SRUFC 1990s & 2000s

1990s

1990/91 – Keith Shorrock became club president (1990/94)

1991/92 – Boards commemorating past Captains and Presidents unveiled above the clubhouse bar, where they remain, by Alan Havard and Stuart Wilson. Keith Shorrock admitted that the work had been frequently discussed, but until now had never been carried out. He paid tribute to the work of immediate past chairman John Winn, in helping to fund the project, and to Barry Sillitoe for the s history research needed to ensure the information was available to plot the club’s history. The Club Tour is to Brittany with wins against St Malo (12-11) and Rennes (44-0).

1993/94 – Longstanding club member Dick Bretherton elected President of Lancashire County RFU. Southport Vets captained by John Wright, one time club treasurer, won the George Gore Trophy at Liverpool St Helens Vets Competition.

1994/95 – Robin Porter became club president (1994-2002). John Kenny sets up the inaugural Youth section combining for the first time the minis/juniors and colts.

1995/96 – The first team, captained by Roy Beetham won 69-0 away at Halton, then the biggest win in living memory. Southport Womans rugby team formed.

1996/7 – Sefton Council rejected plans to build a new two-storey clubhouse at Waterloo Road. Promising times reported for the Southport RUFCs Womens Section – new sponsorship deals secured with CYBASE Internet, Southport Hire Centre, and the Prince of Wales; youth section back in training; u16s training at Waterloo RUFC under England womens captain Gill Burns for match v Wasps September 8th; Coaches Cheryl Bennett and George Lesbirel. Southport Womens senior rugby team won their first ever competitive game 58-10 at Avonmouth on 22nd September. Southport lost 47-18 to Huddersfield YMCA in the quarter finals of the National Junior Knockout competition, but finish the season Champions of the Thwaites South Lancashire and Cheshire Division Two. Hoylake were beaten 103-7 at home. Ian Greenhalgh, a past chairman, creates the club record for points scored in one season, with 392. Rob Fawcett scores 33 tries, an all time high.

1998 – Newton-le-Willows beaten 119-0 at Waterloo Road.

2000s

2000 – On February 5th Ian Greenhalgh scores what might well be a world record for the number of points scored in a league game, with 57 against Merseyside Police. Guinness Book of Records fails to respond!

2002/03 – Alan Havard became club president (2002-09)

2005/6 – The u13s won the Lancashire County RFU Junior Rugby Challenge Junior Bowl, the first team from the emerging junior section to win a trophy.

2006/7 – The first team, captained by Shane Cook, won the South Lancashire and Cheshire Division Three title. The u9s won the Gullivers Travels Pontins Bowl. The u14s are finalists in the Lancashire County u14s Tens Festival. The u13s finish runners up to Tarleton in the Lancashire Junior Bowl at Manchester.

2007/8 – On 8th May Southport host an “1872” Day with Yarnbury RFC from Leeds, also formed the same year.

2009/10 – Ann Shorrock became the clubs first female president. In the close season Waterloo Road hosts the O2 Beach Rugby Tournament, the u16’s ‘Too Hot to Touch’ Beach Rugby Team winning through to the national finals at Twickenham (see Club Trivia). They become the first team from Southport to play on the hallowed turf acquitting themselves superbly to win the Plate., the prize for which was a commemorative signed England shirt now adorning the clubhouse. On 8th October the club was awarded RFU Mini & Youth Seal of Approval. A plaque is fixed to the wall adjoining the entrance to the clubhouse. The first team won through to the final of the Lancashire Plate, the first ever final of a senior competition that a first team from the club has reached, but lose to Didsbury Toc H. The u15s win the Lancashire Junior Bowl beating Liverpool St Helens at Rochdale, the u16s finishing runners-up to Ashton-u-Lyne. The club successfully hosted the Sports Tours event attracting junior teams from all over the UK for a weekend of tournament rugby in May.