Our History

Our story starts, on Armistice Night 1929, when the Rector of St. Andrews Church decided there needed to be an outlet for the high spirits of the young men of the town, and so founded a boys' club, of which one part was the rugby section. The club was known as St Andrews Boy's Club and from 1930, thanks to the enthusiasm and fundraising efforts of the Reverend Parsons, a ground was rented at Mill Road, and the club used St John's Hall as its base.

In their first season, the club played nine games against school sides, the first of which was against St Matthew's School. Under the captaincy of William (Bill) Howlett the club won by eighteen points to three. Three other games were won four lost, and a draw.

In the following season, the club still played against school sides, including one against Rugby School on the close with the school winning by 39 points to nil. The match was refereed by an England international, Harold Kittermaster who had the distinction of scoring a try against the touring All Blacks of 1925 known as the 'Invincibles'.

Over the next two seasons, the team began to play senior lever games against the second teams of sides such as Lutterworth, Old Laurentians, and Long Buckby. 1935 proved to be a watershed for the club, on the strength of their record over the previous two seasons the first fifteen reformed as Saint Andrews Old Boys while the Boys Club continued to run its own parallel team.

Playing strength was supplemented by an influx of boys from distessed areas of Wales, and these later formed their own side, initially known as St Andrews's Welsh and which eventually became Rugby Welsh.