Kenya Harlequin Football Club, (Harlequins or Quins for short) is a Kenyan

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

club that competes in the Kenya Cup, the top level of Kenyan rugby. The club motto "''Nunquam Dormio''" is Latin, meaning ''I never sleep''.

History

There was an earlier ''Harlequins R.F.C.'' in Nairobi which was formed in 1923 when the Nairobi District team decided, because it had become too powerful, to split and create two clubs, Harlequins RFC and Nondescripts RFC. It seems likely that the two names were chosen either in concert or one as a tongue-in-cheek response to the other as ''nondescript'' means ''lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics'' whilst

harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the '' zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionall ...

s are associated with bright colors and striking patterns. Nondescripts RFC is still in existence, but this first Harlequin club lasted up to 1945. Photos exist of Harlequins playing against the Prince of Wales School during the war years. The current ''Harlequin F.C.'' did not (contrary to popular belief) rise phoenix-like from the ashes of the first, though it is logical to assume that it provided the inspiration for the name.Campbell (1960) pp92-93

Formation of the Club

The Kenya Harlequin F.C. was formed when, in 1951, a group of enthusiasts decided that there were enough players in and around the capital to allow the formation of another team; teams already in existence in the capital at this time included Nondescripts RFC, Old Cambrians RFC, the Nairobi Railway Club RFC,

Kenya Civil Service RFC ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, Kenya Police RFC,

Nairobi Garrison RFC Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

and Royal Air Force RFC. The idea was put forward by Peter Barron (later to become the club's first honorary secretary) and Ben Cook. The idea was received by Mr. D. M. Goldstein (then honorary secretary to the RFU-K) and Mr. John Parry. The club was formed in 1952 and immediately sought affiliation with the London

Harlequin F.C. 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. Fou ...

in England. The committee contacted the London club to ask whether Harlequin badges could be sewn onto the shirts; however, due to a misunderstanding only one badge was sent, which was sewn to the captain's shirt for the first game.

Affiliation

The affiliation gives the club the right to wear the London club colors (namely: - light blue, magenta, chocolate, French grey, reversed on the back, sleeves light green and black reversed, white shorts and dark stockings with the club colors in diamonds around the tops), the honor extending not only to the playing kit, but to all uses of colors and insignia including the blazer badge, tie and honors caps. This honor had only been granted to three other clubs prior to this, Pretoria Harlequins (

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, founded in 1906),

Melbourne Harlequins The Melbourne Harlequins Rugby Union Club is an Australian rugby union team formed in 1928. Originally membership was restricted to people born in Britain, but this restriction was removed by the 1950s. Although Rugby is the main sport, the c ...

(Australia, founded in 1928, affiliated 1948 and

Hamilton Harlequins {{Infobox rugby team , teamname = Hamilton Harlequins , image = , imagesize = 150px , union = New Zealand Rugby Football Union , fullname = New Zealand Harlequin Rugby Club , nickname = ...

(New Zealand founded in 1938). Though the Hobart Harlequins (

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia) were formed in 1934 they did not seek affiliation until much later, making them the fifth member of the group. The sixth sister club was the

Dallas Harlequins The Dallas Harlequins Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in Dallas, Texas. The Harlequins formerly played in the Super League, but now play in the Texas Rugby Union Men's Division 1. The Harlequins won the 1984 USA National Championsh ...

(

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States) who were formed in 1971 but not granted affiliation until 1983. In 2004 the

Future Hope Harlequins RFC The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that curren ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, India were welcomed into the family and the latest club that has been brought into the fold is the

Abu Dhabi Harlequins Abu Dhabi Harlequins is a rugby union and rugby league team based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. They currently play in the UAE Premiership. The team was founded as the Abu Dhabi RUFC in 1970. The 'Quins' were recently crowned UAE Premiership Champion ...

in 2008;

Etihad Etihad Airways ( ar, شَرِكَة ٱلْاِتِّحَاد لِلطَّيْرَان, sharikat al-ittiḥād li-ṭ-ṭayarān) is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Emirates). Its head office is in Khalifa ...

being the mutual sponsor of this and the London club, were instrumental in bringing about the latter connection.

Beginnings

The Kenya Harlequins won their very first match which was played in April 1952 against the Nairobi Railway Club RFC; they completed their first full competitive season that same year and by 1953 there were enough playing members for the club to field two teams. The club won the Nakuru Sevens in 1953 and its first Nairobi District Championship (NDC) in 1954; by the 1954 season the club had defeated at least once every club they had met and had traveled a total of 2,130 miles that year to fulfill their fixtures. The club's record for the 1954 season is as follows: The club shared the NDC title in 1955, 1956 and 1958 they won the

Enterprise Cup The Enterprise Cup is an annual rugby union competition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, though the competition frequently has the appearance of being an all-Kenyan affair as the majority of rugby clubs in the African Great Lakes region are based in ...

in 1955 and 1957 and were runners up the intervening year. By 1960 they had made two visits to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and had toured Uganda. Much of this early success was due to Hugh Steel, John Tanner and Owen Wheeler (a Scottish trialist with two English county caps). In 1961,

Harlequin FC 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. ...

of London undertook a tour of East Africa in conjunction with Pretoria Harlequins from

, as guests of the Kenya Harlequin F.C. and the

Rugby Football Union of East Africa The Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) is an umbrella union for the Kenya Rugby Football Union, Tanzania Rugby Football Union and Uganda Rugby Football Union. It owes its existence to the fact that, prior to independence, Kenya, Tanzan ...

; winning five games and drawing one. This was the first time that three sister clubs of the Harlequin family all played each other in a coordinated series of matches and at 19 days it was the longest overseas tour undertaken by a British club up to that time. Harlequin F.C

Recent Outgoing Tours

Kenya Harlequin undertook a tour of the UK and Ireland in 1986 and three tours to South Africa in 1996, 1999 and 2001 as guests of Pretoria Harlequins.

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

were the destinations in 2003 while the under 21 side has visited

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

on an annual basis since 2002, hosted by the Dar es Salaam

Leopards RFC The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus ''Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russ ...

Honors

* 1953 – Nakuru Sevens Cup * 1954 –

Nairobi District Championship Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had ...

* 1955 –

(Shared) * 1957 –

(Shared) * 1959 –

(Shared) * – * 1964 –

* – * 1995 – Kenya Cup &

* 1996 – Kenya Cup,

(Shared with Nondescripts RFC), Eric Shirley Shield &

Nakuru Tens Nakuru is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitants, making it the largest ...

Cup * 1997 – Kenya Cup &

Impala Floodlit Tournament The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus ''Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...

Cup * 1999 – Kenya Cup,

Kenya National Sevens Circuit First played in 1999,The Kenya National Sevens Circuit is an annual series of rugby sevens tournaments run by the Kenya Rugby Union in conjunction with host clubs featuring teams from across the country. Teams compete for the National Sevens C ...

Champions * 2003 – Kenya Cup,

(Shared with

Impala RFC Impala Saracens is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club (a sporting/country club in Nairobi, Kenya). The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup. The club is based and trains at their ground on Ngong Road, adjacent t ...

), Christie Sevens Cup,

Cup &

Driftwood Sevens __NOTOC__ Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and f ...

Cup * 2004 –

Cup * 2008 – Kenya Cup * 2009 –

, Eric Shirley Shield (Second XV) * 2010 – Kenya Cup * 2011 – Kenya Cup &

* 2012 – Kenya Cup

Current squad

References

* # https://www.quins.co.ke/ {{Rugby union in Kenya Rugby union teams in Kenya Sport in Nairobi