Rugby

An original Rugby ball was round and changed shape over a period of time to the oval it is today. They varied in sizes depending on the pig’s bladder they were made from. Gilberts, a local boot maker, took up ball making to supply the School. Others, notably Lindon, supplied the boys and it was this maker that invented the inflatable inner and the pump.Many of the words associated with today’s game originated here. For example, ‘try’ was from the days when a touch-down did not score points, but allowed an attempt to kick at goal. ‘Offside’, ‘knock on’, ‘touch’ and ‘goal line’ are all from the original School football rules.