Lloyds Bank RFC
Full nameLloyds Bank Rugby Football Club
UnionRFU
Founded1912
Team kit

Lloyds Bank Rugby Football Club are an English rugby union club. They are the works team of Lloyds Bank and were founded in 1912 by staff at the bank's London office.[1] Until 2000, they played their home matches at the Lloyds Bank Sports and Social Club Ground in Beckenham, London.[2]

History

In 1912, a meeting of Lloyds Bank's staff was held "declaring a strong enthusiasm for rugby union" where they decided to found a rugby club under the chairmanship of E.W. Nutall, the Head Office Cashier. At the meeting it was decreed that each player would contribute five shillings for subscriptions and they would play in white jerseys and black shorts.[1] In their debut season, they defeated fellow bank sides including the Bank of England and Chartered Bank of London.[2]

In 1918, Lloyds Bank merged with Capital and Counties Bank. As a result, Lloyds Bank RFC moved their home matches to the Capital and Counties Bank's sports ground in New Beckenham, Kent.[1] In 1936, Lloyds Bank's J.S. Moll was selected to join the British Lions on the 1936 British Lions tour to Argentina, despite never being called up to the England national rugby union team.[3] In 1947 during the AGM of the Rugby Football Union, Lloyds Bank RFC put forward a number of law amendments in relation to introducing professionalism into amateur rugby union. However, they withdrew them at the meeting.[4] Lloyds Bank RFC have also hosted Kent County Cricket Club's National League matches.[5]

In 2000, it was announced that Lloyds TSB had sold Lloyds Bank RFC's ground to developers. This was part of a number of cost-cutting measures following Lloyds Bank's merger with the Trustee Savings Bank in 1997. As a result, Lloyds Bank RFC groundshared with rival bank NatWest RFC.[1] Lloyds Bank RFC still play matches against fellow financial institutions.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Lloyds secret sell-off shame". The Guardian. 5 March 2000. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Lloyds put profit before rugby". Irish Independent. 5 March 2000. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Ask John: Wolfhounds and Handel". ESPN. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  4. ^ "RFU Annual General Meeting 11th July 1947" (PDF). Cheshire RFU. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  5. ^ "ECB Check on Kirtley Arm action". The Birmingham Post. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Baltic Exchange RFC 22 vs Lloyds Bank 12". The Baltic Briefing. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
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