Jersey are back on the road again this weekend for what I am
sure will be another lively encounter against another London club
with a long and distinguished history - Rosslyn Park.
'Park' who, like Jersey, have faltered a couple of times in
their first 4 matches have the same number of league points as us
and are currently sat one place below us in 10th position due to a
slightly poorer points difference.
Last weekend they suffered a narrow 36-32 loss away to
Cambridge, a side tipped by many as one of the favourites at the
start of the campaign. Park started their season well with wins
against local rivals, Blackheath and followed that with an
easier triumph over Barking. They came unstuck when Ealing
Trailfinders travelled to the capital, going down 33-17 in a game
in which much of the damage was orchestrated by ex-Park player,
Neil Hallett!
Reports from last week's encounter with Cambridge suggest that
Park were perhaps unlucky to lose what was a 'feisty encounter'
played on a 'blustery day' that saw the advantage sway from one
side to the other, and had both sides pick up bonus points for
scoring 4 tries.
History of the club
And so to the history of this famous club, once graced (and
captained) by our very own Radley Montgomery.
The club was founded in 1879 when a group of young cricketers
decided to form a football club in order to stay together during
the winter months. They had originally played their scratch games
of cricket in the grounds of Rosslyn House, part of the Rosslyn
Park Estate and had therefore taken the name "Rosslyn Park" for
their cricket club. When they formed their rugby club they took the
same name. Some histories have tried to link the club with the
Earls of Rosslyn. Whilst Baron Loughborough, the first Earl of
Rosslyn once lived at Rosslyn House, its name was only changed from
'Shelford Lodge' to 'Rosslyn House' after his death. And in any
case he died more than 60 years before the club was formed! Neither
the football club, nor the cricket club once formed, ever played at
Rosslyn Park.
The name Rosslyn Park is also strongly associated with a
schools' sevens tournament. In 1939, sixteen schools participated
and by 1996 this had grown to a massive 350 and is now the world's
largest Sevens tournament.
Recent history
When League Rugby Union was introduced in the 1980s, Park were
allocated to Division Two, but won promotion to the top flight at
the first attempt. The march of professionalism has at times made
life complicated for the club, but at present they play in National
League 1 and rank amongst the top 30 clubs in the country with over
800 playing members between the Senior, Ladies, Junior, Youth and
Mini Sections.
Directions to the ground
The club play at Priory Lane, Upper Richmond Road, Roehampton,
London. SW15 5JH
Bus Routes
From Hammersmith 33 or 72 to the junction of Upper Richmond Road
and Roehampton Lane
From Richmond 337 or 493 on the Upper Richmond Road just before
the junction with Rocks Lane
From Putney Bridge 265 to Roehampton Lane From Putney 337 to the
junction of Upper Richmond Road and Roehampton Lane
Trains out of London
Platforms 16-19 Waterloo main line station through Clapham
Junction towards Richmond & Twickenham. Stopping at BARNES (a
short walk, which is signposted to Rosslyn Park)
If you can't make it to SW London this weekend, then you can
still get updates from:
• Preview on BBC Radio Jersey's 'Sportscene' from 6- 7pm on
Friday, and regular updates on Saturday afternoon
• Preview in Friday's JEP, and full match coverage on Monday
• Scoreflashes on @jerseyrfc Twitter and the 'Rolling Maul'
rugby forum
• Match report on Channel 103 at 5.10pm on Saturday
• Highlights on Channel TV at 6.15pm on Monday, and online.
