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Public School Wanderers

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See also: Wanderers F.C.
Public School Wanderers
Full namePublic School Wanderers Rugby and Cricket Club
UnionRugby Football Union
Nickname(s)PSW, Wanderers
Founded1940
Official website
www.wix.com/lwrfc1/publicschoolwanderers/

The Public School Wanderers Club is a sports club in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1940 by Charles Burton, a Fleet Street journalist. It was formed to provide cricket and rugby for public schoolboys during their school holidays, but with difficulties arising from World War II the Club started to provide games for servicemen as well. During the period of hostilities the Club provided over a thousand games of cricket and rugby for servicemen from all parts of the British Commonwealth.

Founding principles

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Ethos

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After the war the Club became open, though still by invitation only; a player is invited to become a Wanderer because they are a credit to their sport (be it cricket or rugby) and will enter into the spirit of maintaining the high standards of play and conduct achieved by generations of preceding club members.

Colours, crest and motto

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The club colours are red (representing the morning sky), green (for the playing field) and pink (of the setting sun).

The club crest contains five charges, a book (representing scholarship and the schools from which the original players were drawn), the lion of Cambridge University RFC, the crown of Oxford University RFC, the Rod of Asclepius representing the United Hospitals RFC and an escallop which has connotations of pilgrimage in heraldry. There is also a Bishop's Mitre for the church affiliated public schools.

The club motto is In concordia floreamus which is Latin for In friendship we flourish.

Rugby

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History

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The rugby team play regional fixtures, celebration games, provide teams to play in developing rugby countries and engage in other rugby missionary activities. They play the 15-a-side version of the game though it is in 7-a-side rugby tournaments that the Wanderers have made their reputation. Since its inception, over 2000 players have represented the Wanderers in over 5,000 matches.[1]

The Wanderers have played "international" fixtures against Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Kenya and New Zealand, they have also toured Bermuda, Canada, East Africa, South Africa, Uruguay, United States and most European countries. They even took over the British Lions' cancelled fixtures in Zimbabwe in 1982. They have been finalists on two occasions at the Middlesex Sevens, represented England at the Monte Carlo Sevens in 1987, 1988 and winning in 1989. They were finalists at the 1988 Hong Kong Sevens and won the London Sevens as well as the 1996 Safari Sevens in Nairobi, Kenya.[1]

A notable event in the history of the Wanderers occurred in the 1988 – 89 season when it fielded a team comprising 15 internationals against a Bath XV consisting of a full complement of Internationals also. Bath was the first non-invitation club to have been able to field a fully international side since Newport RFC did so in 1902.

The modern era has required the Wanderers to refocus their fixture list to reflect the realities of modern professional rugby, taking into account the contractual obligations that players now have with their clubs. Clubs still benefit from the more relaxed games that the Wanderers offer and use them to test players returning from injury or to allow younger players to demonstrate their talents.

Nomadic by tradition, the club continues to play representative matches and to tour developing rugby countries, true to their roots – a combination of youth and experience. Though the club has evolved to match the developments in the sport, it still measures its success not by victories but by its established tradition of playing entertaining rugby. Any club wishing to invite the Wanderers to participate in a commemorative game or tournament either at home or abroad should contact the club through its website.

Matches, tours and tournament results

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Seven-a-side tournaments

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[2]

Streatham sevens 1969 - Winners

Fifteen-a-side matches and tours

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Date Notes
1971 Team toured Italy[4]
28 February 1973 played against Belgrano Athletic Club from Buenos Aires, Argentina at Kingsholm[5]
1973 Match v Newton Abbot RFC[6]
1973 Match v Brussels Barbarians RFC[7]
May 1974 Reports of a tour to Rhodesia, contrary to the spirit of sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council upon that country at that time.[8]
27 March 1974 Match v Gloucester RFC[5] won 21 – 35[9] Peter Butler scored 3 penalty goals for Gloucester[9]
October 1976 Toured the United States,[10] lost to Miami RFC 10-16[11]
1980 Toured Zimbabwe[4]
13 December 1987 played South Korea at Old Deer Park[12]
Tuesday 2 January 1990 Played v Bridgend RFC at the Brewery Field[13]
2005 Tour to Sri Lanka, played against Western Province Rugby Union on June 14 at CR & FC Grounds, Longdon Place – Colombo 7 (winning 58 points (four goals, four tries, 1 penalty try and 1 penalty) to 13 (1 goal, 2 penalties)),[14] June 16 against Sri Lanka RFU President's XV at Maitland Crescent (see), June 19 versus Central Province Invitation XV at Nittawela (either Nittawela Stadium, Kandy or Nittawela village, original documents do not make clear) and June 22 against the Combined Defence Services Rugby team at Army Grounds, Galle Face.[1][15]

Cricket

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Online edition of Sunday Observer - Sports". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  2. ^ "Wix.com PublicSchoolWanderers created by lwrfc1 based on Blank Website".
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2011-12-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ a b "Alan Morley - Legends - Fanzone - Bristol Rugby Club RFC - Official website". Archived from the original on 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  5. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Rugby Union « Duncan Jardine Football Programmes".
  7. ^ "The History of the Brussels Barbarians". www.brusselsbarbarians.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-12.
  8. ^ "Dáil Éireann - Volume 284 - 30 July, 1975 - Written Answers. - Rhodesia Sanctions". Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  9. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2011-12-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Rugby Results". The Miami News. 7 Oct 1976. p. 11 PS.
  12. ^ http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=390352947588 [dead link‍]
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2014-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "The Island - Sports".
  15. ^ "The Sunday Leader Online".
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