Darts on the radio and a new rugby club for the town. Looking back to 1959. (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Rugby back and a new cricket pavilion is in the pipeline in 1959
12:10pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in Andover By Sports editor Kerry Miller
Wendy Buckell, Susan Swain, Janet Shears, Pauline Baker and Pauline Broad of Andover Athletics Club along with captain Ruth Reynolds pictured in the summer of 1959 with the Chamber of Commerce Trophy
Sports editor Kerry Miller looks back at 1959 when Andover FC had 16 professionals to pick from, there was darts on the radio and rugby returned to the town.....
The turn of the year into 1959 was heralded by much talk of a multi-use sports centre in Andover with the then mayor Cllr Harrison to the forefront in discussions on what was described then as what the Leisure Centre is today.
The first of numerous meetings ended with a beginning figure projected and estimated at £50,000.
At the same time the Borough Council were in discussion regarding spending $5,000 on a new pavilion for the combined sports grounds in London Road and Vigo Road.
Across town at RAF Andover rugby made a welcome return to the town after many moons as Winchester RFC, containing many Andover-based players, took on AWRE Aldermaston and it proved to be a catalyst for new interest in the game. Later in October there were efforts made to start a new rugby club in Andover and on Monday October 5 a meeting was called by Richard Egremont of Eastover Farm, Abbotts Ann and Jim Fisher, master of Harcourt School at Weyhill, at the Star and Garter .
The assembled heard that around a dozen men wished to play but they needed a nucleus of 20 and such was the enthusiasm that the new club was formed on the day and named Andover Rugby Club with a home ground billed as RAF Andover. Training would be held in the RAF gym and colours were to be all black. Jim Fisher was appointed captain with Miss P Brown as club secretary. The first game was against Havant Extra A and N Boulting went down as the historic first try scorer in a 22-3 victory.
The first line up was N Boulting, Murphy, M Austin, J Kirby, M Tooley, R Egremont, T O’Connor, B Thomas, T Carder, C Thorne, D Marlow, Lewis, J Bartley and M Waldren.
Full page of sport from 1959 in Friday's Advertiser.
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