REELIN’ IN THE YEARS
ESTHER CRAWFORD & SHEILA HOGG, TWO LONG STANDING SUPPORTERS OF MELROSE RUGBY, SHARE THEIR STORIES AND TAKE US ON A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE.
As a relative newcomer to this parish, it was a pleasure to sit down for an hour with two longstanding supporters of Melrose Rugby, and to listen to their stories as they took a trip down memory lane.
ESTHER CRAWFORD (Grandma Esther to you and me) and SHEILA HOGG have been an integral part of the club for over sixty years. I learned that when their respective husbands, John and David, moved to Melrose Rugby from Earlston in the early sixties, the ladies took up hockey here, training on Gibson Park and listening to Sheila’s brother, Jim Telfer, barking instructions at 1XV training across the road on The Greenyards.
Their memories are laser sharp. “In those days, there wasn’t a clubhouse or hall at The Greenyards as such”, Grandma Esther told me. “My mother-in-law used to refer to it as the ‘Rugby Hoose’, but women weren’t encouraged to come in. After rugby and hockey matches, we all headed up to the Station Hotel.”
They smiled as they remembered some of the goings-on there. “Will Robson ran the Station House bar. The late Ron Glasgow had a party trick of walking across the floor on two cans of beer. Jack Dunn and Ogilvie Scott at the bar until the early hours. Dave Hogg, at the top of his voice, belting out…. We’re rugby boys, We’re goin’ on a spree, Doomed from here to eternity….”.
“Ladies didn’t go to away matches” Sheila told me, “And if Melrose had an away match in Fife, the boys had to get the ferry (the Forth Road Bridge hadn’t been built until 1964!).”
I asked them to share their highlights down through the years. There were many. Dances in the Hydro (Waverley Castle today). Live bands, a sprung dancefloor. “The Gala Pally closed so everyone came to the Hydro.”
Fancy dress parties at the Greenyards when the hall was built in the 70s. “Jack Dunn and Ogilvie Scott were the club barmen, but usually shut the bar at 9:30 so they could get up to the Station Bar before last orders!”
“...GRANDMA ESTHER HAS SUPPORTED
GRANDSONS DONALD AND DOUGLAS THIS SEASON, WHILE SHIELA HAS SUPPORTED ANGUS WEIR...”
Hosting visiting teams for the Sevens. Sheila still stays in touch with Trent Herring of Manly RFC who stayed on in Melrose for six months! And Esther hosted one David Campese who played with another Sydney club, Randwick RFC.
The ladies recalled the special occasions when local lads were awarded their first Scotland Cap… Dave Chisholm, Frank Laidlaw, Charlie Drummond, Jim Telfer, Eck Hastie, Wattie Hart among those. Esther remembered “In 1963, we won the Scottish Championship on a Tuesday night by virtue of Hawick (I think) losing away. Sheila’s Dave was club captain, and Sandy Gibson threw a celebration party in his house”.
We chatted about the club today, in 2024, and what the main differences are with the past. “Well, the crowds are much smaller to start. The club has been through a lot of change in the past few years but we seem to be heading in a good direction now.”
Grandma Esther has supported grandsons Donald and Douglas this season, while Shiela has supported Angus Weir. The Weirs and Hoggs are long-time friends. But both ladies talked about how important the club has been as a place of comfort in sad times. “There’s a sense of family, a sense of belonging that’s comforting”. And the future? Esther and Sheila were clear about the benefits of encouraging kids to take up rugby (or any team sport). “You can’t beat the camaraderie, friendship, discipline and physical fitness you get from rugby. It’s great to pass by The Greenyards on a winter’s evening and see the young players training under the lights.”
Thank you, Esther and Sheila, for taking me down memory lane and helping me to understand better what makes Melrose Rugby special.