| Full name | Blairgowrie Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 | |
| Location | Blairgowrie, Scotland | |
| Ground(s) | John Johnston Coupar Park | |
| League(s) | Caledonia Division One | |
| 2019–20 | Caledonia Division One, 8th of 10 | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Blairgowrie RFC is a rugby union club based in Blairgowrie and Rattray, Scotland. The Men's team currently plays in Caledonia Division One.
It was founded in 1980, originally as Blairgowrie HSFP.
There was a previous Blairgowrie rugby side in the 19th century which often provided players to the Perthshire county side to play Fifeshire. For example, P. D. Laing at full back and W. Robertson at quarter (Centre) in 1889. [1]
The club originally played at Blairgowrie High's grounds. The club’s home ground is now, John Johnston Coupar Park, was once a berry farm before being bequeathed to the town for recreational use. The rugby club set about creating two rugby pitches starting in 1983, clearing the fields, approx. 70 tonnes of stones, surveying and laying out the pitches and then laying top soil, putting posts and seeding the soil for the first inaugural match which took place in 1985. In 1986 the rugby club then set about building the changing rooms and this is now the home of Blairgowrie RFC and has some of the best pitches, we would suggest, in Scotland. Over the years the senior club started the Junior Section in 1993 and also fielded a ladies team in 1997, this also coincided with setting up the floodlights. This is now the home of Blairgowrie RFC.
The side recorded a 172 - nil victory in a friendly match against Howe of Fife in the early season of 2016–17. That was a portent of things to come as the team played in the Bowl Final at Murrayfield at the end of that season. Blairgowrie also reached the Regional Bowl Final in 2024, losing narrowly to Irvine RFC. Blairgowrie currently play in Caledonia League Division 1 [2]
The club hit the headlines in June 2021 when one of the players went into cardiac arrest - he was saved by his teammates using CPR and then a defibrillator. The club president Mark Reddin explained: [3]
We’ve got a couple of guys who are police officers at the club, and two of them knew what to do straight away and started giving CPR. Everybody there jumped into action and did exactly what they're supposed to do. Hamish is a young guy, 20, about to turn 21, and I'm delighted that he has survived this. We were just playing a touch game that we do during the summer months. It was about 7pm and Hamish fell to the ground, I think he was holding his head and he started fitting, it was clear that it was a big issue. He couldn't breathe and his lips were turning blue. Hamish actually had his heart stop, it was the defibrillator that brought him back. It's worth its weight in gold, I think what this shows is the importance of these machines, the fact that having it there can even save one life.
Former Scotland internationals Sean Lamont and Rory Lamont's mother was a previous Secretary of the club; however her sons did not play for the club. [4]
Blairgowrie runs various sides including men's, women's and juniors. The Blairgowrie Rams are its junior club. The rams are run for boys and girls aged 5–17. No experience is necessary and we would encourage anyone interested to come down, give it a try or get in touch for more information. [5]
Blairgowrie host an annual rugby tens tournament; which takes place alongside the Blairgowrie Ale Festival. This is a free festival for all and raises much needed funds, every penny of which goes into grassroots rugby, to help keep the club running. [6]
Blairgowrie and Rattray is a twin burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Locals refer to the town as "Blair". Blairgowrie is the larger of the two former burghs which were united by an Act of Parliament in 1928 and lies on the southwest side of the River Ericht while Rattray is on the northeast side. Rattray claims to be the older and certainly Old Rattray, the area round Rattray Kirk, dates back to the 12th century. New Rattray, the area along the Boat Brae and Balmoral Road dates from 1777 when the River was spanned by the Brig o' Blair. The town lies on the north side of Strathmore at the foot of the Grampian Mountains. The west boundary is formed by the Knockie, a round grassy hill, and Craighall Gorge on the Ericht. Blairgowrie and Rattray developed over the centuries at the crossroads of several historic routes with links from the town to Perth, Coupar Angus, Alyth and Braemar. The roads to Coupar Angus and Braemar form part of General Wade's military road from Perth to Ayrshire then over the tiny bridge to the hill Fort George. The town's centrepiece is the Wellmeadow, a grassy triangle in the middle of town which hosts regular markets and outdoor entertainment.
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