Cheltenham set to honour the original All Golds touring side
The Cheltenham Civic Society has granted permission for the creation and display of a green plaque on the site. A green plaque will now be erected and unveiled on the site of the original Cheltenham Rugby Union ground on 15 February, at 3.00pm, exactly 100 years since the landmark Rugby League match.
The 100 year anniversary of the first ever series deciding Rugby League International match is to be celebrated with the creation and unveiling of a plaque on the site of the original match in Cheltenham.
The plaque will honour the Centenary of the clash in which the New Zealand All Golds defeated the Northern Union (England) team 8-5 to clinch the series 2-1 in Cheltenham on 15 February 1908. The match was played at the Athletic Ground, the former home of Cheltenham Rugby Union Club.
The decision to commemorate this historic occasion was taken after an initiative led by Cheltenham based lawyer Lionel Hurst and letters of support from Tony Collins, Professor of the Social History of Sport at Leeds Met Carnegie and from David Evans the Secretary of Cheltenham Rugby Union.
New Zealand Rugby League representative Andrew Chalmers said: “We are pleased to see the original All Golds touring team being commemorated in this way. The recent tour has been all about remembering and honouring the All Golds. We marked the 100th anniversary of that famous venture with the Centenary International in Warrington. That was a truly memorable occasion. Winning the series at Cheltenham in 1908 was one of the greatest achievements in New Zealand. That tour showed how a team can triumph over adversity and we're delighted the original All Golds are being celebrated this way”.
The series victory by the All Golds was all the more remarkable as the touring team had only ever played to Union rules previously. The New Zealand team adapted to the Northern Union rules so quickly that they won 19 and drew two of their 35 games including the two wins to clinch the Test Series.
They then returned to the Southern Hemisphere to launch Rugby League in Australia although the tour ended in tragedy as Albert Henry Baskerville who orchestrated the All Golds tour caught influenza and pneumonia on the journey home and died.
To remember this great pioneer of Rugby League Great Britain and New Zealand still contest the Baskerville Shield. Indeed Great Britain defeated New Zealand in the Gillette Fusion Test Series played in the autumn of 2007.
Among those attending the unveiling are Kevin Nicholas, the President of the Rugby Football League, John Henry, the Chairman of the Civic Society, John Rawson, the Mayor of Cheltenham and Martin Horwood MP along with representatives from the New Zealand Rugby League and Cheltenham Rugby Union.
As a result of the interest created by the centenary unveiling a business and sports club, to be named the “All Golds Club”, will be launched in the town in 2008.
The new club would like to invite applications from well appointed hotels who would be interested in hosting the associated business and social events.
For further information please contact Lionel Hurst directly on 01242 233 371.
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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.
