The Oldest Club in the Borders

Langholm Rugby Football Club was formed in 1871 after three sons of the local tweed manufacturers, William Scott, Alfred Moses and William Lightbody, who had returned to the town having been educated in Public Schools in England invited the young men of the town to join them in this game they had learned, “Foot Ball” as it was called then.

This invitation was so well received that Scott had to walk between the assembled throng to divide them into two teams. After this introduction it was decided to form a club and a meeting took place in the Buccleuch Hotel where William Scott emerged as a natural leader and was appointed Captain, President, Secretary and Treasurer all in one. The name Scott would become synonymous with the club and one of his descendants, Tom Scott would become the first Langholm player to be capped for Scotland in 1896, would be first Border man to be President of the Scottish Rugby Union from 1914-1920 and would present the silver cup to the club in 1930 which is known as the Scott Challenge Cup and was to be presented to the winners of the Sevens each year.

As Langholm were the first club in the Borders, in fact the first outside the rugby playing schools of the central belt games were hard to organise and early games took place between the Old and the New town. On 23rd March 1873 Langholm first played a team from Carlisle so beginning the series of the oldest club international in the world, which continues to this day. Games against Border clubs were arranged as clubs were formed and Langholm first played Hawick in 1874 and Gala in 1877. When the South first played against Edinburgh there were three Langholm players in the side and although they lost the match it was T.Grieve of Langholm who scored the solitary try, the first for the South.

The Langholm side played their early matches on the Castleholm until in 1898 the Duke of Buccluech offered them the use of a patch of land north of the town known as Scotsholm. This piece of land is now known as Milntown, the home of Langholm Rugby Football Club.

In Season 1901/02 five border clubs, Gala, Hawick, Jed-Forest, Langholm and joined together to form the Border League – the first competitive league competition in the rugby world which is still going strong to this day.

During war years Langholm struggled for players and had to recruit soldiers from the barracks in Carlisle. After the war the economic prosperity of the town and with it the high quality of rugby declined and did not return until the 1950’s

The club started to come back to form in 1954-55 and in this year Jimmy Maxwell was selected to play for Scotland and, in the following year Christie Elliot earned the 1st of his 11 international caps. Club has provided eight full Scottish international, several at age level and two female internationals.

1958/59 was the golden year for Langholm rugby as they swept aside all before them and became unofficial Scottish Champions and Border League Champions. Following their end of season win at Melrose which saw them crowned Champions they were presented with the trophy by the Border League President, Hector Munro, who by a happy coincidence was also President of Langholm at the time. At the end of the season Langholm were the only undefeated senior side in British rugby.

Sevens

Although Langholm was the first club formed in the Borders they did not hold their own Sevens until some time after they were first held at Melrose in 1882. Gala (1884), Hawick (1885) and Jed forest (1894) had all been holding tournaments for some time before the first Sevens were held at Milntown in 1908.

Langholm did, however, organise a local seven-a-sides sports on the Castleholm on 16th October 1886 in conjunction with Langholm Town Band who held a Brass Band contest. James Scott and Sons of Waverley Mills (remember William Scott) beat Hotson the Builders, who helped build the Monument on Whita, by one goal and two tries to nil in the final. The drop goal competition was won by John Elliot with a kick from 136 feet or 42 metres!

Early Success

The club had attended the other Border clubs tournaments prior to holding their own and had enjoyed some success, in fact they won Hawick Sports in 1899 and can claim to have set a record by winning 28 cups for rugby in one day as each of the winning players received four silver egg cups on a stand.

Langholm Rugby Club

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