Rugby Action Caught on Film
This is a slight variation of our usual “Who, Where and When” articles because we can tell you from the outset that the following photos were taken during a tremendously exciting rugby match - the Nicholl Shield final between the Police v Teachers teams held at National Sports Club on March 30th 1969. The photos themselves have been captured from an 8mm silent film showing highlights of the match, and therein lies the reason we are featuring them here in our “Who, Where and When” column. CLICK HERE to view the film footage on You Tube.
I was recently contacted by Ken Butz who informed me that he had just acquired several reels of 8mm (silent) film in England, of rugby matches being played here in Bermuda during the 1960’s – 1970’s. One featured a Sevens match played at BAA Field during the 1968-1969 season; one was a game between The Irish v The Rest; and the one we are featuring here is the epic Nicholl Shield Final of the 1969 season which ended in a 14 – 14 draw after overtime.
Ken believes the additional footage he has on these reels may also have film from a New York Rugby Trip along with other games, and he would love to obtain as much information as possible about these rugby films, including who are the individual team members along with any other information that would be of interest.
Here are several of the captured images from the Nicholl Shield game:-
For the record, the name “Nicholl”is shown from time to time spelled with one “l” but on checking further there is no question that the person who donated the shield was Mr. Albert E Nicholl who came to Bermuda during the First World War. The records show that his shield was played for during the 1924-1925 season and was won by BAA who appeared to have had several police officers in their team.
Please note that many of the team photos in our “Photos of Police Rugby” article do not have captions with names of players. We would be delighted to add captions providing the names of all the players if you can assist. You could sbmot the information to us at info@expobermuda.com
It’s most unfortunate that no-one has yet taken on the task of writing a comprehensive history of rugby in Bermuda, although I’m aware that former policeman, John Logan, wrote extensive notes of the police rugby team and the rugby scene in general with that intention, and after he died his wife Jill had possession of John’s notes and tried in vain to find someone willing to complete the rugby history project. I am not sure whether these note are still in existence.
Ken is still working at editing and restoring these rugby reels and there will be more to come. If you would like to comment on any of the above photos you can do so on our ExPo Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BDAExPolice/ or you can contact Ken directly at kjsbutz@gmail.com
One thing for sure, Ken Butz’ old films from 60 years ago are a valuable addition to that history, and will no doubt stir many nostalgic memories of watching rugby while eating the best chips British style in Bermuda during those halcyon days.