Scarisbrick Hall School is the latest of a number of connections between the club and the famous historic Lancashire name Scarisbrick. One of our previous grounds late in the 1880s and 90s, during the Olympic years, was on Scarisbrick New Road near KGV, and over the years there have been several Scarisbricks amongst the club notables. The Scarisbrick Hotel in the town centre has supported the club and is a favoured watering hole and past venue for club dinners.

Scarisbrick (commonly pronounced as "Scays-brick" or "Scares-brick") is a village and civil parish in West Lancashire, England. It is spread out along the A570 (the main road between Ormskirk and Southport) so there is no real village centre, though the junction with the A5147 is close to the geographic centre.

The placename itself comes from the Old Norse, and literally denotes "(the Norseman called) Skar's hill-slope". Scarisbrick appears to have been a village of some size during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, being first mentioned c. 1200, with the first person known to have had a bye-name derived from it being Gilbert de Scaresbrec in the early thirteenth century. Succeeded by his son Walter, his family continued to hold Scarisbrick for centuries to come, and the historian Richard McKinley notes that "Most, and possibly all, the people named Scarisbrick found in Lancashire during the Middle Ages were members of the land-owning family"

SOUTHPORT V ORMSKIRK: 1926-2013

The geography of the school dictates that it is apt that todays first team game against our neighbours from up the A570 Ormskirk RUFC has been chosen to announce the association between the school and the club. It is a road well travelled by players of both clubs to fulfill fixtures which began in 1928.

Mind you, the history of Scarisbrick Hall knocks the history of both clubs into as cocked hat. Nestling midway betwixt the two towns the first hall dates from 1595, nearly four centuries before rugby in Southport was established in 1872. Ormskirk had to wait another half century or so before the Green Lane based club was established during the 1926/27 season.

Nevertheless on December 26th 1928 Ormskirk 1st XV had the distinction of being one of the first-ever visitors to Waterloo Road following the relocation of Southport RUFC from Victoria Park

The visitors took on a Southport 'A' XV in the inaugural fixture between the clubs but showed scant respect for their elders by winning by 38 pts to 3! In mitigation Southport were actually two players short, with Ormskirk generously providing the extra players. The 'Gingerbread Men', as Ormskirk are nick-named, also chalked up another notable victory on November 3rd 1934 when the mathmatics indicate the Southport 'A' XV was again put to the sword by 20 pts to Southport's nil. The report of the day remarked, '...the tackling on both sides was keen'.

Mind you Ormskirk was not happy that its 1st XV only played a Southport 'A' XV team in those days and were not accorded a full 1st XV fixture status. Things came to a head following a game between the two sides on March 9th 1935 when a newspaper report remarked that 'There is only one obvious solution to such a galaxy of scoring (for Ormskirk), and that is a first team fixture. However, such a remedy has not been apparent to Southport'. In light of this a motion was passed on October 15th 1934 at the Ormskirk Club Management meeting that no 1st XV or 2nd XV fixtures would be played against Southport unless it was a true 1st XV or 2nd XV fixture.

Sadly the Southport grandees of the day were unmoved and fixtures ceased. It took the aftermath of the Second World War for common sense to prevail and fixtures re-started. But the men from Green Lane didn’t have it all their own way and Southport 1st XV and 2nd XV took the biscuit on a regular basis in the post-war years.

A notable 'double' for 'Port was on September 15th 1977 when Ormskirk couldn’t contain a Southport team which ran out 17 points to 7 points victors at Green Lane whilst the 2nd XV fixture was reported as being a close affair with Ormskirk '….tackling like tiger’s' . At one point in this fixture, Ormskirk were down to only three forwards against Southport's eight. Somehow Southport only managed to win by 8 points to nil!

The fierce rivalry between Southport and Ormskirk has endured over the years with many players having connections with both clubs. These include Simon Kilshaw, Ian Greenhalgh, Miles Johnson, Jamie Church and England cap Frank Anderson.

Probably the most revered is the legendary John Winn. John was a larger than life character who ran a garage behind the Scarisbrick Hotel and apparently once turned up at a 'Tarts and Vicars' night dressed as a bishop with mitre and staff. His cape was a colourful bedspread, which his wife Jenny had adapted, and the mitre was bejewelled with Rowntree's fruit gums. Apparently He looked resplendent! In the 1991 – 92 season John as immediate past- Chairman of Southport was instrumental in securing the funding for the Captains and Presidents Boards in the club house, and was involved in the Colts set-up before decamping to Green Lane.

Following his death the John Winn Cup was established to be played for in first team fixtures between the club adding further passion and aggression to the occasion and today will be no exception. With Ormskirk having had the ascendancy in recent fixtures Southport will be up against it again today, especially as the ‘Gingerbread Men’ are unbeaten in the league so far this season and striving to keep up with front-runners Manchester Medics.

Come what may, as ever Southport RFC extends a warm welcome to the players, officials, and supporters of Ormskirk RUFC, and also to our sponsors Scarisbrick Hall School and guests. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

SCARISBRICK HALL SCHOOL

Set in idyllic surroundings Scarisbrick Hall has been the home of an independent school since 1964. In 1998 the school merged with Kingswood College, Southport and changed its name to Kingswood but in 2009 its name reverted to Scarisbrick Hall School. For further details please telephone 01704 880200 or visit

http://www.scarisbrickhallschool.co.uk/

REST OF THE WEEKEND

Following the fantastic fireworks and bonfire last night, with the clocks having changed, todays game kicks-off at 2.15pm together with the Third XV at home to West Park 3s over-the-wall. Again we extend a hearty welcome to our visitors from St Helens.

The Seconds travel to Lymm 3s, whilst tomorrow there is the usual mayhem at Waterloo Road. The Senior Colts entertain Congleton at 2.00pm, following a full mornings junior and mini fixtures against Blackburn with a couple of other clubs involved too including West Park under 12s.

In particular the club will be hosting a Lynn Walton cup cake fest in support of young George Claxton (see other post). Let's fill our boots!

POST SCRIPT

Finally, coming back to Scarisbrick Hall, did you know that legend has it that one of the most famous landmarks in the country, Elizabeth Tower more commonly but incorrectly known as Big Ben, is based on the tower at the hall which can be seen for miles around. The tower was designed and built circa 1830s by renowned architect Augustus Pugin who also worked on the Houses of Parliament, before being remodelled by his son Edward in 1867 just as a certain rugby club was about to establish itself in Southport? The rest, as they say, is history.