Haddington RFC
{{Short description|Scottish rugby union club, based in Haddington}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox rugby team
| teamname = Haddington RFC
| image =
| imagesize =
| union = Scottish Rugby Union
| fullname = Haddington Rugby Football Club
| nickname =
| location = Haddington, Scotland
| founded = {{Start date and age|1911}}
| ground = Neilson Park
| url =
| president = Keith Wallace
| rugby director = Bob Snodgrass
| coach = Kieran Cooney
| captain = Gary Cockburn
| league = {{Scottish rugby updater|Haddington}}
| season = {{Scottish rugby updater|Haddington2}}
| position = {{Scottish rugby updater|Haddington3}}
| pattern_la1 = _blueborder
| pattern_b1 =
| pattern_ra1 = _blueborder
| pattern_sh1 =
| pattern_so1 =
| leftarm1 = FF0000
| body1 = FF0000
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Haddington Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Haddington, East Lothian.
History
Founded in 1911, the team plays its home games at Neilson Park.
Haddington player Jock Wemyss founded the Co-optimists; following a Barbarians inspired match in Haddington in 1924.
They compete in BT National League Division 3, the 3rd tier of Scottish club rugby.{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishrugby.org/fixtures-results?team=3408 |title=Fixtures & Results: Haddington RFC |publisher=Scottish Rugby |accessdate=4 October 2015}}
Player development
The minis section was set up almost 50 years ago by Bill Hamilton.
The minis and the School of Rugby with Knox Academy are key to the ongoing success serving as nursery for players. Haddington currently have over 100 kids in each; and the club are delighted that they recently managed to play a couple of girls matches as they seek to develop a woman's team.
There is a tradition of families serving the Club, with many sets of brothers, fathers sons and grandsons turning out.
=World record=
On 12 August 2018, the club set a world record of 467 for the most participants in a touch/mini/tag game of rugby, ratified by Guinness World Records.{{cite web |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-participants-in-a-touchminitag-rugby-exhibition-match |title=Most participants in a touch/mini/tag rugby exhibition match |publisher=Guinness World Records|accessdate=12 August 2019}} In the game, players from age 5 to 73 turned out, including 18 from the Snodgrass Family, covering three generations a former president and two former captains.
Haddington Sevens
The club ran the Haddington Sevens tournament. Dating from 1926, the club claims it is the 10th oldest surviving in the world.{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/haddington-sevens/|title=Haddington Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
Notable players
Six of the club's players have represented Scotland at full international level: Jock Wemyss, RJC Ronnie Glasgow, Derek White, Grant McKelvey, Cammy Murray and Sarah Higgins. Wemyss at 17 was one of the five founding members. The male Internationalists were honoured in a lunch in 2017, with tributes paid amongst others by Finlay Calder, Dave Rollo, Craig Chalmers, Barry Stewart and, for Wemyss the President of the Barbarians Mickey Steele Bodger.
Sarah Higgins, who achieved over 40 full international caps. Sarah has more caps than all the male representatives put together.
White toured with the 1989 Lions and Glasgow. He played for the World XV in 1964.
Honours
=Men=
- Haddington Sevens
- Champions (8): 1933, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1961, 1969, 1970
- Scottish National League Division Two
- Champions (1): 2006-07
- Glasgow City Sevens
- Champions (4): 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/glasgow-city-sevens/|title=Cartha / Glasgow City Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
- Peebles Sevens
- Champions (2): 1977, 1982{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/peebles-sevens/|title=Peebles Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
- Walkerburn Sevens
- Champions (6): 1976, 1978, 1980, 2004, 2006, 2017, 2023{{Cite web|url=http://www.k7s.co.uk/history/walkerburn/|title=Walkerburn | Kings of the 7s}}
- Musselburgh Sevens
- Champions (8): 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1991{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/musselburgh-sevens/|title=Musselburgh Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
- Royal HSFP Sevens
- Champions (1): 1985{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/royal-hsfp-sevens/|title=Royal HSFP Sevens|date=June 10, 2019}}
- Preston Lodge Sevens
- Champions (1): 1987{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/preston-lodge-sevens/|title=Preston Lodge Sevens|date=June 9, 2019}}
- Penicuik Sevens
- Champions (2): 1969, 1985{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/penicuik-sevens/|title=Penicuik Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
- Edinburgh District Sevens
- Champions (1): 1951{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/edinburgh-district-sevens/|title=Edinburgh District Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
- North Berwick Sevens
- Champions (4): 1970, 1971, 1977, 2014{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/north-berwick-sevens/|title=North Berwick Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
=Women=
- Lismore Sevens
- Champions (1): 1995{{Cite web|url=https://scottishsevens.sport.blog/lismore-sevens/|title=Lismore Sevens|date=June 7, 2019}}
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Rugby union in East Lothian}}
{{SRU East Leagues}}
{{Border league}}
{{Rugby union in Scotland}}
Category:Rugby union in East Lothian
Category:Rugby union teams in Scotland
Category:Haddington, East Lothian
Category:Rugby clubs established in 1911
Category:1911 establishments in Scotland
{{Scotland-rugbyunion-team-stub}}