Club History

The club was formed in November 1980 by Dick McConnel, a former New Zealand Student RL International. Dick taught (still does!) engineering at St John’s and the first training session consisted of two people- himself and future captain Paul Gamble.

Having persuaded a few more oddballs to join them, the first game took place on 2nd December 1980 against Reading University, losing 40-2 against experienced opponents despite leading early on.

Enthuasiasm remained undimmed however and the first Varsity match took place on Sunday 26th April at Craven Cottage. The new Fulham club were on their way to achieving an historic promotion in their first season and the Varsity Match was played at what was then the home of London Rugby League. Oxford won 16-9 but fittingly Dick McConnel scored the first Cambridge try.

Revenge wasn’t long in coming however as Paul Gamble’s two tries and four goals ensured that the 1982 game , at Crystal Palace, was won by Cambridge by 30-8.

By the time that current Cambridge committee members, Gordon Low and Martin Woodcock arrived, the club was well established. and the second half of the eighties were good times. Under the coaching of Mike Penistone an experienced group of players, including Low and Woodcock took the club to three successive Varsity Match wins. Woodcock, the captain, scored in the 1987 game which was won 36-5 and in which he played scrum half to Low’s stand off.

The club’s first student internationals came from this era. Jamie Woodward was the first and he went on the represent Great Britain against Australia in the Student World Cup Final of 1989 at central park in Wigan. Hooker Nigel Warburton, who has gone on to achieve fame in the world of philosophy, was also capped. Not many famous philosophers are renowned as sportsman I know that Albert Camus was famous for being a goalkeeper but how many philosophers have gone on to be internationals? Especially rugby league players? Especially a hooker? Only Mike Stephenson comes to mind.

The Penistone years were crowned by the historic tour to Australia, at the conclusion of which the club played the curtain raiser to the Australia v Rest of the World Test Match at the famous Sydney Football Stadium. The club hopes to repeat this tour during the twentieth anniversary year in 2008, which is also the centenary of the Australian Rugby League.

The Guardian’s Mike Selvey, sometime cricketer, and Test Match Special pundit was on hand to witness the opening of the next great era. In his fine piece on 10th March 1993 he wrote; ‘…Canbridge were quicker, fitter, stronger and more skilful and in Adrian Spencer possessed the best player on either side…who so involved himself in everything, that he probably made the post match tea’. Cambridge won 50-18.

Spencer was to be the major figure over the next few years. In 1994 he single handed wrested victory from Oxford’s grasp with a remarkable performance in the last ten minutes which saw the game drawn 22-22, the only draw so far.

The following year, in probably the most unusual Varsity Match, he was instrumental in the 16-8 win. The game was unusual in that it was played on a pitch so waterlogged that one corner was a foot under water and If you don’t believe it get a copy of the front page of the Times for the day after the game was played- a big front page photograph proves it! Times correspondent Christopher Irvine remarked that ‘…as a dress rehearsal for the Boat Race conditions were splendid’.

Spencer was the first player that the club produced who went on to play professionally, becoming a first team player at London Broncos, the predecessors of Harlequins RL. His team mate Iain Higgins also signed with the Broncos later moving onto play with Hunslet.

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