Alberta rugby started in the early 1920's with many
of the fixtures being against Canadian Football teams.
Often, Canadian rules were played in one half and rugby
laws in the other. The Grey Cup was originally for the
Rugby Football Championship of Canada.
During the war, teams played in Fort
Macleod, Claresholm, Calgary, High River, Nanaimo and
Lethbridge based on the RAF Training Stations.
1953 saw the development of various
teams across the province, beginning with Edmonton.
Penhold, Calgary and Claresholm soon followed. The Alberta
Rugby Union was officially named in 1967.
Lethbridge Rugby began in 1971 through
three ex-pats; Geoff Hill, Willie Burrell and John Bhitle.
The newly formed team went under the title of the Lethbridge
Barbarians. In 1972, with financial support from the
Lethbridge Miners Library, the club name was changed
to the Lethbridge Miners and the team joined the Calgary
2nd division. In 1976, the club was incorporated as
the Lethbridge Rugby Football Club and to date it remains
the only club in Alberta with a pure community name,
lacking the usual ethnic and animalistic appendages.
In 1980, with the expansion of the Calgary Union to
4 divisions, Lethbridge dropped to the 3rd division.
The drive and leadership of the club
came from many members, but the efforts of Tom Irvine,
Bernie Ontkean, Craig Hunter, Seamus Skelly and Charles
Anstey deserve especial mention. The club has another
distinction in that it is one of the only two clubs
in Alberta that has their own pitch, clubhouse with
changing rooms and a team bus.
The club has equipped and coached
eight High School teams from LCI, Catholic Central,
Winston Churchill, Vulcan, Fort Macleod, Raymond and
Claresholm.
These achievements are a result of
tremendous fund-raising efforts by all team members.
In late 1987, the University of Lethbridge
Trolls (dare to cross the ‘bridge’) were
formed and the following spring hosted a University
Tournament with teams from Calgary, Edmonton and Montana.
The first touring side, Uppingham
School, recently played the Lethbridge Juniors and held
to a 6 – 6 tie. This event marked the first representative
junior game by the Lethbridge side.
The Lethbridge RFC went to two teams
in the 2nd and 3rd division of Southern Alberta, following
tremendous growth in 1983. In 1982 they had won the
Southern Alberta Championship at 3rd division but lost
13 – 12 to the Edmonton Clansmen in the Provincial
Final. The club has finished in the top three in the
Southern Alberta League every year since 1983, placing
second overall in two seasons. This year [1989], they
are clear league leaders at press time with a record
of 6 wins, 1 loss and 171 total points scored. With
two games remaining to play, both at home, they seem
assured of their first 2nd division Championship.
A large measure of the improvement
over the last three years is due to the coaching of
Bernie Ontkean and the assistance of overseas coaches
from Britain:
1986 – Alan Davies –
England B coach
1987 – Peter Cook – England
B flanker
1988 – Les Barlow – England
U19 coach
– Floyd Steadman – Saracens Middlesex
The upcoming tour marks the first
major overseas trip and is part of the development programme
for our players and club, which started with the coaches
brought over from the UK.
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