jan 1956 v Wales (Twickenham) (FN) L 3-8

11th Feb 1956 v Ireland (Twickenham) (FN) W 20-0

17th March 1956 v Scotland (Murrayfield) (FN) W 11-6

14th April 1956 v France (Colombes) (FN) L 9-14

19th Jan 1957 v Wales (Cardiff Arms Park) (FN) W 3-0

9th Feb 1957 v Ireland (Lansdowne Road) (FN) W 6-0

23rd Feb 1957 v France (Twickenham) (FN) W 9-5

16th March 1957 v Scotland (Twickenham) (FN) W 16-3

18th Jan 1958 v Wales (Twickenham) (FN) D 3-3

1st Feb 1958 v Australia (Twickenham) W 9-6

8th Feb 1958 v Ireland (Twickenham) (FN) W 6-0

1st March 1958 v France (Colombes) (FN) W 14-0

15th March 1958 v Scotland (Murrayfield) (FN) D 3-3

17th Jan 1959 v Wales (Cardiff Arms Park) (FN) L 0-5

14th Feb 1959 v Ireland (Lansdowne Road) (FN) W 3-0

28th Feb 1959 v France (Twickenham) (FN) D 3-3

21st March 1959 v Scotland (Twickenham) (FN) D 3-3

16th Jan 1960 v Wales (Twickenham) (FN) W 14-6

13th Feb 1960 v Ireland (Twickenham) (FN) W 8-5

27th Feb 1960 v France (Colombes) (FN) D 3-3

19th March 1960 v Scotland (Murrayfield) (FN) W 21-12

7th Jan 1961 v South Africa (Twickenham) L 0-5

20th Jan 1962 v Wales (Twickenham) (FN) D 0-0

10th Feb 1962 v Ireland (Twickenham) (FN) W 16-0

24th Feb 1962 v France (Colombes) (FN) L 0-13

He gained his first 8 caps while playing for Clifton and Oxford University. His next 14 while at Harlequins, he joined Bristol in 1961 where he gained his last 3 England caps. He was an England selector from 1986 to 1988 and also Harlequins Chairman from 1980 to 1988. He died on Dec. 8th 1990 aged 58. When asked by a reporter why he had been inactive in some of the line-outs in front of the West Stand during an England trial, he answered: "I only jump on the other side of the field. Then the selectors can see my number on my jersey when I go up."

For more details on John Currie click here

1956-57

Above Clifton 4 XVs at Clifton College. Date thought to be between 1954 and 1960

1957 - Michael D. Corbett joins from Bristol. Son of the legendary Bristol, Gloucestershire and England captain Len Corbett. He rose to Vice-Captain of the 1st XV

Michael D. Corbett

Standing (L-R): P.J.Williams (Chairman Selection Committee), J.R.Bryan (Hon.Treas), M.J.Hill, R.H.Thomas, E.McCail, R.Muller, G.Hozarth, D.Wilton, R.Redman, M.Corbett, J.J.Watkins, P.J.Down (Chairman), A.J.Owens Britton (Hon.Sec). Seated: G.H.Tucker, F.Hill, G.A.Gibbs (Captain), G.G.Babbage (President), G.E.Green, D.G.Pratten, D.C.Bendall. On Ground: E.C.Thomas, P.J.Storkey, J.B.Westlake, D.G.Golledge, J.B.Dalziel.

Above Michael Corbett in the 1947-48 Bristol squad.

Above programme cover and teamsheet for the match v Weston-super-Mare played on January 19th 1957.

1958

Ex Clifton College and Clifton RFC player David Cecil Mills plays for Cambridge in the Varsity match. He also played for Cornwall and went on to play for Harlequins.

For more details on David Mills click here

1959-60

Back Row (L-R): D.Walter (Hon. Team Sec.), J.V.Smith (Stroud), S.H.Davies (Gloucester), T. Wynn Jones (Bristol), R.A.Garrett (Clifton), M.G.Ellery (Bristol), J.Radford (Bristol), D.E.J.Watt (Bristol), P.Ford (Gloucester), L.D.Watts (Bristol), G.E.Wright (Hon Sec Refs Assoc.), C.J.Humby (Sec.), F.Blackwell (President), E.J.Parfitt (Vice Pres.). Middle Row: R.Fowke (Stroud), J.Thorne (Bristol), T.E.Base (Bristol), G.Cripps (Captain) (Bristol), I.W.Sheen (Gloucester), G.W.Hastings (Gloucester), D.W.Neate (Bristol). Front Row: M.Booth (Gloucester), A.J.Holder (Gloucester).

Above the Gloucestershire side that played Cornwall on 24th October 1959.