Rugby Union in Coventry

Hello everyone, Beginning my life here with a request. Does anyone have any photographs of the outside of Coundon Road when Coventry Rugby still played there? Living in Coundon, we used to pass it and the clinic, also now gone, on the 5A to Kingsbury Road regularly as a kid, but I can't find any pictures on the internet. Can anyone help, please? Mark

Quick look on Britain from Above - not street level I know but may still be of interest - 1934 -

Yes, thank you NY. A great pic of the ground, the pub with bowling green (now the PDSA) and the coal wharf at Coundon Road. Not bad considering a decade or so earlier there was little there, allotments, fields and a brick works As you say, I'm looking for a street level view. Amazing there isn't in an easy to find way. Mark

I have sympathy trying to find images of 'boring' bits of a city. You might find a picture of fans celebrating? The earliest newspaper images are often sport related but tend to be of teams inside the grounds with few features of the background.

This may only be a bit better but you can see the roof of the entrance! 2001

I remember, I think it was January 1970 that the Midland Counties were playing the South Africans. I went to the match and had to run the gauntlet of a big protest organised by Peter Hain. It was well advertised and I am sure reporters and cameramen from all sorts of newspapers including the CET would have some incidental shots of the crowds and buildings.

Hi Gangan, hope you are well Dr Phil here I was a great fan of Peter Jackson, incredible player! I lived in the Allesley Old Rd and the walk down to Coundon Rd - using Four Pounds Avenue was my route to the Cov ground. Regards Dr Phil 1949-1956

I started going to Coventry rugby again at the start of the year, but after only a few games lockdown hit us. The future of rugby is now looking very precarious. The RFU have decided to follow the path of football and sell their souls to the television companies. The administrators grow rich and so do a few clubs and the grass roots are destroyed. To ensure this happens even more rapidly in rugby, the RFU have cut the funds made available to the lower leagues even further. I doubt there will be any professional clubs left outside the Premier league.

Has anyone on here mentioned about the passing of John Barton. A real Coventry kid. Went to Stoke Heath (I think), then Caludon (I know). Grew up in Sewall Highway. Played for Coventry, Warwickshire and England at Rugby Union. RIP John.

Sad news.

Ian Swan, Fenwick Allison, Stan Adkins, Jim Broderick, John Barton, Keith Fairbrother. Will list some more when my memory returns.

Have thought of a few more. I was very lucky, my Dad took me up Coundon Road as a youngster, 10/11 I guess, about 1955. In those days, Cov was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Often big crowds, especially against the Welsh sides. We were lucky, living in Sewall Highway, near the Devon, the number 7 bus took us all the way there, and all the way home. In those days, rugby was played as it was meant to be, played by decent fair minded sportsmen, when referees were respected. Remember 1 Cov team had 5 internationals, 3 English, 1 Welsh and 1 Scot. Some more names, excuse me if some have gone before. Phil Judd, David Duckham, Fenwick Allison, Ernie Robinson, PGD Robbins, Stan Adkins, and Bert Godwin. Ivor Preece was an awesome player, very skilled and talented stand off half, as we called them. In later life, had the pleasure of meeting George Cole, "The Boot", as he lived near a relative. Remember him telling me, at age 15, he had 3 choices. Coventry City FC, Warwickshire Cricket Club, Coventry Rugby Club. His Dad told him to get a proper job and play rugby. Happy days.

Great memories, slash1, from the great days of Cov at Coundon Road. Some of the players you mention, and some others, are in our Famous Coventrians list which you may enjoy looking through (top left for the link).

Between 15 and 20 years ago my dad, Don Mainwaring, a proud member of Burma Star Association was selling poppies for Remembrance Sunday outside the Coundon rugby ground. He was invited in by some members for a drink as it was cold outside. He was deposited on our front doorstep much later in the evening, totally stonkered and covered in poppies. His collection tin was filled to the top so he counted it a very successful experience. My mum was not so sure when she found him, very unsuccessfully, trying to hide behind the sitting room curtains when he got home.

For anyone interested, there is a new book on Cov, to be released around September this year. Compiled by former CET journo Steve 'Scribble' Evans, it's mainly a collection of interviews of living Cov legends and articles on many of those past (some of whom are mentioned above). Former players Simon Maisey and Al Joseph (the latter heavily involved with the Former Players Association and their regular 'Cowshed Lunch') are also involved with the production of the book. Alan's posting about the book elsewhere reads: A new book all about the history of our club and its great players and games, packed with humour and tales from behind the scenes will be out later this year. It will be available directly from us or from the club shop or at a book launch where many of the Internationals featured in the book will be available to sign your copy. More details to follow in the future. Please join our Facebook page: Majestic Cov Once the Kings of English Rugby Or @RugbyLunch on twitter. ALL proceeds from the sale of the book will be going to The Coventry Rugby Club Academy.