Although the present Seaton Carew RUFC can trace its history back to 1921, Rugby was played in the village area as far back as the 1890s.

During that time, a Rugby field was in use at the North End of the village at Carr House Cottages (near the site of Seaton Point by Wainwright Walk) when clubs such as West Hartlepool East End and New Stranton Celtic played their games there, the pitch continued in use for Soccer well into the 20th Century.  At the end of the 1890s a club called Seaton Harlequins played on a field at the bottom of what is now Stanmore Grove, handy for teams arriving by train. They reached the 1899 Junior Cup semi Final that year and one of their wingers was a Gilbert Bunting.

With the formation of the Technical College in 1897 that eventually became Secondary School, the forerunner of West Hartlepool Grammar School,  (the School remained in Lauder Street until 1938 when they moved to Brinkburn) to start the "Grammar" school strand.   By 1905/06 the Technical School XV was playing Henry Smith XV in a curtain raiser at Rovers, both schools starting a long tradtion of providing qualty Rugby players in the town. Earlier in 1905 (4th April), a Rovers poster that day has Galleys Field Old Boys playing Technical Old Boys.

It was in 1920/21 that Old Boys of the School formed Technical Old Boys that was successful eventually in the Pyman League. However, by 1923/24 West Hartlepool RFC had suffered from a lack of players and Technical OB and West merged as West & Tech.   Shortly afterwards the name Tech was dropped but this abandoning Tech’s name did not please everyone with the result that Secondary School Old Boys was reformed in 1924 with people like Norman Hope, Roy Pallister and “Wally” Knox. The club was successful in the “between the Wars” years and Aubrey Lancaster recalled that he joined the club in 1932 as a Secondary Schoolboy. In those days there were no rules laid down that a Schoolboy should not play School and Club games on the same day.

The Secondary School Field in the 30s was at the top of the West Rec., alongside a cinder path approximately where the “Woodcutter” pub stood in Kingsley Avenue. As the School played both Soccer and Rugby they only had one Rugby pitch so the SSOB 2nds played at 1.30 sometimes followed by the 1^st XV. Thus, Aubrey Lancaster was able to play for School in the morning, dash home for Dinner and then play for the 2nds early p.m. and as he was in his strip, well,  he stood by as a Reserve for the 1^st XV, 3 games in one day!

An off shoot of the SSOB Club was a very successful motor cycle section which was created when some 6 or 8 players had motor bikes and would travel to away games by bike.  A prominent player of those days Mick Stockburn got the riders together and formed the “TEX” Motorcycle Club that went from strength to strength, until just before the War they were running grass track events at Elwick which attracted riders from all over the North. The Tex MC Club eventually amalgamated with the Hartlepools Motor Club.

With the end of hostilities, SSOB reformed in 1946/47 season becoming later West Hartlepool Grammar School Old Boys to become one of the most successful “Junior” Clubs of the next 25 years. At one time they were able to boast a fixture card that had 8 Senior Clubs as regular fixtures in North Durham, Horden, Old Bedans, Hartlepool Ath., Darlington RA., Billingham, Consett and Houghton!

And of course, winning the Junior Cup and Pyman Cup at times.

The advent of Comprehensive education in the 70s, and the extinction of the Grammar School put the club into a bit of a dilemma.

It was at this time that Seaton Carew Cricket club was developing its Elizabeth Way project named Petrus Park and the Club was able to negotiate its way to becoming an additional sport, a move that has proven so successful since 1975 when the name, Seaton Carew Rugby Union Football Club became part of the Rugby scene hereabouts.

CMcL260918 Based largely on a memoir written by Aubrey Lancaster in 1987,

A series of photos from the 20s & 30s when S.S.O.B. was prominent in junior club circles.

The club originated prior to the Great War as Technical Old Boys and reformed in 1921 as Technical Old Boys and in they amalgamated with West to become West and Tech in 1923. However, they reverted to SSOB and following the Second World War became the very successful Grammar School Old Boys Club.

In 1974 they moved onto the then Petrus Park ground in Elizabeth Way (now Hornby Park),, becoming SCRUFC, retaining the familiar Maroon & Gold colours.

Images from the GSOB sides that ran from 1945 until they moved on to Petrus Park Elizabeth Way to be come Seaton Carew RUFC

Two Hartlepool players hold the record as the most capped Durham County players, in the forwards Keith Baggs from West Hartlepool appeared in 50 Championship and 10 friendly matches whilst John Dee at Rovers amassed 90 appearances with 77 Championship and 13 friendlies. To mark John’s milestone in 1971 the town clubs made a presentation to him at the RFU Centenary Dinner in the Borough Hall, and the clubs representatives on the day were

L to R. Arnold Walton (Rovers), Dave Parker (West), Keith Large (TDSOB), Bob Shipley (BBOB), John Dee, Stan Lindridge (Old Boys), Bob Hewitt (District Union Chairman), Chris McLoughlin (District Union Secretary,) and Jim Lancaster (GSOB).

An undated pic of a celebration game on Elizabeth Way, dated esimated by the fashions for hair, moustaches and sideburns to around 1975.   

The Junior Clubs played their part in the Centennial celebrationsof the County, with a game between the clubs from either end of the Union.

Played at Seaton Carew’s “Petrus Park” now “Hornby Park” on the 2^nd April, 1977 the “South” contained a number of local players in Alby Coverdale (TDSOB), Ken Parkes (Seaton), the side was skippered by Alan Richardson who was played alongside his fellow BBOB half back Mick Ainslie.  In the pack Geoff Doughty from Tech along with Steve Fawcett (BBOB) propped with John Cooling from the home club in the back row.

The replacements included Al Smith from Seaton and Mick Foulger, Tech.

The “visitors” were captained by Peter Cook  from Bede who later played for England U23s along with Steve Rutland, also Bede , who played for Durham County whilst a City player.

The Officials were all from Hartlepool, Bill Hodgson (Tech),as was touch judge Len Thompson with Phil Austin (BBOB) running the other side.

After the game, the County Officials had to dash to the New Friarage where Rovers were playing Durham University in the Senior Cup Final where Rovers came out on top by 38 – 6.

1983 marked the 50^th year of Fred Lister writing for the “Hartlepool Mail” on Rugby Football, and to celebrate the occasion, the District Union made a presentation to him on the day of the R F Oakes Memorial match.

Making the presentation to Fred is Chris McLoughlin, Sec of the District Union and standing behind him are member from the local Clubs:-

L to R. Derek Sweeting (TDSOB), Alec Sedgwick (Seaton Carew), Alan Bell (Horden), George Heal (Rovers), Keith Faint (BBOB), Bill Grigg (Hpool) Norman Wilkinson (West) and Jim Milburn (Chairman)

Team Images from the Mail Junior Rugby Pages, for the first part of the 1980s. 

As part of the Celebrations of the great day when England won the World Cup in 2003, (Martin Johnson Captain, Jonny Wilkinson, drop goal to seal the win in extra time), the Webb Ellis Trophy was paraded around the country for all to see and be photographed alongside.

 Durham Referees took their chance when the Cup was brought to Hartlepool Rovers that year and our picture shows a Group of County Referees taking their chance to line up with the Cup.

Seaton Carew marked their Centenary season with a Dinner at the Clubhouse to become the fourth Town club to mark a hundred years of playing Rugby.