THE START OF OUR CLUB...

After a number of relatively brief appearances, beginning in 1901 and continuing sporadically until the Second World War, the Toronto Scottish Rugby Football Club finally took hold in the summer of 1953. Rugby was formally organised in Ontario in 1949 and it was the vision of four men, namely, Dan Kinnaird, Dick Geater, Duncan MacGregor and Donald Sinclair who started the Club. All four of these Scotsmen had been associated with other Clubs in the Toronto area. However, with true Scottish spirit, they decided to band together and so we were born...

The early years reaped rewards of excellence for the lads. In their first season, the 1st XV and 2nd XV reached the O.R.U. semi-final stages. During the first ten years of operation, the Club won twelve 7-a-side tournaments - on one occasion, our "A" side played the "B" in the final. The Scottish won the Quebec "7s" five times winning the Dow Trophy outright.

Along with the team success came individual successes. When the Barbarians played Eastern Canada in 1957, five members of the Club played. During this first ten years, every representative game in which Ontario or Eastern Canada played, members of the Club participated. Here is a list of players who were honoured by the Province or Eastern Canada...Harry Archer, Billy Cuthbert, Gordon Findlay, Andy Mac Dowall, Jimmy Ward, Ken Talbot, Lindsay Kipps, Ronald Donaldson, Norman Donaldson, Alistair Whytock, Norm Lee, John Allen, Dick Geater, Ron Sharp, David Bruce Thomas, Ian Nicoll and Iain Greig. It should be noted that Ian Nicholl, Norm Donaldson and Iain Greig combined for eighty representative honours.

With little or no rugby being played in the schools at the time and in order to cope with usual turnover of players, an ongoing and successful recruitment campaign was undertaken in the Sixties. The Club was rejuvenated with a good mix of playing and coaching talent. Names like Hal Rowan, Doug Crawford, Alan Geddis, Ian Rugeroni and John Wlaiko arrived on the scene and a host of others too numerous to mention. Toronto, at this time, was not known to have any sort of pubs. So the Scottish like a lot of other rugby clubs had parties in members residences. Astley Avenue was home to some of the finer parties of the day as was Bayview Avenue and Merton Street. It was in 1969 that 113 Marlborough Avenue was purchased. And the gang arrived to strip the wallpaper, floors and anything else that was required...Members such as Peter Mason, Derek Smith and George Semple all lived there. For a number of years the basement at 113 was the place on a Saturday. The Club bought the home next door and it also became a player tenanted home. Those of us who were here at the time remember the numerous parties and other shenanigans that happened. To protect the innocent and not so innocent, none of the goings-on will be mentioned here. Let 's just take a moment to remember...

In 1971, the Club regained its' position at the top of the league, winning the Ontario Senior League Trophy and the Eastern Canada Championship. The season was capped off with Alan Douglas and Peter Mason being selected to play for Canada..

On January 25, 1973, the Club held its' first "Robert Burns Supper". Donald Sinclair was the president who started this event and it has been a fixture on the Club calender ever since. And not just on out social calender, it has become a premier Burns Supper nationally and internationally. In 2002, there were over 350 people in attendance. This has become the number one fund-raising event for the Club.

In 1974, the Club attempted to develop a downtown fitness club on Nelson Street. However, due to circumstances, it was not finalised and it cost the club and certain members a lot of money. In order to reimburse those members who had saved the Club's financial life, the Club appointed 28 people "life members". For those of members who wondered ...why do we have so many life members? Now you have some idea!!! In any other club, this could have finished us but in true Scottish spirit, we "got through it" and in the immortal words..."what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

In 1978, our 25th anniversary year, the Club again won both the Ontario Senior League Trophy and the Eastern Canada Championship. Mike Williams won his first cap for Canada. He was also capped in 1980 and 1982. The celebrations culminated in a Scottish XV playing a President's XV. Guest players included eight full internationals, notably two Scotland captains, Ian McLaughlin and Doug Morgan. Doug is the current Scotland Manager .

Touring has always played an important part of the Club and in 1980, the Club toured to England playing Esher, the Wasps and London Scotland. Martin Sullivan was the tour manager, with lots of help from Jim McCann, Bill Fritz, Alan Geddis and Chris Stafford. Stories can be told of this fun and exciting tour but not here...

With a large number of our senior players retiring from the competetive side of the game, the Club went through a period of transition. The Club struggled on the field but still managed to maintain its' reputation as an active social Club. In 1982, The "Old Blue" was born. This group allowed the "senior" members of the club to continue to play at a less-fit level albeit still relatively competetive level.

In 1985, it was back to England for another tour. This time to the Midlands for a return fixture with Moseley . We also played against Old Dixonians, Stourbridge and participated in a local rowing regatta at Ross-on-Wye. Who can forget the Apollo Hotel and Liberty's!!! The winter of '84/85 and the spring of '85 were taken up with not just rugby practises but also rowing practises for the "eights", "fours" and cox. Well done to all of them Bill Greenhalgh, Tim Hayes, Jim Perman, Ron Vandenbrink, Howie Hoag, George Boire, Mike Salb, Derek Smith and cox, Alan Adam.

In 1989, the Golden Oldies Festival was played in Toronto and the "Old Blue" were front and centre running one of the grounds, Eglinton Flats - home of the "Hard Ruck Cafe", for the Festival. The members of the "Old Blue" played clubs from Singapore, Japan and Australia as well as guesting on numerous others. As usual, old friendships were rekindled and new ones cemented.

Over the years the Club has toured all over North America to Montreal, Maimi, San Francisco, Alburquerque, Chicago, Vancouver, Washington, Pittsburg, Cincinatti, Calgary, Vancouver just to name a few. We have also hosted a large number of touring Clubs....Gloucester, London Scottish, Moseley, Worthing, Heriots, Anti-Assassins, Meralomas, Calgary Irish, Hutcheson/Aloysius, Portobello, Ayr, Bermuda Police and Bermuda. { I know that there are other clubs that we have hosted and stories to match. Let us know and they will be told. }

Under the guidance of Robert Jenkins, the Club prospered on the field, finally winning promotion back to the Ontario Senior "A" League in 1992 by winning the Ontario Senior "B" League in 1991. Tim Gibson represented Ontario during this time.

The 1st XV - 1991 would be the last year when the Club would only have one 1st XV - continued in Senior "A" until 1995. As history often goes, a large number of our senior players retired over the next couple of years and the Club was unable to sustain the level of play.

The Club started a women's section in1992. In the years that our Women have been playing, we have won the Ontario League Championship in 1998,1999 and 2001; the Ontario Cup Championship in 1999 and 2000 and we have represented Ontario in the Vanbots Cup - a match inaugurated in 1998 between the winners of the Ontario League and the Quebec League - in each of its' first four years. The Club won the Cup in 1998 and 1999.

From 1993 -2002, the Club had a number of international honours...

1993 - Bob McArthur becomes the first Club member to referee a rugby international - Wales vs USA

The following women represented Canada at various age levels...

Canada U19 - Leigh Nevermann , Dallas Sambolec, Tracy Eisses and Joan Hazel;

Canada U23 - Dallas Sambolec, Leigh Nevermann and Joan Hazel;

Canada - Maureen MacMahon - the most capped player in the Club with 16 caps todate, Moira Shiels, Heather Hunt - one of the "Original 8", Anne Marie Fleming, Araba "Roo"Chintoh.

In 1997, the Club went to Scotland for the first time. Our first game on Scottish soil was against Iain Greig's, Ronald Donaldson's and Norm Donaldson's Old club, Dalziel R.F.C. It was a delight to have Ronald Donaldson present for the game!!! This was also the first time that our Women played overseas with games against Worthing R.F.C., Wasps, West of Scotland.

Toronto Scottish members have always assumed positions in other areas of the game. In the early years Canon Guy Marshall led the Ontario Rugby Union from 1957-1963. Robert Jenkins was president from1993-1998. Bob McArthur was president of the Toronto Rugby Referees Society in 1984 and president of the Calgary Rugby Referees Society in 1980 and1981. Tony Cunningham was president of the Toronto Rugby Referees Society in 1999,2000 and 2001 and is the 2002 president of the Ontario Rugby Referees Society.

The Club is also proud of two of its' players who went on to play for Scotland and the British Lions, David Sole(1978) and Gordon Bulloch( 1994)

The 2002 Women's World Cup is in Barcalona, Spain in May, 2002. Maureen MacMahon, Moira Shiels and "Roo" Chintoh have been named to the team with Moira being named as co-captain. Dallas Sambolec and Tamara Curtis have been named as non-travelling reserves

For the 2002 season, the Men have won promotion to the Toronto Rugby Union senior league and look forward to a successful campaign.