Programme team sheet, Great Britain v France 1^st women’s rugby international, 19^th April 1986, Richmond Athletic Ground.

On the 19^th April 1986 I attended and photographed the first proper Women’s rugby international to be held in England.  Then Great Britain side contained many of the women I had photographed over the previous two seasons the Loughborough women – Kik Lee, Lisa Burgess, Amanda Bennett, Sam Robson, Pippa Atkinson, Finchley Girls Jayne Watts, Tricia Moore, Janet Gedrich, Debbie Maclaren, and of course the Wasps ladies Suzy Hill, Karen Almond, and Val Moore. There were others in the side I had not photographed – Janet Talbot from Swansea University, Trica Durkin from Bromley, the Captain Carole Isherwood from Leeds Uni. Over the years I would go on to photograph many of these girls and of course many others in club games and in the 1994 Women’s Rugby World Cup up in Scotland.  In these early days whilst I was sure that the women’s game would become more important, my main clients – the UK National newspapers mainly shied away from covering this fledging sport.

40 years later I was chuffed to bits to be invited to the 40^th anniversary dinner to celebrate these early pioneering women to be held at Richmond Athletic Ground, the same venue as that first women’s international match. Many of my images were seen, many for the first time, on the big screen during the evening.

The main screen showing my (Pete Jenkins) photos from that first ever women’s rugby international at the Richmond Athletic Ground.

It is no secret that my photographic career started in the 1980s in Northwest London as a sport photographer. I supplied local newspapers all over London with sporting images, mostly taken on a Saturday afternoon.  London in those days was awash with small local paid for and free newspapers, and on average each of the top teams would have as many as three or even more of these papers following their progress. By 1983 I was concentrating on the top rugby sides, Blackheath, Harlequin, London Irish, London Scottish, London Welsh, Metropolitan Police, Richmond, Rosslyn Park, Saracens and Wasps. I left the smaller clubs to other local freelancers to cover, clubs such as Ealing, Finchley, Hampstead, Harrow, Old Kingsburians,  Ruislip. There were others of course. 

Ealing is now a big club – Ealing Trailfinders, London Irish and Wasps have both gone, although there is still thriving small London club Wasps FC which carried on after the Men’s 1^st XV went professional back in 1996.

At the start of 1983-1984 season, I made the decision to start working the Fleet Street circuit. I committed myself to Rugby as my main sport, although as in those days most mainstream sport was on a Saturday afternoon I found myself photographing all sorts of different sports on the days when rugby was not happening. However, I digress, women’s rugby, ah yes.

The RAG seems to have stood the ravages of time rather well. It looks, mostly, much as it did forty years ago.  Back in the day I seemed to visit the Athletic Ground several times a month. Both Richmond and London Scottish played there then (and still do) so it seemed like there was a match every week. On top of club games, over the season there would be Divisional games, and various other representational games, and one women’s games became more frequent there would be their games as well

I was one of the first to arrive, my journey from Nottingham to Richmond was relatively uneventful. I was met by Tricia King and had the opportunity to meet many others who were at the match alongside me, although back in the day we had little to no idea who we all were.

I spoke to the referee on the day Clive Leeke, who also addressed that gathering and it was fascinating to get his take on the occasion. 

Clive Leeke the referee of that first GB Women’s International

Lisa Burgess

Some of the speakers

Table Photographs

Around the room

The highlight of the evening for me, had to be the group photograph I took when the players and others sang the ‘Sloop John B’. Shortly after which I had to start my journey back to the Midlands.  A wonderful evening.

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I want to go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the main sail sets
Call for the captain ashore
Let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate, he got drunk
And broke in the captain’s trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don’t you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail (hoist up the John B’s sail)
See how the main sail sets (see how the main sail sets)
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don’t you let me go home? (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
Hoist up the John B (hoist up the John B’s)
I feel so broke up, I wanna go home
Let me go home

The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took, and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don’t they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on

Hoist up the John B’s sail (hoist up the John B’s sail)
See how the main sail sets (see how the main sail sets)
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home