Calne R.F.C seems to have been formed in the late 1920’s with the influx of Welshmen to the area in the depression. The Junior Imperial League, forerunners of the Young Conservatives formed the club under the presidency of either Mr Drewett or Mr L. Taylor; certainly their first pitch was in Drewett’s field where now stands Braemor Road. Interestingly their inaugural game against a Bath XV was played on the Recreation Ground to which Calne returned in the late 1970’s as a permanent home.

It would appear that a lack of local interest forced the club to fold in the late 1930’s however, in 1960 the club was re-formed as “Old Bentlians”, though it was not exclusively an “old boys” club it did use the pitches at Bentley Grammar School.

The next crisis for the club came at the end of the 1971,72 season when the great majority of the players left to from their own club at Wootton Bassett since many of the players lived in that town. From the position of having only 5 players left Calne just survived the next season and it took until 1975 for them to re-assert themselves in the area.

I joined the club in 1982 and at that time a great many of the senior players were at the point of hanging up their boots, we were at the time putting out 3 teams every Saturday but following the departure of the senior players dropped quickly to two. Over the next ten years we re-built the playing side of the club and had the added pressure of joining the newly formed Courage League in the mid 80’s. This was a turning point for the club as it started to attract some good quality players to help us move a little up the ladder in the League structure. During this time the club re-introduced the players to the delights of Touring which always seems to help boost team morale (and the local brewery income!).

I took over the role of Chairman during the 1994/95 season and held the office for seven years and I would say they were a roller coaster ride for me. During that time we managed to win the Dorset and Wilts Junior Cup with a thrilling 5-0 victory over Trowbridge, we were promoted from Division III to Division II and subsequently to Division I of the League structure in our area (Wiltshire & Dorset) and in my final year as Chairman we played a season in the lofty heights of Southern Counties Rugby.

As is often the case with Junior clubs such as Calne, the lofty heights can bring it’s problems, the higher standard of rugby combined with a number of ageing (but still very much talented) players meant that our stay was a short one.

Calne have now moved on and started yet another re-building process, this time directed by a new and eager committee willing to provide their time to the club, and I personally wish them and the club every success.

There are of course, a number of personalities that are attached or have been attached to the club during my time and a few of them are mentioned below.

Phil Thomas
Phil has been associated with Calne Rugby Club for as long as anyone can remember (most people are convinced he formed the Club in the 20’s), and is now Bar Manager for the Recreation Club. Phil played rugby to a high standard including the full RAF XV and Combined Services XV.

Neil Young
Neil was one of the “imports” who arrived from Scotland in the early 90’s and Calne have been extremely lucky to hold on to his talents throughout this time. Neil has won the trophy for most tries so many times that we now just get it delivered to his house to save him the trouble of carrying it home.

Robert “Deadly” Gregory
Not the worlds most talented of players, and always struggling with injuries but few would argue that he was indeed one of the most talented “tourists”, a tour will never be the same without him.

Steve Gill
I never saw anyone tackle like Steve, actually when I retired from playing it would hurt me watching him tackle someone. His favorite was to approach from the side at speed and try to break people at around the kidneys, they often didn’t play much of a part in the game after that.

Anth Brolan
Anth joined the club as a colt at 15 years old and stayed with the club until his retirement at 39 rarely missing a game. He was one of the most naturally gifted players we have had, although his reputation always got the better of him, in the later years our referees were warned about him before arriving. Passionate is the word I would like to use!

There are of course a huge number of players that I have been involved with over the years, and I have a great deal of memories that I take with me. I wish the club every success in the future, I do keep abreast of the results even though I now live in Taiwan, the world is a small place these days.

Best wishes,

Nigel West.