1950s
BUILDING THE CLUB

A new home, a growing Club and the foundations of a future

The 1950s were a decade of consolidation for Orrell RUFC.

After more than twenty years of moving between different grounds, the Club had finally secured the land that would become Edge Hall Road.

The challenge now was to turn that land into a proper home for Orrell Rugby Club.

The foundations had been laid.

Now the Club could begin to grow.

A HOME AT EDGE HALL ROAD

The purchase of the land from the Glover family of Edgewood Hall Farm in 1949 marked the beginning of the Edge Hall Road era.

Throughout the 1950s, Orrell continued to establish itself at its new home.

For the players and volunteers involved, developing a rugby ground was about much more than simply putting down a pitch.

• Facilities had to be created and maintained.
• Pitches needed preparing.
• Teams needed organising.
• Fixtures needed arranging.
• And, as always, money had to be found to keep everything moving.

Much of the work was carried out by volunteers who gave their time to build the Club for the next generation.

That spirit of volunteering would become one of the defining characteristics of Orrell RUFC.

Orrell RUFC in 1950s. Photo supplied by Robert Falla, middle row left, who played centre quarter.

1952 — THE COLTS ARE BORN

One of the most important developments of the decade came in 1952 with the formation of the Orrell Colts section.

It was a significant moment in the Club's history.

The creation of a Colts team provided a pathway for younger players to continue their rugby and develop towards senior rugby within Orrell.

It also established something that would become increasingly important to the Club over the decades that followed:

Developing our own players.

The Colts would go on to become an important part of Orrell's identity, producing generations of players who progressed through the Club and, in many cases, went on to represent the First XV and beyond.

As Orrell approaches its Centenary, the 2026/27 season also marks 75 years of the Colts section.

That makes the decision taken in 1952 particularly significant.

A section created three quarters of a century ago remains part of the Club today.

BUILDING A CLUB, NOT JUST A TEAM

The 1950s were about establishing the foundations of a proper rugby club.

Edge Hall Road gave Orrell somewhere to call home.

The Colts gave younger players a pathway.

And the Club continued to develop its senior teams and strengthen its links with the surrounding community.

Behind the players were the people who made everything possible.

• Committee members.
• Coaches.
• Ground staff.
• Fundraisers.
• Supporters.
• Families.
• Volunteers.

Many of their names may not have appeared in newspaper reports or team photographs, but their contribution was essential.

The story of Orrell has always been about more than the First XV.

It has been about everyone who has helped make the Club work.

THE BEGINNINGS OF A NEW ERA

By the end of the 1950s, Orrell had moved a long way from its beginnings in 1927.

The Club had survived its nomadic early years.

It had survived the disruption of war.

It had produced its first county player.

It had established itself at Edge Hall Road.

And it had created a Colts section that would become an important part of the Club's future.

But the biggest changes were still to come.

During the 1960s, Orrell would begin to develop its facilities, raise significant funds through the famous Orrell Carnival and build the infrastructure that would eventually allow the Club to compete against some of the biggest names in English rugby.

THE LEGACY OF THE 1950s

The 1950s were not a decade defined by one famous match or one great player.

Instead, they were about building something that could last.

A ground.

A Club structure.

A youth pathway.

A community.

And a sense of belonging.

The players of the 1950s inherited the Club built by those who came before them.

They, in turn, laid the foundations for the generations that followed.

And 75 years after the Colts were established, young players are still pulling on an Orrell shirt and beginning their own journey in the game.

1952

75 YEARS OF THE COLTS

From the first Colts players of 1952 to today's young players, the pathway from youth rugby to senior rugby remains an important part of the Orrell story.

The names change.

The game changes.

But the principle remains the same:

Give the next generation somewhere to play.

Give them something to belong to.

ORRELL COLTS — 1957/58

One of the earliest surviving photographs of Orrell's Colts section, dating from the 1957/58 season.

The Colts section had been established in 1952, creating a pathway for young players to develop within the Club and progress towards senior rugby.

Five years later, this photograph captures another generation of young Orrell players wearing the amber and black.

The photograph may be grainy, but it represents something much more important — the beginning of a tradition that continues 75 years later.

Give them a Club to be proud of.

ORRELL RUFC

Keeping the Future Black and Amber.