Silhillians Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby club based at Copt Heath near Solihull in the English West Midlands. They compete in Midlands 2 West (South). The club regularly fields a 1st and 2nd XVs and in the 'Mini and Junior' section teams range from Under 6s to Under 17s and Colts

History

Origins and Early Days

The club was founded in 1932 as Solihull Old Boys and was exclusively for former pupils of

Solihull School Solihull School is a coeducational independent day school in Solihull, West Midlands, England. Founded in 1560, it is the oldest school in the town and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History In 1560 the reve ...

, an historic

Private School Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * Private (Ryōko Hirosue song), "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private ...

. The school's headmaster at the time, Mr A R Thompson, was the Club's first President and attended every meeting and fixture until his retirement in 1947. Upon the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

13 members of the 1st XV were called up meaning that the Club was temporarily defunct but was reformed by Alan Bradbury, Mel Cooper and Claude 'CT' Coton in 1947 as the ''Old Silhillians'' (the name given to Old Boys of

. Coton was selected, at the age of 18, for the Committee immediately after leaving

School A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compu ...

. 'CTC' went on to captain the 1st XV, served as President twice and was a Committee member for more than 50 years. In 1953, the Club moved to Dingle Lane in

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe ...

and the first game on the site was a notable occasion. WC Ramsey, who was the President Elect of the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promo ...

1954-55, sent a WC Ramsey XV to play against the 'Solihull Old Boys' and over 3,000 spectators were in attendance. In 1959, the inaugural ''Birmingham and Warwickshire Old Boys Rugby Sevens'' tournament was held for former pupils of notable schools from the region. Amongst others,

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

, King Edward VI Aston,

King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School (KES) is an independent day school for boys in the British public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by King Edward VI in 1552, it is part of the Foundation of the Schools of King Edward VI in Birm ...

Bablake School Bablake School is a co-educational independent day school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Isabella of France, widow of Edward II, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom. It is a part of the Coventry S ...

and

Warwick School Warwick School is a selective, independent day and boarding school in Warwick, England in the public school tradition. Known until about 1900 as King's School, Warwick, it is believed to have been founded by Æthelflæd of Mercia in 914 A ...

sent former pupils to compete. In 1967, the Old Silhillians moved to their current home at Copt Heath, about 1 mile from the

campus. This season was a hugely successful one in the Club's history. They won the ''Birmingham and Warwickshire Old Boys' Rugby Sevens'', beating Old Saltleians 13-5 in the final. Captained by Martin Green, they also won 8-3 against the

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

1st XV. They remained one of the best Old Boys' sides in the

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Mercia, Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in ...

for many years. One of the most significant points in the history of the club was the decision to go 'open' in 1982, i.e. they accepted members and players who had not attended

. Thus, they dropped the 'Old' from the name and became Silhillians RUFC.

Recent years

''The Sils'' were promoted to Warwickshire Division One of the 'Courage League' in 1991 under the captaincy of Alan Elliot. More recently 'The Sils' have enjoyed further promotions; in 1994/96 captained by Nick Savage, 1998/99 when captained by Andrew Durrant, in 2000/01 under the captaincy of Andrew Clutterbuck and in 2012/13 captained by Peter Nicholls. Undoubtedly the club's greatest achievement to date was their appearance in the 1999 Tetley's Bitter Vase Final at

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

. They lost to

Billericay Rugby Football Club Billericay Rugby Football Club is a rugby football club based in Billericay. The club runs 3 teams on a Saturday with the first XV competing in Essex 1 Essex 1 (known as Essex/Canterbury Jack 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English Rug ...

19-3 but Silhillians look back fondly on that season and the experience of playing at 'Rugby HQ'. The 2007/08 season saw the Silhillians RUFC celebrate their 75th Anniversary.

Present day

Silhillians RUFC are located at the Memorial Ground in Copt Heath near Solihull. Although the site is skirted to the south and east by rural land it is only 150 yards from the

M42 motorway The M42 motorway runs north east from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire to just south west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, passing Redditch, Solihull, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) and Tamworth on the way, serving the east of th ...

and the easy access has made Silhillians a popular fixture for touring teams or as a pre-season friendly. The rugby club share the Memorial Clubhouse with the Old Silhillians Association (OSA), the old boys' club of

. The building houses a gymnasium, squash courts, changing facilities, a rifle range, a function room, a members' bar and administration offices for the rugby club and OSA. The club is governed by The Committee, which is a functional body who are of importance to the club. Its members are stalwarts of the club as well as several current players and is accessible to all members of the club. Within the club it is considered an honour to serve or have served on The Committee. The youth system at the club is thriving with 11 'mini and junior' teams regularly turning out on Sundays. The high standard of education in the local area, both state and private, means that many students carry on to university and thus Silhillians 1st XV is deprived of many young player during term time. Although the club is now open to those who are not former pupils of

the link between the school and rugby club is still strong and many Old Silhillians represent Silhillians RUFC.

Club Traditions

Easter Tour In May 1953 Old Silhillians Rugby Club (as then named) travelled to the Southend Rugby Festival. It has since been an annual tradition that all members of the senior squads are invited to tour with the club. Recent tours have been slightly more far-afield than Southend and have been to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

and

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. Annual Dinner The Annual Dinner is a black tie event held at the Memorial Clubhouse and it is traditional that selected members of The Committee and the 1st XV captain make speeches and that awards are presented. The ''Most Improved Player Award'', ''The Peter Styles Trophy'' and various top try-scorer awards are traditionally given out. Members' Clock Those who are later than the predetermined meeting time for a fixture, according to the clock in the Members' Lounge, are fined at the discretion of the senior players. Captaincy Captains of the Club will stand down at the end of their second season in the role. Sils Saxons The Silhillians 2nd/Development XV is known as the Sils Saxons, in the same way that the England Development XV are known as The Saxons. The Wedgebury Cup The Wedgebury Cup is annually contested between Silhillians RUFC and local rivals Solihull RFC. The match takes place on Boxing Day and is a popular day amongst spectators, Club officials and players alike.

Club Honours

Staffordshire/Warwickshire 2 Staffordshire/Warwickshire 2 was a tier 11 English Rugby Union league with teams from Staffordshire and Warwickshire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to Staffordshire/Warwickshire 1 and relegated teams dropped to Staffordshire/Warwickshire ...

champions: 1994–95 *

Staffordshire/Warwickshire 1 Staffordshire/Warwickshire 1 was a tier 9 English Rugby Union league with teams from Staffordshire and Warwickshire taking part. Promoted teams moved up to Midlands West 2 and relegated teams dropped to either Staffordshire 1 or Warwickshi ...

champions: 1998–99 *

Midlands 4 West (South) Midlands 4 West (South) is a level 9 English Rugby Union league and level 4 of the Midlands League, made up of teams from the southern part of the West Midlands region including clubs from parts of Birmingham and the West Midlands, Herefordsh ...

champions: 2000–01 *

Midlands 2 West (North) Midlands 2 West (North) is a level 7 English Rugby Union league and level 2 of the Midlands League, made up of clubs from the northern part of the West Midlands region including Shropshire, Staffordshire, parts of Birmingham and the West ...

champions: 2012–13

External links

{{Rugby union in England Rugby union teams in England Rugby clubs established in 1932 Sport in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull Rugby union in the West Midlands (county) 1932 establishments in England