About Sutton Coldfield Rugby Football Club
1. Overview
This developing section of the website attempts to consolidate the vast history of a club one hundred years in the making. Hopefully it will enlighten visitors to the website and encourage a further recollection of Sutton Coldfield RUFC by current and former members to appropriately record the impact it has had on its community.
The intention is to create an ‘accurate as possible’ account of the club’s history.
From its embryonic beginnings in 1921, up to the present contemporary facilities and bars, the club continues to remain committed to improvement. We have named some influential people although this list is not exhaustive and if you feel there are others who require mention, then please contact us.
The club understands that placing photographs and information on a web site is controversial however it has proved impossible to contact all ex-members.
Sutton Coldfield RUFC apologises if any inconvenience is caused.
Should anyone require an image or reference to them removing from the web site please contact the club via email to the web site link.
Should any member wish to submit memoirs or team/group photographs for consideration please feel free to contact the club.
2. 1921 - Early Beginnings
In the early years of the 20th Century, interest in the game of rugby started to spread to the townsfolk of the Royal Town and in 1921 a group of young sportsmen formed a team to take on similar minded men from Stourbridge and the Sutton Coldfield Rugby Football Club was born.
Records show that the 'Sutton club' was formed in late 1921 and after an initial period of training and learning the new game, the enthusiastic young men of Sutton challenged Stourbridge to a formal contest in January 1922 and so the 1921/22 season saw SCRFC enter the Rugby Union as a competitive team against serious opposition. History also tells us that Stourbridge Rugby Club, originally formed in 1876, as a branch of Stourbridge Cricket Club, disbanded in 1893 reformed in 1921 in time to take on the fixture with Sutton Coldfield Rugby Football Club.
During their formative years through the 1920's the newly formed Sutton club appears to have had a somewhat nomadic existence playing in local parks and basing themselves at public houses for their social life. Received wisdom suggests that they used the Halfway House between Sutton and Mere Green as their base for a while in the late 20's but we know for certain that by the 1930's the club had established their Head Quarters at the Three Tun's Public House on the High Street. Evidence for the fact; a fixture card for the 1934/35 season courtesy of the redoubtable Denis Featherstone Dodd (1914 to 2007).
Denis joined the club when he left school in December 1931 and he played his first game for the 3rd XV in Jan 1932 gaining promotion into the 1st XV during 1934/35 before moving to London as a qualified Chartered Accountant in 1938/39. He was then drafted into the war effort. Unfortunately, during the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940, Denis was injured and separated from his unit, later he was reported missing in action. Presumed dead, his rugby friends back home joined his family in mourning his loss, so imagine their surprise when at the inaugural meeting in 1946, marking the reformation of the rugby club after the war, in walked the 'dearly departed' Denis F. Dodds, large as life. He had survived the retreat but not realising he had been reported dead, never thought to tell anyone he was very much alive! He went on to serve the club as player, chairman and benefactor. Finally attending home games as a supporter, accompanied by his loving daughter, Lindsay, showing his love and support for the club he joined from school in 1931 and supported well into his advanced years until his death in 2007; A man Sutton Rugby Club can be and is truly proud of. The committee room still carries his name to this day.
It is notable that in spite of having no rugby playing schools in the local area feeding new players, within a decade Sutton had built up a formidable reputation and a strong fixture list including opposition such as; Wolverhampton, Evesham and Loughborough plus local sides like Kings Norton and Aston Old Ed's, and on a good day the 1st XV were able to field four county players of their time; namely, Alex Esstemont, Ernest Ollis, Iris Charles and John Embleton.
From their inception in1921, Sutton drew a steady stream of talented rugby players to the club as they gradually strengthened their fixture list and produced performances, which not only entertained locals but also attracted County Standard players to their ranks and they progressed steadily through the 20's and 30's running up to 3 teams on a weekly basis before the impact of the war took its toll in 1939.
Sutton restarted after the war and from the inaugural meeting in 1946 once again started to rebuild its player base.
3. The 50's and 60's
Although attracting a strong player base through the 20's & 30's, Sutton were not successful at setting down roots, with a permanent clubhouse and pitches eluding them. Like most other clubs, Sutton suffered severely in the war and their restart was seriously curtailed by the fact that the excellent ground at Coppice Farm, Four Oaks, to which they had moved from Falcon Lodge before the war, was no longer available. The post war period saw Sutton successfully lease three successive temporary grounds from Sutton Borough Council, with changing facilities first in a local works canteen and then in a disused Air Raid Decontamination Centre. As the club made its way into the 1953/54 season, it saw a fortuitous move to Hollyfield Road, providing the club, at last, with its own clubhouse and changing facilities alongside first & second team pitches, with ready access to further pitches in Rectory Park for the socially ranked sides, which was required as the playing membership grew.
Through the 50's and 60's, although there was no RFU league structure, the only measure of a club's success was the strength of their fixture list and of course the number of games they won plus the number of County players they could claim. This final measure was often considered a lottery because the Warwickshire County side tended to come from clubs based around Coventry, like Coventry RFC, who were clearly ahead of clubs like Sutton in the pecking order.
Sutton called Hollyfield Road home for 23 successful years and enjoyed the clubhouse and facilities it offered but eventually the first team pitches, which all too often turned to mud after heavy rain and the clubhouse, baths and changing rooms were past their best. Despite the worry of yet another move, the club needed a facility that reflected the ambition of its members.
4. The 70's and 80's - Walmley Road
In 1972, a 16 acre site on Walmley Road came under serious consideration as it appeared to offer the promised land on which Sutton could build their future. Club officials were invited by the outgoing Sutton Coldfield Borough Council to develop the agricultural land as a sports area on a long term lease in conjunction with Four Oaks Cricket Club. As the plans for the site grew stronger it was decided to form the Sutton Coldfield Recreational Trust, a registered charity which would oversee the development of the site and provide support and protection with considerable financial benefits. The Charitable Trust Deed was granted on 23rd Aug 1974 and although having only limited capital of £10,000 at the outset, the Trust succeeded in negotiating loans to the value of £50,000 and grants of £20,000. These were used so that in September 1977 the Walmley facilities were completed at an initial cost of £95,000.
The grand opening on 2nd October 1977, was an official Ceremony conducted by Sir Anthony Wharton C.B.E., T.D., D.L., a rugby man, who went on to establish the Sir Anthony Wharton Rugby Football Trust providing funds and support to grassroots clubs to this day. Also present in the party was Denis F. Dodd, as Sutton President and together with the Presidents of the Rugby Union and Warwickshire Rugby Union plus a Warwickshire County XV, there was plenty of prestige on show and although the clubhouse needed some final touches, the day went well for all concerned.
All this was achieved by the hard work and dedication, negotiating skills and vision of the Trust and Rugby Club committee members. At the head of it all was the previously mentioned Denis F. Dodd, who had taken on his second term as Club President in 1974 to oversee the move alongside the redoubtable Roger Smoldon.
Roger, who joined the club in 1964 having moved to a teaching post in Birmingham from the Southwest, took on the role of Club Chairman in the 1971/72 season and was one of the main driving forces behind the move to Walmley Road, as well as many other initiatives that saw the club flourish and grow through the 70's and into the 90's. His efforts came to an abrupt end in 1995 as Roger suffered a stroke and whilst luckily he survived, he was confined to a wheelchair which curtailed the sterling work he had undertaken during his 24 year tenure as Chairman.
Sadly, Roger died in 2002 and was greatly missed by the many institutions and individuals he served, not only the rugby club, as player, captain and chairman but also he was Headmaster at Four Dwellings Comprehensive School, Quinton, Chairman of St John's Ambulance in Sutton, Chairman of Sutton Carnival for many years and a Magistrate - no one knows where he found the time or energy to fit in all these well run activities, with a family of three boys and a hardworking wife, Margaret, who managed everything he couldn't, especially doing teas and after-match meals in the kitchen.
In recognition of his many years of dedicated service to the Club, including the instrumental role he played in establishing the Walmley Road site as the new home for SCRFC, the site was renamed the Roger Smoldon Ground in his honour and carries the tribute to this day.
Once the Trust and rugby club took over the Walmley Road ground, they quickly established 5 senior rugby pitches for winter use with two giving way to the cricket pitch for the summer season. Additional work was carried out on the car parks, roadway, lounge bar and upstairs function rooms and kitchen. In 1982, the club was unexpectedly able to purchase land of its own with an additional 6 acres of land adjacent to the cricket pitch and developed to provide two permanent mini rugby pitches plus two additional senior full size rugby pitches at the far end of the ground adjacent to the recently completed housing estate which borders the rugby club site.
A big plus for the Club is the thriving mini & junior section which started in 1971, providing Sunday morning rugby for under 7's through to under 16's, so the club were 'providing rugby for all ages' on a large scale. Sutton were very much to the fore in providing facilities for young rugby players and under the early chairmanship of clubmen like Chris Aulman and Mike Dudley and a strong team of willing parents, coaches and volunteers the mini & junior section had a vibrant spirit and the junior game at Sutton blossomed.
The early investment paid off and the Sunday morning family section is stronger than ever to this present day, giving Sutton the strong player base it needs. Home grown players make up the majority of 1st team players last year and many have progressed to higher ranked clubs.
As Sutton moved through the 60's and 70's and made the significant move to Walmley Road, much better playing conditions and facilities led to an increase in player numbers and the well organised club boasted 6 senior teams each weekend, with a Colts side and an occasional Vet's XV. However, the praise for getting 6 teams out on a Saturday does not go to the Captains of the top teams but to fine clubmen like Pat Carney, who captained the 6th team through the 80's and if he had 18 players on Friday he would be lucky to have 5 left on Saturday due to call-up's from higher teams but Pat used his address book magnificently and always got a team out! More recently Dave Bunn followed by Danny Price, have inspired more locals, either new to the game or returning to it after a few years out, to turn out for the Sutton Casuals who maintain the high standards of social rugby with beer and camaraderie.
During the strong period of growth in membership, the club operated a very well managed selection committee process, which met each Sunday morning to discuss the games from the day before and select the teams for the next weekend. The selection committee was very well supported, first under the chairmanship of Simon Yeo, who was followed by the equally successful Peter Moore. The committee sent a selector to each game and together with the team captain a verbal report was given to the committee on the team's performance and the performance of any individual players of note for advancement into higher teams. The committee was very successful and a great benefit to the club when the playing numbers were high so the process continued for many seasons but gradually the game and social habits started to change.
1987 onwards - The League Structures;
The RFU rugby league structure was introduced in 1987 and based on their fixture list and results, Sutton were placed in the Courage League Midlands 2 West, which seemed about right as they finished mid table in their first season. Two years later however, Sutton went on to win promotion to Midlands 1 when they beat Stafford away to secure promotion in the season 1988/89.
That Promotion was achieved under the 1st XV manager and strong clubman, Dick Harris, who also served as President in his time. On the day the team was led to victory by club captain Ken Lewis but the victory was orchestrated by Sutton's fly half at the time Mike Jenning. As luck would have it, after steering Sutton to Midlands 1 in 1989, Mike stepped up to become club captain the following season (1989/90) guiding Sutton safely through their first season in Midlands 1 but then he had to move to the East Midlands and his services were lost, along with the 1st XV team manger Dick Harris, who had to step down when he started a new career by setting up a very successful driving school, which saw many young rugby players through their driving test.
Qualified coaches were in short supply around this time, however Sutton did have the services of one John Kimberley, a teacher who was pressed into service and brought a new approach to the coaching role transforming the coaching sessions at Sutton and taking a more professional line. Alan Wilkes, a former Sutton player stepped up to become assistant to John and all was going well until John was approached to take up a teaching post down South, which he accepted and was succeeded as 1st XV coach by Alan Wilkes. Alan worked hard with the 1st XV but a lack of resources and time prevented him working with the lower teams, who followed training routines directed by their captains, which was not ideal but was the norm at the time.
5. The 90's - Inclusivity
On the plus side ex-England International Graham Robbins made a welcome return to his home club around the early 90's, taking a senior coaching role and playing the occasional game. This obviously lifted the team and it was good to see him wearing the green of Sutton again. Unfortunately Sutton saw a dip in their playing fortunes despite this talismanic figure around this time and they only survived the one season in Midlands 1, before dropping down two leagues to Midlands 3 in successive seasons. With the appointment of Nic Sporcic as head coach and Andy Beeton as club captain (3 seasons 1992 to 1995), Sutton stopped the rot and held their place before they won promotion in their second season pipping Bromsgrove at the post in a close fought campaign promoting Sutton back to Midlands 2 West in 1993. Sutton consolidated this promotion in their first season and were then joined by Bromsgrove, who gained promotion a season later than Sutton.
Sutton became trend setters in another way in the 1990 season by establishing the first ever Women's team in the City. Coached by Bob Champion and later joined by Graham Robbins, Paul Smith and Phil Proctor the team made an impressive start, progressing to League Champions in the 1993/4 season. Similar to the first Men's fixture, the first Women's fixture is well remembered as an away trip to St Albans where players like Benny McFadzean and Jackie Robbins led the embryonic team. Unfortunately, the club couldn't maintain the player base at this point and the team faultered but returned early in the next millennium with the next pack of sporting Suttonians.
In 1991, ever looking to the future, the Trust and rugby club undertook a major extension to the building. They created a new structure complementing the existing one, housing a fitness room, a referee's room and a sports hall with a soft fibre sand floor to provide an all weather training facility, the latter was one of the first of its kind in the country and attracted a lot of interest from visiting teams including those in the top flight.
This time the driving seat was occupied by Eric Rankin, who was involved in the original negotiations and planning which secured the deal on the site and then key benefactors like Bob Greswell and Peter Maxwell Jones, who not only played for the club but had deep pockets when it came to financing new projects. The newly developed upstairs lounge bar was named the Greswell Room which opened in October 1988 and the new Fitness Centre opened in February 1993 was named after Peter Maxwell Jones in respect of their significant contributions.
Sutton 1st team finished mid-table in successive seasons 1994, '95 and '96 but the highlight of the 1996 season was the victory at Barkers Butts in the semi-final of the Warwickshire Cup followed by victory over Leamington RFC in the final at the old Coventry RFC ground. Having reached the final in 1977 and 1979 respectively but after suffering disappointment each time, 1996 saw Sutton lift the Prestigious County Trophy for the first time in their 75 year history. At the time, Leamington were hot favourites as they played a league above Sutton in Midlands 1 but under club captain Steve Farrell and orchestrated by Sutton's young and gifted fly half Dan Lockley, Sutton gave a masterclass in game management as they ran their opponents ragged, dominating the lineout with second row partners Mark Boothright and Chris Meakin claiming the ball after astute and accurate ball placement by Sutton's 18 year old fly half Lockley, who was straight out of the Sutton Colts Development team and he was joined in the starting XV by at least 7 other home grown players from the Sutton stable of young players - a huge credit to Sutton to win the Warwickshire Cup for the first time with such a large contingent of home grown talent in their ranks. In the opposition that day were future Sutton players John Swannell and Michael 'Nobby' Styles who joined Sutton once they relocated to the area, so inspired by the style of rugby they saw that day. Nobby went on to captain the 1st XV and John has returned full circle to coach in the Mini and Juniors
Sutton's first success in the Warwickshire Cup Final coincided with the RFU accepting payment of players; after enforcing the principle of no-payment to players of rugby union at any level, including Internationals since its inception. In 1995, the RFU removed all restrictions and the game opened up at all levels from the top National teams through the regional levels to the very lowest tiers, all open to the exploitation or rapid development by clubs with ambitious officials who favoured an enterprising approach to growth and development, a policy which did not work for all.
After serious reflection Sutton decided to stay as an amateur club knowing the risk of losing players to local clubs prepared to pay players on a weekly basis but it certainly proved to be the right decision and although clubs like Lichfield sold their land for housing and used the proceeds to invest heavily in players at their new facilities on the Tamworth Road, none of the Sutton players were tempted by the lucrative offers available. The gifted and most notable players stayed true to Sutton duly paying their weekly match subs and the club went from strength to strength through to the end of the 90's and into the new Millennium.
Sutton celebrated their 75th Anniversary in 1996 as Warwickshire County Champions and Sutton's talented centre Manning Butts took on the mantle of club captain to lead Sutton through the Celebration Year of 1996/97. Manning was one of many talented rugby players, who stayed true to Sutton and was not lured away by talk of money and he served the club loyally until his body told him it was time to retire. Manning was succeeded as club captain by Peter Benson, another highly rated player, who again stayed true to Sutton and served as captain leading the team from scrum half over 3 seasons, covering 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/20, with great success. When he stepped down from the 1st XV level Peter went on to run the Vets and he became chairman of the very successful mini & junior section of the club.
Having been one of the first clubs in the area to establish a mini & junior section it follows that Sutton were one of the leading clubs when it came to establishing a thriving youth wing represented by the Sutton Colts side, so much so that the Colts XV shared the Coventry Standard Cup after a 25-25 draw against Barker Butts in 1987 and they went on to win the Junior version of the Warwickshire Cup in 1995, under the then Colts manager Ben Smoldon, field manager Tom Jones and coach Paul Smith.
6. The 2000's - The new millennium
As Sutton progressed steadily into the 2000's with consistent performances through the seasons, first under the 2 year captaincy of No.8 Ben Crook (2000/02), followed by a further 2 years from Michael (Nobby) Styles (2002/04), they were unaware that clouds were forming on the horizon and the 2002/03 season dealt an unexpected blow to their morale for after the team had finished in an acceptable mid-table position in the Midlands 2 West league and then ended a satisfactory season by winning the Warwickshire Cup for the second time, 7 years after their first success in 1996, the end of season smiles disappeared when the RFU announced that they were restructuring the Midland leagues and Sutton were relegated from 7th place out of a league of 12 teams, as 6 teams went down from Midlands 2 West and only 2 teams went down from the equivalent Midlands 2 East league; presumably it made sense to someone at the RFU but hard to see any logic...ironically Sutton had lost to Bedworth in the league fixture the week before the Cup Final to put them down to 7th then they beat the same Bedworth side in the Cup Final but if they had won the league match and lost the Cup Final they would have stayed up. but that's sport and Sutton had their name on the Warwickshire Cup for a second time!
Luckily the good news for the club as well as winning the Warwickshire Cup in 2003 was the re-invention of the Women's section. Sophie Dent and Jo Sullivan were encouraged to restart the women's side which they agreed to and were later joined by Ruth Walton and Marcia Daniels. This group has remained extremely close over the years and still return regularly to participate in club functions. Again the numbers of players led to a halt to the team until they revived again in 2014.
It was also around this time that Nic Sporcic stepped down after over 10 successful years at the helm which included 2 Warwickshire Cups and a promotion. With Sutton fielding 4 regular senior men's sides each weekend and a full Colts side as well as an occasional Vets XV, together with a flourishing Sunday morning mini & junior section; it was a prime opportunity for newly installed club coaches Matt Nevitt and Sandy O'Hare, who were part of the team of home grown coaches brought in with Stuart Ward, former Sutton and Coventry scrum half as Head Coach and Matt Nevitt former Old Salt's and Sutton centre as 1st XV coach.
After the shock relegation, Sutton bounced along in Midlands 2 West North for a few season's in mid-table under the continuing captaincy of Nobby Styles followed by Jon Baker, who was the players choice to takeover mid season when Nobby was injured and had to stop playing for a while in 2004. Jon served as captain for what remained of 2003/04 and the whole of 2004/05, noting ruefully that it is easier to stay in a higher league than it is to escape a lower league, when you cannot afford one off weekend, to be sure you have to win every week - a real challenge at any level.
Happily, Jon Baker brought Sutton successfully through this difficult period and things picked up again in the 2006/07 season under the captaincy of 2nd row Paul Finnemore ( 2005/07) when Sutton won promotion back to Midlands 1 West as they then hit a fine run of form riding high in the table through 2006/07 into 2007/08, which saw Sutton top of the table in March 2008 but the team also had a successful run in the EDF, Senior Vase reaching the semi-finals, just one win away from a final at Twickenham on the 10th May 2008!
EDF, Senior Vase successful cup run to the Semi-Final, on 15th March 2008.
The successful cup run came as the current club chairman Geoff Fletcher started his first successful tenure as Club Chairman from 2007 to 2012, making him the youngest rugby club chairman in the Country …and Sutton started their impressive run to the Semi-final under the captaincy of Michael (Nobby) Styles, now fully recovered and taking on the role for a second time over 2 seasons, covering 2007 to 2009.
7. 2010's and 2020's - Century up!
Feeling the disappointment but also with pride in what they had achieved in the ED Senior Vase National Competition in 2008, under the very effective coaching regime of Head Coach Matt Nevitt and his staff plus the positive influence of Club Captain Steve McCormack, who led the club through three very successful seasons (2009 to 2012), Sutton continued to perform at the highest level and in 2010 they won the Warwickshire Cup for the third time, again 7 years after the second time, winning the trophy again in 2011.
In 2001, they finished 2nd in Midlands 1 West, earning a play-off against Mansfield for promotion into the National League 3 Midlands.
Devastatingly, Sutton do not have a good record in playoff's having lost all previous ones dating back to the early leagues, when they lost their first to Leamington and so it was in 2011, they lost the game and were denied promotion. Mansfield winning promotion into the National League and Sutton who had to wait another year...
Knowing their aversion to playoff's, in the 2011-12 season, Sutton had a simple plan to make sure of outright promotion, by starting the season with a big win taking them to the top of the table then staying there by winning all their games over a full season they could avoid the dreaded play - off and this plan they executed perfectly by going on a spectacular winning run, which saw them complete 26 league victories in the season, scoring over 1300 points for with less than 300 against, with an average of 50 points per game and a difference of over 1,000 in their favour. As a result they won automatic promotion to join Mansfield in National 3 Midlands, as League Champions - a splendid achievement under club captain Steve McCormack plus outgoing chairman Geoff Fletcher.
But the winning run did not end there as although moving to a higher level of rugby at National 3 Level 5 in 2012/13, under a new captain Brook Davies (2012/13), this remarkable team continued winning for a further 9 games into the new season before they were finally beaten after 35 consecutive victories by Leicester South in a league fixture at Sutton and even then Sutton only lost by 3 points gaining a losing bonus point and at the end of the season they finished in second place and as runners up they found themselves in the dreaded playoff's again for promotion to National 2 Level 4 after only their first season at level 5.
With the real prospect of entering the semi-professional national leagues, the received wisdom asked if the Sutton players and club were ready for this 'large' step up in playing levels and expectations of an amateur club but supported by the new Club
Chairman Jim Haywood & his Committee, it was agreed that if the team could win the playoff they were ready and the club would cope accordingly, if Sutton lost the play-off the players and club were not yet ready for the step up in standards and so it proved.
The embryo of the current very successful Ladies team was first formed around 2014 thanks to the efforts of Hannah Haywood, who had the vision and started things off followed by Sammi Allwood and Liz Fletcher plus Molly Worthington who contributed first as a player then after injury retired to the very effective role of social media manipulator. The efforts of the aforementioned, moved things forward to the point that the project was viable. Thanks to the uncompromising efforts of Charlie Bryne and Emma Cluett as leading players and their partners Nathan Burchell and George Ord respectively, providing valuable coaching skills, aided by Liz Fletcher a player and member of the RFU admin staff plus Tom Foulsham, a willing Sutton rugby man and team manager Gerard Shanahan, they made the break through and in 2017/18 they felt ready to engage in the RFU Ladies League...and quickly became Suttons most successful team in this era with successive unbeaten league seasons gaining them promotion into the National Leagues when they return next season 2021/22, after the Covid break.
As a mark of their rapid success, the Ladies section are now developing a youth section as they are tired of seeing young talent have to go to local clubs to progress their careers. The 1st XV with many promising youngsters in their midst and although the 1st XV faced a stern test when they competed in the National League next season under the captaincy of Katie Gregory, past evidence has shown that they used this challenge to make a positive mark in the new league!
Having missed out once again in the dreaded playoff lottery, in the 2013/14 season Sutton continued to impress on the National 3 stage and under a new captain Dave Edwards (2013/14) the team had another excellent season finishing in the runners up place for the second consecutive season, this time behind a high-flying Ampthill outfit, who had had an injection of cash and improved their player base accordingly. The promotion playoff this time pitted Sutton against a Stockport RFC side, who were looking to make a quick return to National 2 after being relegated the previous season and although the Manchester club were very good hosts, the game went the way of previous playoff dramas, with Sutton just failing to make the grade against experienced and rugby wise opponents.
Sutton returned home as National 3 players and whilst they continued to compete at the National level through the 2014/15 season. The very successful, all beating side started to splinter as jobs and families took players away and older more established Sutton players were starting to drift away from the game to be replaced by young talented players, who had come up through the Sutton junior ranks. Whilst they were gifted players, their bodies and their playing and judgement skills were still developing. Around this time Matt Nevitt, who was Head Coach during the purple patch had become Director of Rugby and understandably his newly appointed replacement player/coach Alex White, who had played a key role at centre and occasionally at fly half in the all conquering team, found that he had a much changed side that was hard to balance with youth, age and experience.
It was during this period of change that Sutton had a succession of club captains, who contributed well whilst in post but moved on in turn for different reasons. 2014-15 saw Fraser Tait take the captains armband but his job took him to London, 2015-16 prop Chris Hanley took on the role but having served Sutton for many seasons man and boy Chris decided to move on and in 2016-17 Jack Woodcock took up the challenge and having led the side superbly from the No.8 position, at the end of the season the enterprising young man decided he and his girlfriend were off to see the world. Happily he is now back in Sutton so fingers crossed for a return to rugby in a green shirt.
After this steady flow of good but passing captains along came club stalwart Sean Harrison, who provided the example and inspiration needed to steady the ship, which he did over 2 seasons, 2017-2018 and 2018-19 before handing over to Dean Ginn in 2019. Dean has recently held the team together'through some difficult and challenging times when faced with adversity the team has always found the power, skill and commitment to overcome previous lapses and save the day with some outstanding performances, the mark of a good captain.
With the Sutton team going through a rebuilding exercise and struggling for consistency in the high powered National 3 environment it was not surprising in 2015/16 when Sutton slipped out of the National leagues back into Midlands 1 West and the ground opened up for a new coaching team to take over the reins. Geoff Fletcher returned to the role of Club Chairman and a new committee in place, the time was perfect for the new coaching set up led by Head Coach Joe Gavin, with Sandy O'Hare as backs coach and Gregg Henderson as forwards coach, to take the players and the club forward into a bright new future.
The immediate future beckons for the Sutton Club with new plans revealed by the RFU;
The recent disrupted seasons in Midlands 1 West have seen fluctuating performances by Sutton's 1st XV players ranging from outstandingly good to disappointing but consistency is growing and in each of the past three seasons Sutton have produced enough good results in the season, for example winning 6 of the last 7 games in 2019/20 to finish in 10th place in a league of 14 teams, above the relegation zone with 3 teams destined for the drop each season. Sutton could not continue to resist 'the drop' however and finally in 2023/4 they succumbed to relegation. A new Director of Rugby, Sean Harrison and a committed group of coaches led by Nathan Burchall and Gem Porteous are spearheading a campaign labelled, 'Rise of the Rose' to attempt to return the club to the heady days of successful National League rugby.
Throughout the decades there have been many excellent Club Presidents but one of the most recent incumbents who presided over the most impressive period of play by any Sutton side was Paul (Bodger) Rogers, who held the post for almost 15 years from 2004 to 2019 attending almost every home and away game played by the 1st team, complete with blazer and club tie he represented Sutton in the most gregarious and light-hearted manner, creating the
best of impressions of the Sutton club amongst our opponents off the field whilst the team impressed on the pitch. Having been a founder member of the old Old Yardlians club many years before, Paul moved to Sutton and was a mainstay of the club as a player for many seasons continuing well into his later years and he even continued playing after he became president so he became one of the few if not the only, playing President in the league of which Sutton were very proud.
Alongside his presidential duties such as presenting the post match player awards after the home games, Paul also ran a very successful Friday evening Quiz in the clubhouse bar on the last Friday each month open to many local quiz teams, until forced to close due to the Covid virus restrictions.
After his many years of fine service, in 2019 Bodger handed over the Presidency of the club to another long serving club stalwart, Derek Green (Del), again an ex player and former team captain, who has served the club well over many years as a very effective chairman of the bar committee and house/function management, so much so that Del has been at the heart of all the good things to happen at the club playing many roles and now he has deservedly taken his place at the head of the admin structure, entering his third season as the Club's Appointed Honorary President - may he enjoy his time in office.
8. Notable Events
An England cap for Sutton's Graham Robbins in Jan 1986;
One particular feel good story in the history of Sutton Colts is the story of Graham Robbins, a former Sutton Colt who moved from Sutton to join Coventry RFC where he progressed to captain the club. He went further to captain Warwickshire County and in November 1983 was selected for a Midlands Division side which recorded a historic 19-13 victory over the touring All Blacks at Welford Road, Leicester. The ultimate accolade came when Graham gained 2 full International Caps for England at No.8 in January 1986. Sadly, Graham suffered a troublesome shoulder injury and was replaced in the England set-up by Dean Richards, who as many know made the England No.8 slot his own for many seasons. Injuries and timing in sport can be cruel and hard to take but the shoulder injury recovered and Graham was able to play again but not at the heady heights and Graham ended his career where it all began at Sutton Coldfield RFC as a player and coach. Graham's proud father, Don Robbins, was a key contributor to the growth and development of the Sutton Club but later turned his attention from Sutton to the Warwickshire RFU becoming County President. He still serves on the various Warwickshire Committee's including the Competitions Committee and Disciplinary Committee well into his 80’s.
Sutton make world news when ladies' captain played in men's game, 1st January 1994.
One Saturday morning, lan McFadzean, captain of the Sutton 3rd team had a problem, his one remaining prop had just cried off and he had no front row for the game that afternoon against a Coventry 3rd XV. His wife who played prop and Ladies Captain for Sutton jokingly said, "I'lI play for you if you are stuck." By 1 o'clock lan was desperate he turned to his wife to fill the vacant place in the front row. Complete with scrum cap to hide her hair and wearing loose fitting Sutton shirt 'Bernadette' took to the field to make up the Sutton team. By all accounts she gave a good account of herself, noting that at that time there was nothing in the laws that said ladies could not compete in the men's game although her opposite number in the scrum kept saying I'm sure I'm playing against a woman but was not taken seriously until the game ended and so to say 'all was revealed'. Coventry enjoyed a comfortable victory and saw the funny side with Sutton honouring the fixture and Bernadette became a worldwide rugby sensation fielding phone calls from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as the word spread through the rugby community and the story grew in the worldwide rugby press.
Success in the face of adversity
Sadly, the one down-side in the history of Sutton was the serious injury suffered by Ben Smoldon, who was playing hooker for the Colts at Burton in October 1991. An unsteady scrum collapsed and unfortunately Ben broke his neck. Ben was just short of his 18th birthday and was paralysed from the neck down. With the help of the skilled spinal injuries teams at QE Medical Centre, Birmingham, Specialist Orthopaedic Unit at Oswestry and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, along with the support of his strong family and friends, Ben had the mental strength and character to come to terms with the hand life had dealt him. He has been an icon, touring the country motivating and helping other people deal with the serious injuries and disabilities they have suffered, setting an excellent example and providing the inspiration needed to everyone he meets. His efforts granted him the honour of carrying the 2012 Olympic flame during its National relay and he continues to raise awareness of the RFU's charity, the Injured Player's Foundation (IPF) which led a number of Sutton Veterans to play at Twickenham in May 2024 where they continued the excellent record of the Midlands Barbarians. Happily married for many years to his childhood sweetheart Claire, with two delightful twin boys, Toby and Oliver, who are a credit to their parents and family. Ben has been a beacon of hope for many people and everyone associated with SCRFC are very proud of him and his family.
Sutton Host Romania and Samoa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup
With Villa Park being used to host matches at the England based World Cup in 2015, the RFU began a project to find local clubs that could provide the facilities to host practice events for the playing nations. During the competition, Romania and Samoa both used the Walmley Road facilities as their training base. On a memorable Sunday morning the team generously welcomed the Colts into their 'huddle' to share a very special 'Rugby Moment' with them. The club also hosted the Webb Ellis Trophy and allowed members to have family photos with the coveted cup.
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