Rugby was then played by Gentlemen, beer was bought for pennies and the tide came right up to the Promenade. Southport then played at Victoria Park where the Southport Flower Show is held, and visiting players would walk to the Victoria Baths to wash after the match.
By 1931 the Club was playing at its present location at Waterloo Road with J. C. Lord as Skipper and Dr A W. Limont as President. The club house was re furbished in 1980 and we are presently looking to build a new clubhouse on the other side of the 1st team pitch.
The Club has hosted several prestigious events, notably Lancashire V Northumberland in its centenary year in 1972 ,Lancashire trial matches, and Australia trained at the club for three days prior to their match against The North in 1983. It was then that Mark Ella, one time Wallabies half-back star and lapsed cannibal, complimented our Margaret Jackson for her culinary skills by presenting her with a bouquet of flowers . Margaret declined offers of white slavery as Gordon her husband and present Press Sec had no use for the Dozen Sheep Dowry. We still have the pleasure of sampling Mrs J's culinary delights.
Charles Gibbs represented his county in 1919. Harry Foster, England trialist, finished his playing career with us in the 60’s. In Nov. 1983, with Mark Greenhalgh as captain, the club was voted junior club of the month by Rugby World. Our longest serving playing member, Jeff Windle can remember playing and beating an Orrell 2nd team back in the 60s. John Wright, present Treasurer, captained a Vets side in 1993 who won the Gore Trophy at Liverpool St Helens and Bill Beaumont once spoke at our annual dinner.
We have our fair share
of present and past Lancashire RUFC "Alecados" with Dick Bretherton, Peter Loughlin,
Harry Cartwright, Ted Whitside all doing there bit to put a little back for
all the pleasure and fun that the game has provided them in the past, and we
have the dubious record that our present Chairman Roger Andrews has played for
the 1st team for at least one game for the past 20 seasons.