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Belleville Bulldogs-35 Years
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Posted 1 year ago -
Bulldogs2
Member35 years in the 'Dog house
Belleville rugby club opens anniversary season with home games Saturday
By Paul Svoboda
According to a handful of oldtimers still playing for the Belleville Red Lion Bulldogs, the idea to form a local rugby club was hatched in a bar over several bottles of beer more than 35 years ago.
Those first few rag-tag Bulldogs teams — with barely enough bodies to fill 15 jerseys that didn't match, and sometimes less — included an eclectic mix of expatriates who'd grown up with the game in Great Britain, along with local doctors, lawyers and teachers who had played the sport in university. Later, former Bay of Quinte football players looking to replace the contact they craved on the gridiron during their high school years also joined the fray.
What did they have in common?
An incredible affection for the quirky game with the odd-shaped leather ball, a shared love of the sport's famous post-match camaraderie, and a willingness to train and play hard.
"I wasn't at that first meeting but I played in the first game," said former Belleville resident Steve Hicks, now living in Ottawa. "I can't remember who we played though. It was a long time ago.
"Some of the guys on the team were Mike Dollack, he was the captain, Wolfie Tausendfreund, Teddy Pordham, Harvey Gottfried, Lew Frape, Paul Paddon, Tom Gauthier, Rob Cooke."
At first, the Bulldogs wore jerseys with green and gold stripes. That colour scheme was ditched a couple of years later during a team meeting at the Quinte Hotel where it was decided the club would switch to black, red and white.
Hicks was responsible for dubbing the club "Bulldogs." He said the nickname paid homage to rugby's British heritage and a dictionary he had at home described a bulldog as being extremely protective of its own turf.
Now, as the Bulldogs prepare to kick off their 35th anniversary season Saturday with a senior men's doubleheader against the Lindsay Gryphons at M.A. Sills Park, members are feeling incredibly proud of the success the club has achieved since its very humble beginnings, says current First Team player and spokesman Kyle Ripley.
"In 1976 a group of men started the club by gathering 15 guys together to go play whatever opposition they could find," he said. "Today, the club has grown to include eight different teams — two senior men's sides and one women's squad, an over-35's Old Boys side, U18 boys, U18 girls, U16 boys, and just this season, U15 girls, along with a youth mini rugby program that introduces elementary school children to the fundamentals of the game."
And what about that commitment to training and playing a hard brand of rugby which Bulldog graybeards insist was a hallmark of those early Belleville teams? It's still there, says Ripley. And the results prove it.
"The club is looking forward to the 35th anniversary celebration this year, but we're also setting our sights on several division championships," said Ripley. "Both senior men's teams want to repeat as the Toronto Rugby Union Premier Division and TRU A-Division champions as well as bettering our mid-season runner-up performance at the annual Saranac Lake rugby festival in Saranac Lake, N.Y.
"There've been a ton of people already out for training this year and we've already had one exhibition game against the Cobourg Saxons, which we won, 48-12. The Lady Bulldogs also won their game against the Cobourg women, 42-0."
As well, said Ripley, both the U18 boys and girls Bulldog junior teams claimed division titles in 2010 and are bent on repeating. Plus, the U16 boys are hungry to capture a TRU title after advancing to the semi-final round the last two years in a row.
The original Bulldogs would be proud.
Meanwhile, just in case someone might think the modern Bulldogs had forgotten about rugby's traditional post-match camaraderie, Ripley said several social events have been planned to help senior members celebrate 35 years of club rugby in Belleville.
"The anniversary weekend is July 1-2-3 and it'll see new and old Bulldogs come together for a variety of activities," said Ripley. "Those include a wine tour through Prince Edward County, a golf tournament and a meet-and-greet at the Red Lion Pub. There's a seven-a-side tournament at M.A. Sills Park, a Bulldogs Hall of Fame dinner and dance at the Greek Hall, and a Bulldogs Olympics and pool party."
The popular mini touch rugby program, which has involved hundreds of local children over the past several years, made its 2011 debut last weekend at M.A. Sills Park and runs Sundays from 9-11 a.m. Local high school players and Bulldog club members teach youngsters the basics of the game — running with the ball, passing the ball, defending, attacking and strategy.
Thanks to grassroots programs — like mini rugby — the game is thriving in Bay of Quinte high schools, said Ripley. A spring tournament held last week at M.A. Sills Park attracted three of the 10 top-ranked teams in Ontario and in June Belleville will host its third OFSAA championship — AA boys — since 2005.
That's something those original Bulldogs could never have imagined during that first meeting in a bar 35 years ago. Even over several bottles of beer.
QUICK HITS
Who: Belleville Red Lion Bulldogs Rugby Club.
When: Founded during a meeting in a Belleville bar in 1976.
Where: Home openers vs. Lindsay Saturday at M.A. Sills Park, 1:30 p.m. (men II) and 3 p.m. (men I).
Why: Both Bulldogs men's teams are looking to repeat as Toronto Rugby Union division champions.
What: 35th anniversary celebrations are planned for July 1-2-3 long weekend.
Need to know: Former Bulldogs second row Mike Schad played 10 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman.
Posted 1 year ago # -
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Posted 1 year ago -
Harry Craig
MemberCongartulations, I know I played against you guys in your first year, not sure if it was the first game but I think it was.
Posted 1 year ago #
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