Unveiled this afternoon is an excellent new event on the rugby-sporting calendar.
The CHELTENHAM RUGBY FESTIVAL will make its bow on Friday 2 May at the Prince of Wales Stadium in the beautiful Regency town of Cheltenham and will comprise two major elements:
1. All Golds Cup
Named in honour of the famous New Zealand team that defeated England in Cheltenham on February 15 1908.
This will be a 9-a-side event for senior teams. Eight sides will take part, Click here for the Rules & Regulations.
It will be played under floodlights between 6 - 9.30pm.
A further announcement will be made in due course confirming what will be a very attractive line up.
William "Massa" Johnston Award
This will be awarded to the player of the tournament and is named in honour of this fine New Zealand forward who score the winning try for the All Golds in the last minutes of the game to secure an 8 - 5 victory.
2. 1908 Cup
Named in order to commemorate this famous year in the history of world rugby when this ground breaking first ever deciding Rugby League Test took place on February 15 1908 in Cheltenham.
This will be a 9-a-side event for eight local schools at year 8.
It will be played in the afternoon preceding the All Golds Cup
Arthur Smith Award
This will be awarded to the player of the tournament and is named in honour of the outstanding Gloucestershire rugby player who joined the celebrated Oldham Rugby League club.
He then represented England and played for his country against the All Golds in Cheltenham in 1908 as referred to above.
This exciting new venture is being organised by the Gloucestershire County Rugby League in partnership with Cheltenham Borough Council and the Tourist Board.
Cheltenham will have a new Festival this summer. Alongside Jazz, Science, Music, Literature and, of course, horse racing, comes rugby.
Perhaps not a sport you immediately associate with the Regency Spa town but Cheltenham’s rugby heritage is rich particularly in the 13-a-side game.
Having recently unveiled a plaque commemorating the pioneering 1908 New Zealand rugby league tourists, the Gloucestershire County Rugby League in partnership with the Cheltenham Borough Council and the Tourist Board have announced a festival of rugby on Friday 2 May.
The event is intended to dovetail neatly with the Rugby Football League’s Millennium Magic event in Cardiff on the weekend of 3-4 May. “We hope to entice people on their way to Millennium Magic to stop off in Cheltenham and take in this event. They may even wish to stay in the area while they travel to Cardiff for Millennium Magic,” said Duncan Ogilvie, Head of Rugby league Development for Gloucestershire.
Millennium Magic showcases the Super League’s 12 clubs who play a round of fixtures in the Welsh capital, three matches on the Saturday and three on the Sunday.
The Cheltenham Rugby Festival comprises two main events and there is a third for those unable to reach Cardiff.
The Festival’s main event on Friday 2 May will be the All Golds Cup. Named in honour of the New Zealand team that defeated England in the first-ever deciding league Test took place in Cheltenham on February 15, 1908, it will be a nine-a-side event for eight senior teams under rugby league rules. The matches will be played under floodlights between 6pm and 9.30pm.
Preceding this event will be the 1908 Cup, which commemorates the year of the match at Cheltenham’s Athletic Ground.
This will also be a nine-a-side event but for eight local schools at Year Eight and will take place between 1pm and 4.30pm. Entry fee for the Festival is £5 for adults, £1 for children. There is ample free parking by the Prince of Wales Stadium.
The following day, Gloucestershire Warriors open their home programme in the 2008 Co-Operative Rugby League Conference Premiership Midlands Division campaign with an exciting-looking fixture against Nottingham Outlaws. This game takes place at Chosen Hill FP RFC, Brookfield Road, Churchdown and kicks off at 2.30pm.
Cheltenham has a long history of holding rugby league matches having hosted numerous student and representative matches including a GB v France Student international that Martyn Sadler, Managing Editor of League Express, and Lionel Hurst organised in the mid 1980s played at Whaddon Road – the home of Cheltenham Town Football Club.
In 1998 the Cheltenham Warriors were formed and played for a season and a half at the Prince of Wales Stadium before moving to Chosen Hill and becoming the Gloucestershire Warriors.
Four years later, in 2002, the Cheltenham Rugby League Festival was held over a three-week period where the semi finals and Grand Final of the Rugby League Conference competition were played as well at the final fixture in the Four Nations Tournament between England and Wales where the Dragonhearts became the first country to raise the Cheltenham Regency Trophy after defeating England 26-18.
The beautiful Regency town of Cheltenham boasts the finest main street in Western Europe and is an excellent stopping off point on the journey to Cardiff where you can sample the varied choice of shops restaurants and bars. Alternatively, why not stay in the town - only 40 minutes away by train and less than an hour by car.
Cheltenham is fast emerging as the festival capital of the country and Rugby Festival founder and Tournament Director Lionel Hurst states:
"Having recently celebrated the birth of international Rugby League in Cheltenham with the unveiling of the Centenary plaque to commemorate the famous clash between England and the New Zealand All Golds which was played in the town in 1908 it seemed only right and proper that the " great match " of the Edwardian period should be immortalised with the creation of both the All Golds and 1908 Cups.
“I am especially keen to place on record our appreciation of the encouragement and support received from the Cheltenham Borough Council and the Tourist Board.
“The Cheltenham Rugby Festival is destined to become a colourful addition to the nation's sporting calendar."
Cheltenham Borough Council’s Tourism Manager, Angie Rowlands added: "Cheltenham is an attractive and beautiful Regency town. It is also the Festivals Capital of the Country.
“The Cheltenham Rugby Festival is an excellent addition to our events portfolio and we are very pleased to support it. It is very exciting to be having a new rugby festival in the borough especially as Cheltenham was the birthplace of international rugby league.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the many participants and supporters who will undoubtedly enjoy the numerous delights of historic Cheltenham."
Further information can be found on the Cheltenham Borough Councils Website.
Chris Wilson
Media Manager, Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC
Tel: +44 (0)1684 850903
Mobile: + 44 (0)7905 931033
Email: Here.
about GR
L e a g u e
The Gloucestershire Rugby League is an organisation for local rugby league clubs in Gloucestershire. Our main activity currently is to promote rugby league through the County and give useful information about our sport to the public of Gloucestershire.
