The Famous Five

HEARTS F.C. -- 1874

HONOURS & RECORDS
Formed 1874
Champions - 1895, 1897, 1958, 1960
(Runners-up: 13)
Scottish Cup - 1891, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1956, 1998, 2006
(Runners-up: 6)
League Cup - 1954-55, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1962-63
(Runners-up: 2)
1st Division - 1980
(Runners-up: 2)
Tennent's Sixes - 1985, 1991
Texaco Cup - Finalists 1971
Victory Cup - Finalists 1919
Scottish League E&N - Runners-up
Record Victory - 21-0 v Anchor EFA Cup, 30.10.1888
Record Defeat - 1-8 v Vale of Leven, Scottish Cup 1880
Most Caps - Bobby Walker, 29 for Scotland
Most League Appearances - Gary Mackay - 515 (1980-97)
Most League Goals - John Robertson - 214 (1983-98)
Most League Goals (Season) - Barney Battles - 44 (1930/31)

THE SRU

SCOTTISH RUGBY UNION
7-9 Roseburn Street, EH12
Tel. 0131-346 5000
Fax. 0131-346 5001
www.sru.org.uk

SCOTTISH RUGBY UNION HISTORY
The very first rugby international match was played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, on Monday, 27 March 1871, on the cricket field of The Edinburgh Academy. In fact, the first nine international matches in Scotland were all played on established cricket fields - the second having been played at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, the home of West of Scotland CC. Both these venues were used for International and Trial matches up until 1895. The then Scottish Football Union rented these fields on a match-to-match basis, £25 being paid in 1875 - a sum which rose gradually to £30 in 1881 by which year the gate money had more than doubled. A temporary stand was erected at Raeburn place at a cost of £45.
The Edinburgh Academy became increasingly unhappy with the arrangement. The field was in constant use by pupils of the school, including Saturdays, and there was little time left to prepare the ground for the rugby internationals which were played on Monday afternoons, the field having been in use during the afternoon by the school! By 1890, the SFU had begun a search for an area of ground with the intention to purchase it for the Union. The search was fraught with difficulties, disappointments and frustrations. People simply did not want an international rugby ground in their locality. Meanwhile the cricket clubs concerned were repeatedly raising objections to the SFU applying for the use of their grounds. They complained about the crowds swarming over their field, the erection of temporary stands and the SFU's insistence that cricket club members should pay for entry to watch the rugby internationals. For their part, the SFU were unhappy about the ground being used on the morning of a rugby international and the subsequent loss of control created by members and others gaining entrance without payment.
In October 1895, The Edinburgh Academical Club decided that they were no longer prepared to lease Raeburn Place to the Union. In an attempt to overcome this blow, the Union entered into an arrangement for the use of Old Hampden Park, Glasgow, for the 1896 match v. England. District and Trial matches were played at Merchiston Castle School and at The Royal High School FPs' ground at Newington in Edinburgh. In 1897, the match v. Ireland was played at Powderhall Stadium, Edinburgh.
Eventually, in 1897, the Union purchased ground at Inverleith, Edinburgh, for the sum of £3,800, the money being raised by a debenture issue. Thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own rugby ground, complete with stand.
During building and preparatory operations, the Powderhall sports ground in Edinburgh was used to house two international matches: v. Ireland in 1897 and v. England the following year. It had been planned to open the new Inverleith ground with the Welsh match in January 1899 but inclement weather forced a postponement. Instead, the ground was opened with the game v. Ireland. A reporter's box and telephone office was added and opened in 1901 and an additional piece of adjoining land was purchased in 1905.
During the First World War (1914-18), the Inverleith ground was used for some military rugby matches but, during that period, little by way of maintenance was carried out with the result that, by 1919, the general condition of the ground, its buildings and fitments, was giving cause for concern.
Looking to expand: Murrayfield is purchased - and a change of name for the Union
In Edinburgh, the opportunity for the grounds at Corstorphine, previously occupied by The Royal High School FP Club before it moved to new ground at Jock's Lodge in 1920, was lost when the land was taken over by the City in 1921. The Union made an enquiry about leasing ground to the east of Inverleith, belonging to the Fettes Trust, and estimates were obtained for the building of a second stand if the application was successful.
Whilst all this exploratory activity was taking place, the then Secretary and Treasurer of the SFU announced that an opportunity had presented itself to possibly acquire 19 acres of land at Murrayfield, belonging to the Edinburgh Polo Club. Negotiations were entered into and, by the end of 1922, the deal for the purchase of the ground had been completed.
Funds for the preparation of the land and the building of a rugby stadium were raised by way of an issue of debentures. With preparations in full swing the SFU, in 1924, changed its name to become the Scottish Rugby Union. The cash inflow from the debentures allowed the construction work to go ahead and Scotland played their last international match at Inverleith on 25 January 1925, signing off with a 25-4 victory over France (a fitting celebration for Burns' Day!).
Murrayfield was officially opened on a sunny day on 21 March 1925. England were the visitors and a more fitting climax to the international season could not have been scripted: it was pure Boy's Own stuff!
Scotland had already recorded victories over France at Inverleith (25-4), Wales in Swansea (24-14) and Ireland in Dublin (14-8). England, the Five Nations champions of the two previous seasons, already had a win over Wales (12-6) and a drawn game (6-6) with Ireland - both matches played at Twickenham; they were to go on to defeat France in Paris by 13-11, in April. The 70,000 spectators at Murrayfield were treated to a stupendously exciting match in which the lead changed hands several times before Scotland secured the 14-11 victory which was to give them their first-ever 'Grand Slam.' At the time, the phrase 'Grand Slam' had not been created and the players of the day, although aware that they had won all of their matches in the Five Nations series and that they were champions, had never heard of 'Grand Slam' in rugby parlance. The phrase was to become popular in time to come being, it is thought, the invention of journalists.
Expansion
In 1927, land to the west was purchased. This enabled the SRU to prepare extra pitches for use by junior clubs. Two access bridges over the Water of Leith were built and a car park was prepared.
The move to the more spacious Murrayfield was fully justified. Stand tickets were increasingly in demand and, to try to alleviate this difficulty, two wing extensions were added in 1936, thus increasing the seating capacity to 15,228.
World War II
The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 brought rugby in Scotland to a halt. The SRU cancelled all arranged Trial and International matches and encouraged the member clubs to carry on as best they could. Some clubs closed down, others amalgamated and carried on playing other local clubs and, sometimes, teams from the armed forces stationed in their various areas.
The ground at Murrayfield was offered to the Nation and was taken over by the Royal Army Service Corps and used as a supply depot. During the war years the armed forces sports authorities managed to arrange two England v. Scotland Services Internationals each year, on a home-and-away basis. Scotland's home matches were played at Inverleith for the first two years with a return to Murrayfield in 1944 after that ground's derequisition.
The Post War Years
The end of hostilities in 1945 saw the Union and its member clubs getting together to reorganize the game and Murrayfield was the venue for a number of 'Victory' International matches in 1946 against Scotland XV's with no caps being awarded to participating players. Full international matches at Murrayfield were resumed on 1 February 1947, Scotland losing to Wales by 8-22.
However, 5 years of wartime neglect had taken its toll of ground, stand and terraces. Major repairs and reconstruction work was undertaken: the stand's metalwork, roofing and seating were overhauled; terracings, which were overgrown with grass and weeds, to a height of 2-3 feet in places, were cleared and repaired.
Extra rows of seating were added to the stand. Within the stand building, improvements and extensions were made to dressing rooms and showers. Extra tearooms for players and for lady guests were added.
A decision was made to transfer the Union's office, then in Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, to Murrayfield. Plans were drawn up and the transfer was carried out in 1964. Following that initial move, additional office facilities were added, within the stand area, to accommodate increases in staff.
A new stand
In July 1981 the Union took a decision to build a new stand in place of the East Terracing. A Special General Meeting, held in December 1981, finalised the financial arrangements, the expected cost being estimated at £3.15 million. Part of the cost was to be met by the issue of 5000 interest-free loans of £400 each, the cash to be repayable in twenty years. Each lender would have the right to purchase one ticket for international matches played at Murrayfield. In addition, the Scottish Sports Council offered a grant of £250,000 toward the cost.
The SRU President, Mr Fraser MacAllister, cut a symbolic turf in March 1982 to launch the construction work on the East Stand. The building of the new Stand was completed in December 1982 and it was ready for use for the matches v. Ireland and Wales early in 1983. The official opening ceremony was performed by the then HRH The Princess Anne, immediately prior to the match v. The Barbarians on 26 March 1983.
New offices and other facilities
By the beginning of the 1980s the office and entertainment accommodation was found to be inadequate and, in 1985, the refurbishment of Murrayfield was continued with an office and Committee development at the rear of the West Stand. Elevated above ground level, the extension compromised offices, tearooms and suites suitable for conferences, etc. These developments made available some space within the West Stand area and, in the former large Committee Room, the Union established its National Library and Museum. This was opened in December 1986 by the then President, Dr D. W. C. Smith.
The present and looking to the future
The SRU Committee, looking and planning ahead and following the publication of the Taylor Report, and in order to comply with the demands and guidelines of that Report, decided to plan for an all-covered, all-seated Murrayfield stadium. The Union launched a debenture scheme aimed at raising most of the expected cost of £50 million. The goal was to establish Murrayfield as one of the finest sports grounds in Europe, capable of seating 67,500 spectators.
Subject to the consent of member clubs and planning approval from Edinburgh District Council, it was planned that construction work would commence after the 1992 Five Nations Championship matches, with a completion date three years later. Phase One, the building of the stands at the north and south ends of the ground, with a combined capacity of 24,000 was completed in January 1993. In March the same year, following the Five Nations Championship matches, Phase Two began. This phase saw the demolition of the existing wings of the West Stand and their replacement with covered seated areas which linked in with the new North and South Stands. Phase Three (the final one) began in the spring of 1993. The original West Stand was demolished entirely and a brand new stand replaced it. The Stand was partially in use for the match v. England on 5 February 1994, with completion due by November that year when South Africa were the visitors. A new and well-furbished Library was established within the West Stand and was opened in December 1995.
Improvements were carried out to the press area and a floodlighting system was installed. New electronic scoreboards were established at the north and south ends. Ambitious? - yes, but the Scottish Rugby Union are nothing if not adventurous in a positive way. A new, larger Museum is being planned to link up with the Library and a new Visitor Centre. The new, improved stadium has made Murrayfield one of the very best sports stadiums in Europe - and that was the planned aim of the Union.

RUGBY HISTORY
Recreational pastimes formed part of the lives of the populace of early Scotland. It is known that Roman soldiers in Britain found relaxation in harpastum - a hard-ball game which, it is claimed in some quarters, led eventually to the Border Ba' games. Although conjecture, a strong case can be made for this belief when it is recognised that the main Roman route into Scotland was across the Cheviots, past Jedburgh and Ancrum, and on to Newstead near Melrose. The Romans were encamped there for more than a century and it is almost inevitable that local communities acquired and developed some of their customs.
Evolving Border Ba' games formed the basis of football in Scotland. Local people divided themselves into two sides - no maximum number being specified. There were few rules and no playing fields: the games were played in the streets. The divisions were usually along local geographical criteria - e.g. the 'uppies' against the 'doonies.' The object of the game was to carry the ba', mostly by sheer brute force, to touch some agreed target at the far end of the opposition's area. It would seem that kicking was not a sensible option: the mass of bodies ruled that out - and such folly of action would probably have resulted in the would-be kicker injuring himself. The ba' in these games was quite small, about the size of a modern tennis ball and, being made from leather, it was quite hard. Examples of Border bas can be seen in the Scottish Rugby Union's Library at Murrayfield. An annual symbolic game is still played in some areas - e.g., in Jedburgh.

Football taken up by educational institutions
In the early 19th Century such games were no longer considered to be a popular pastime. Following six long hard working days each week, the working classes had little time or energy for play. Football, as a nationally enjoyed game went into decline. It was saved from total extinction by being taken up in some schools, and in universities, as a recreation. These educational institutions developed kicking and/or handling games along lines, and with rules, to suit their own needs. There is evidence of a handling game having been played at the High School in Edinburgh as early as 1810. Eventually, when they became former pupils and students, these gentlemen formed clubs and teams and organised and governed the game in its formative years.

The formulation of a handling game
Several new schools were formed in Scotland during the first half of the 19th Century, among them The Edinburgh Academy (1824), Loretto (1827), Merchiston (1833), Glasgow Academy (1845) and Trinity College, Glenalmond (1847). It is known that simple and crude forms of football were played at all of these schools, but it was in Edinburgh that the handling game first took root and spread to other areas of the country.
Two young men, Francis and Alexander Crombie, came from Durham School to Edinburgh in 1854. Francis joined The Academy as a pupil but Alexander had already left school. Apparently, neither brother had played football at Durham but they took with them a knowledge of the rules of football as played at Rugby School and this they passed on. Francis is recorded as having been the first school football captain and Alexander became actively involved in the formation of The Edinburgh Academical Football Club. He qualified for membership under a rule which allowed relatives of school pupils to become members. In 1858 he became the first captain of the Football Club - a position he held for eight years.
During the same period, a boy named Hamilton came to The High School in Edinburgh (in 1856) from an English public school and brought with him the 'Rules of Rugby Football' as he had known them in the south. This document was instrumental in the High School's adapting their existing game to this new form.
The first-ever inter-school match recorded in Scotland was The High School versus Merchiston, played on 13 February 1858. However, the game suffered from lack of uniformity of rule and ball. In The High School, in the early 1860s, football was played with '…monstrous inflated globes of vast circumference and ponderosity…'. H. H. Almond, a master at both Loretto and Merchiston and a founding father of the game in Scotland, describing an incident in a Loretto versus Merchiston match, wrote: '…but so little did any of us, masters or boys, then know about it, that I remember how, when Lyall ran with the ball behind the Merchiston goal the resulting try was appealed against on the ground that no player may cross the line whilst holding the ball. The previous rule at Merchiston had been that he must let go of the ball and kick it over before he touched it down. It must be said in excuse for this and other similar sins of ignorance, that the only available rules were those printed for the use of Rugby School. They were very incomplete and presupposed a practical knowledge of the game.'
Gradually, over several years, the game approached that then being played at Rugby. There were local variations which, inevitably, resulted in disputes. Almond again: '…well into the 1870s the only schools able to play each other on even terms were The Edinburgh Academy, Merchiston and The High School.'
From the mid-1860s, senior (former pupils) clubs started to appear in both the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas and these clubs, making good use of the then new railways, began to play each other. In those early club matches play was often halted whilst captains and umpires tried to settle some point of difference. Such disputes and mix-ups were frequent.
Such a state of affairs could not continue indefinitely and a group of men from The Edinburgh Academical Football Club convened a series of meetings and, in 1868, with the agreement of the other schools and clubs, set out and had printed rules for the game in Scotland. The resulting booklet Laws of Football as played by the Principal Clubs in Scotland, became known as The Green Book. Alas, no copy survives but it is worthy of note that neither the clubs nor The Green Book felt it necessary to include the word 'Rugby' in their title. Indeed, the Scottish Football Union, formed in 1873, did not alter its name to become the Scottish Rugby Union until 1924 - the year prior to the opening of Murrayfield.

The development of the game and new international grounds for Scotland
The development of the game saw the foundation of the Scottish Football Union in 1873, a change to fifteen-a-side (from twenty-a-side) in 1877, the formation of the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 and the instigation of a points scoring system in 1889. Changes to the laws of the game have been made at various times and this process still continues today.
In 1897 land was purchased, by the SFU, at Inverleith, Edinburgh. Thus the SFU became the first of the Home Unions to own its own ground. The first visitors were Ireland, on 18 February 1899 (Scotland 3 Ireland 9).
International rugby was played at Inverleith until 1925. The SFU had purchased land, belonging to Edinburgh Polo Club, at Murrayfield, in 1922. On the site they built the first Murrayfield Stadium which was opened on 21 March 1925. England were the visitors and a more fitting climax to the international rugby season could not have been scripted. Scotland already had victories over France at Inverleith (25-4), Wales in Swansea (24-14) and Ireland in Dublin (14-8). England, the Grand Slam champions of the two previous seasons, already had a win over Wales (12-6) and a drawn game (6-6) with Ireland - both played at Twickenham; they were to go on to defeat France in Paris by 13-11 in April. The 70,000 spectators at Murrayfield were treated to a stupendously exciting match in which the lead changed hands several times before Scotland secured the 14-11 victory which gave them their first-ever Grand Slam.
Scotland 14 England 11, Murrayfiled, 21 March 1925 The opening match at the new Murrayfield Stadium produced a spectacle of exciting fervour. The lead changed hands three times. England were leading by 11 points to 5 when 'Johnny' Wallace scored a try which was converted (10-11). As no-side neared, Herbert Waddell dropped a goal to win the match for Scotland. Victory also brought the Calcutta Cup, Scotland's first-ever 'Grand Slam' and the Five Nations Championship. Altogether an impressive start for the new stadium.
The Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup was gifted to the Rugby Football Union in 1878 by the members of the short-lived Calcutta Rugby Club. The members had decided to disband: the cup was crafted from melted-down silver rupees which became available when the Club's funds were withdrawn from the bank. The Cup is unique in that it is competed for annually only by England and Scotland. The first Calcutta Cup match was played in 1879 and, since that time, over 100 matches have taken place.
The mythical 'Triple Crown'
There is no trophy for winning a 'Triple Crown.' This is achieved by one of the 'Home' countries defeating the other three in any one season of competition. Scotland first achieved the feat in 1891 and, up to the end of season 1998-99, have won the accolade on 10 occasions.
The equally-mythical 'Grand Slam'
As with the 'Triple Crown', there is no trophy for a country achieving a 'Grand Slam.' To gain this distinction a country must defeat France and Italy as well as the other three 'Home' countries. To date, Scotland have achieved this success on only three occasions: 1925, 1984 and 1990. The 'highs' of 1925, 1984 and 1990 were interspersed with many 'lows.' By far the most humiliating defeat (0-44) was that at the hands of South Africa at Murrayfield in 1951. Because of the present day points scoring system, this was a larger defeat than that handed out by New Zealand in 1993 (15-51). The 1951 match was the third in a sequence of 17 consecutive defeats beginning with match versus Ireland on 24 February 1951. Scotland were not to taste victory again until 5 February 1955 when they defeated Wales 14-8 at Murrayfield.
The Five Nations Series
When Scotland played France in the first official international match between the two countries in 1910, the foundation was laid for a Five Nations competition. France had already played the other three Home Nations: initially England in 1906, Wales in 1908 and Ireland in 1909. With the fixture against Scotland in 1910 was founded what was to become known as the Five Nations series of matches. Disputes and World Wars apart, the championship has seen continuous competition between the nations for over eighty years. Up until 1993, there was no tangible reward for winning the Five Nations championship: there was neither flag nor cup or any other kind of trophy. However, for season 1992-93, there was presented, for competition, the Five Nations Championship Trophy. France were the first winners, followed by Wales and then England. Scotland's first success came in season 1998-99; Ireland have never been successful.

Scotland was the last nation to win the Five Nations Trophy as such because, for season 1999-2000, the nations were joined by Italy. In this season England became the first winners of the Six Nations championship.

* Information provided by Official SRU Website.

SPORTING LINKS
www.scottishsport.co.uk - MORE SCOTTISH SPORTS
www.claymores.co.uk - AMERICAN FOOTBALL
www.scottishathletics.org.uk/ - ATHLETICS
www.diamonddevils.com - BASEBALL
www.basketball-scotland.com - BASKETBALL
www.cricketeurope.org/SCOTLAND/home.shtml - CRICKET
www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk - CYCLING
www.fitness-scotland.com - FITNESS
www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk - HORSE RACING
www.edinburgh-capitals.com - ICE HOCKEY
www.scottishsport.co.uk/football/index.htm - FOOTBALL





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