The Old Alleynian Football Club is an open rugby union club founded as a team for the old boys of

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

, themselves known as Old Alleynians. Founded in 1898, it is one of the oldest clubs in London and was the last of London's old boys clubs to become a fully open club. It is notable not only for its longevity, but also for the prominence it once attained on the club circuit and for the number of eminent players that have been members of the club, some of whom gained their international caps whilst at the club. The club runs four senior sides and have a flourishing junior set up with many players going onto to play 1st team rugby. After winning

London 3 South West London 3 South West is an English rugby union league at the eighth level of club rugby union in England involving sides based in Hampshire, Surrey and south-west London. Promoted clubs move into London 2 South West. Relegated clubs move into ...

in 2011-12 the 1st XV have been competing at Level 7 ever since, finishing a club high 3rd position in

London 2 South East London 2 South East is an English level 7 Rugby Union League. When this division began in 1987 it was known as London 3 South East, changing to its current name ahead of the 2009–10 season. The division is made up of teams predominantly from ...

at the end of the 2019-20 season. The 2nd XV entered the RFU league ladder system in Kent 3 for the 2022-23 season, the 3rd and 4th XV play in the Kent Metropolitan Leagues.

History

had been playing football using

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

rules since 1858 and the school had been playing against scratch sides of old boys since the 1890s.Dick Tyson, ''London's Oldest Rugby Clubs'', p102 (JJG Publishing), 2008 In October 1897 a former pupil of

wrote to the school magazine (''The Alleynian'') bemoaning the fact that despite the school having an old boy representative ''"in almost all the first-class football clubs"'' the fact that it did not have an old schoolboy team, ''"such as Old Merchant Taylors, Old Leysians, Old Carthusians,

Marlborough Nomads The Marlborough Nomads was a 19th-century English rugby union club that was notable for being one of the twenty-one founding members of the Rugby Football Union. They also supplied a number of players for the sport's early international fixtures. ...

"'', meant that it was missing out on ''"the greater athletic reputation twould otherwise have obtained."'' Within a few months R.M. Everett, a member of the school's first XV, and William Leake, an Assistant Master at the school and former Cambridge rugger Blue, had joined forces to promote the formation of the club. In June 1898 Leake published an invitation in ''"The Alleynian"'' to ''"all OAs desirous of joining"''. In September 1898, the club played its first match, drawing with Croydon 3rds (Croydon FC being the name by which Old Whitgiftians were known at the time). On 8 October 1898, the club's first general meeting was held, rules approved, officers elected and the dark blue, light blue and black hooped jerseys were decided upon. The club was regarded as one of the best in London by 1913 and in that year five of its players, who had all played together in the school's 1st XV, were selected to play in the

Varsity Match A varsity match is a fixture (especially of a sporting event or team) between two university teams, particularly Oxford and Cambridge. The Scottish Varsity rugby match between the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh at Murray ...

. The five were J. E. Greenwood,

Cyril Lowe Cyril Nelson "Kit" Lowe, (7 October 1891 – 6 February 1983) was an English rugby union footballer who held England's international try scoring record for over sixty years, a First World War flying ace credited with nine victories, and suppose ...

Eric Loudoun-Shand Eric Gordon Loudoun-Shand MC TD (born Eric Gordon Shand; 31 March 1893) was a Rugby Union international who played for Scotland and captained Oxford University's Rugby side in the 1919 Varsity Match. During what would have been the prime of hi ...

, Graham Donald and W. D. Doherty. They were known at the school as the ''"famous five"'', having played in an unbeaten school side, all going on to play in the Varsity Match and all going on to represent their countries, two as captain. In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the club lost 76 members but Leake, "Slacker" Christison and Major Everett revived the club by 1919 and the club (and therefore the school to which it was affiliated) produced the captains of both Oxford and Cambridge in the Varsity Match. This was the first and only team this had happened. The 1920s saw the clubs strength grow and it produced its first international cap (to be won by a player playing for the club) in 1927 in the person of Kendrick Stark. In 1931

Eric Whiteley Eric Whiteley was a rugby union international who represented England in 1931. Early life Whiteley was born on 20 July 1904, in Croydon. Rugby union career Whiteley made his international debut on 21 March 1931 at Murrayfield in the Scotland ...

repeated the distinction. The club had over 600 members and was beating clubs like Rosslyn Park. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

took a heavy toll on the members, with 49 losing their lives. So weakened was the club that it merged with its oldest of rivals, Old Whitgiftians, for a year in 1945. A modest resurgence took place at the turn of the decade, with

Ian Coutts Ian Coutts may refer to: * Ian Coutts (sportsman) * Ian Coutts (writer) * Ian Coutts (bishop) {{hndis, Coutts, Ian ...

gaining his Scottish caps, and the likes of

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, ...

and

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. T ...

falling to the OAs. However, by the late 1960s the OAs played strong local opposition rather than "1st class" clubs. In the 1980s the club continued to be strong, arguably the strongest of all Old Boys clubs in London, with the topping of the Combined London Old Boys Merit Table in 1988 as testament to this. In 1987 the league system introduction led to the club being placed in the Courage League London South 2. In 1989 the club were promoted to London One, won the Surrey Rugby Union Cup, topped the Combined London Old Boys Merit Table once again and qualified for the

Middlesex Sevens The Middlesex Sevens was a Rugby Sevens tournament held annually at Twickenham stadium in London, England until 2011. It was first held in 1926, and started by Dr J.A. Russell-Cargill, a London-based Scot.Bath, ''Scotland Rugby Miscellany'', p82 Th ...

Finals. A second Surrey Cup win in 1992 was unfortunately followed by a three year slide seeing the club drop three divisions and in 1995 the Old Alleynians became the last of the Old Boys clubs to become fully open membership. The most recent success came in 2003, when the Old Alleynians beat Shipston upon Stour 16 -10 in the final of the Powergen Junior Vase, held at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

Ground

The club played on the Norwood club's ground in Norwood Park between 1899 and 1901. A semi-nomadic existence then ensued as the club moved on a yearly basis from Elm Grive, Sydenham to Cavendish Road, Merton to Horn Park Farm, Lee. Then in 1905 the Dulwich Estate allowed the club to settle at Dulwich Common where they play to this day. In 2003 a fire saw the club lose half of its clubhouse, which was rebuilt shortly afterwards.

Notable former players

Notable chiefly as rugby players

International caps whilst playing for OAs

* - Kendrick Stark ''(1904–1988)'', England international (first capped 1927)Old Alleynians Sporting Honours
* -

Eric Cyprian Perry Whiteley Eric Whiteley was a rugby union international who represented England in 1931. Early life Whiteley was born on 20 July 1904, in Croydon. Rugby union career Whiteley made his international debut on 21 March 1931 at Murrayfield in the Scotland ...

''(1904–1973)'', England international (first capped 1931)Dick Tyson, ''London's Oldest Rugby Clubs'', p103 (JJG Publishing), 2008 * -

Ian Coutts Ian Coutts may refer to: * Ian Coutts (sportsman) * Ian Coutts (writer) * Ian Coutts (bishop) {{hndis, Coutts, Ian ...

''(1928–1997)'', Scotland international (first capped 1951)

Internationals and first class players

Professional era

Toby Fricker Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...

(

Wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

) ''(b. 1995)'', professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player for

Bristol Bears Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...

. * Tom O'Flaherty (rugby union) (

) ''(b. 1994)'', professional

player for

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

. * Tom Mercey (

Prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

) ''(b. 1987)'', professional

player for

Northampton Saints Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", ...

and England U20's. *

Mark Easter Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

( No. 8 or Flanker) ''(b. 1982)'', ex-professional

player for

and

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

. * -

David Flatman David Luke Flatman (born 21 January 1980) is an English sports pundit and former rugby union player who played prop. Flatman represented eight times between 2000 and 2002, playing club rugby for Saracens and Bath. Flatman is routinely refer ...

(

) ''(b. 1980)'', ex-professional

player for

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

''(8 Caps)''. * -

Andrew Sheridan Andrew John Sheridan (born 1 November 1979 in Petts Wood, Bromley, England) is a retired English rugby union player who played as a loosehead prop. Sheridan is tall, which is unusually tall for a prop, and weighs . He is known for his great ...

(

) ''(b. 1979)'', ex-professional

player for

''(40 Caps)'' and

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

(2005) & (2009). Dulwich College – Old Alleynians : Eminent Old Alleynians : Sport
/ref> * -

Nick Easter Nicholas James Easter (born 15 August 1978) is an English rugby union coach and former player. He played as a Number 8 for Orrell, Harlequins and the England national team. He began his career in 2001, playing for Orrell, before moving t ...

( No. 8) ''(b. 1978)'', ex-professional

player for

NEC Harlequins Harlequins (officially Harlequin Football Club) is a professional rugby union club that plays in Premiership Rugby, the top level of English rugby union. Their home ground is the Twickenham Stoop, located in Twickenham, south-west London. Foun ...

and

''(54 Caps)''. * Sam Blythe ( Hooker) ''(b. 1976)'' ex-professional

player for

. * Nick Lloyd (

) ''(b. 1976)'' ex-professional

player for

; selected for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 2006 but had to withdraw due to injury. * -

Beno Obano Ohwobeno Osemudiamen A.M. Obano (born 25 October 1994) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Bath. Personal life Obano was born in Peckham and grew up in East Dulwich. He played in the 1st XV at The London Orat ...

(

) (b. 1994), professional rugby union player for Bath: selected for England in 2021 (1 Cap)

Amateur era

* - C. H. Scott Rugby Union International for Argentina (first represented Argentina in 1922) * - C. T. Mold ''(b. 1885)'' Rugby union international for Argentina (first represented Argentina in 1911) * - K. G. Drysdale Rugby union international for Argentina (first represented Argentina in 1911) * - W. H. Bridger Rugby union international for Argentina (first represented Argentina in 1911) *

George Isherwood George Aldwyn Methuen Isherwood (1889-1974) was a rugby union international who was part of the first official British and Irish Lions team that 1910 British Lions tour to South Africa, toured South Africa in 1910. Early life George Aldwyn Met ...

''(1889–1974)'' Rugby union international for Great Britain (first represented Great Britain in 1910) *

- David Trail ''(1875–1935)'', represented a forerunner of the

, known as the Anglo-Welsh on their tour of Australasia in 1904. * - Cyril Mowbray Wells ''(1871–1963)'' – Played

Rugby Union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

for EnglandDulwich College Sporting Honours
/ref> as well as being a first-class

cricketer Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

(represented

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

and

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

as a Right-handed and bowler.)Webster F.A.M., (1937), ''Our Great Public Schools'', page 96, (Butler & Tanner: London) * -

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

Cyril Nelson "Kit" Lowe MC DFC RAF ''(1891–1983)'' English

footballer representing England in 25 consecutive matches,

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

, and supposedly the inspiration for

W. E. Johns William Earl Johns (5 February 189321 June 1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns: best known for creating the fictional air-adventurer ''Biggles''. Ea ...

' character "

Biggles James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles made his first appearance ...

". * -

Jock Hartley Colonel John Cabourn Hartley (15 November 1874 – 8 March 1963), known as Jock Hartley, was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer. Cricket career Hartley was educated at Tonbridge School and Brasenose College, Oxford. He ...

''(1879–1960)'' Rugby union international for England (first represented England in 1902) * - J. E. Greenwood ''(1891–1975)'' Rugby union international for England (first represented England in 1912) Later captained England. * - W. D. Doherty ''(1893–1966)'' Rugby union international for Ireland (first represented Ireland in 1921) Later captained Ireland * - E. G. Loudoun-Shand ''(1893–1972)'' Rugby union international for Scotland (first represented Scotland in 1913) * -

Grahame Donald Air Marshal Sir David Grahame Donald, (27 July 1891 – 23 December 1976), often known as Sir Grahame Donald, was a Royal Naval Air Service pilot during the First World War, a senior Royal Air Force (RAF) officer between the wars and a senior ...

''(1891–1976)'' Rugby union international for Scotland (first represented Scotland in 1914) * - A. L. Wade ''(1884–1917)'' Rugby union international for Scotland (first represented Scotland in 1908) * - E. A. Cleugh ''(1894–1964)'' – Rugby Union International for Uruguay (first represented Uruguay in 1922) * - C. E. Cat Rugby Union International for Uruguay (first represented Uruguay in 1922) * - J. M. Cat – Rugby Union International for Uruguay (first represented Uruguay in 1922) * - L. P. Bridal – Rugby Union International for Uruguay (first represented Uruguay in 1922)

Notable chiefly in other fields

Edward George, Baron George Edward Alan John George, Baron George (16 September 1938 – 18 April 2009), known as Eddie George, or sometimes as "Steady Eddie", was Governor of the Bank of England from 1993 to 2003 and sat on the board of NM Rothschild and Sons. Early life ...

Roger Knight Roger David Verdon Knight (born 6 September 1946) is an English administrator, cricketer and schoolmaster. He was awarded the OBE in 2007. He is an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and was President of the club from ...

Club honours

London 2 South {{Use British English, date=May 2015 London 2 South is an English league of Rugby Union teams, representing the second level in the Rugby Football Union's London & South East Division, making it a Level 6 league in the RFU's league hierarchy. The ...

champions: **1988–89 *

champions: **2011-12 *

RFU Junior Vase The RFU Junior Vase is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union, which has been competed for since 1990. It is mostly contested by 1st XV teams at level 9 of the English rugby union system, altho ...

winners: **2002-03 *

Surrey Cup The Surrey Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Surrey Rugby Football Union. The original cup competition was first played for back in 1890, the inaugural winners being Lennox, but was discontinued in 1909, ...

winners (2): **1989, 1992

References

{{Reflist

External links

Old Alleynian Football Club
*Football Club Rugby union teams in England Rugby clubs established in 1898 1898 establishments in England Rugby union clubs in London Sport in the London Borough of Southwark Dulwich College

History

Ground

Notable former players

Notable chiefly as rugby players

International caps whilst playing for OAs

Internationals and first class players

Professional era

Amateur era

Notable chiefly in other fields

Club honours

See also

References

External links