Recently, Jim Lawlor, a longtime associate of sports in the country and a historian to boot, provided me with some classic rugby photos. The photos show some youthful luminaries. The names read like a who's who blast from the past. I refer to: Durward Knowles, Roy Cole, Ekkie Lowe, Basil McKinney, Lester Brown, Bert Pritchard and Benson McDermott who were on the 1940 Nassau Rugby Team; Homer Lowe, Foster Clarke, Mark Johnson and Maurice Thompson who teamed up with Knowles, McKinney, Lowe, Pritchard, Cole and McDermott on the 1941 squad.

The early 1940s' teams included others but the aforementioned names jump out at those of us who have been around to observe more than five decades of Bahamian life. When I first started with this organization in 1965, McDermott was The Nassau Guardian's Managing Editor. He was a part of a glittering early Bahamian sports history.

Lawlor informed me of the uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Windsor and Bahamian Governor who was a "keen rugger man" and a constant at the matches, often kicking off the first ball. He also pointed out a bit of history that I've written about before but like other noteworthy happenings, got lost through the years.

He said:

" Before and at the start of World War II, the Nassau Rugby Team regularly played against the universities of Yale and Princeton with great success."

A Tribune report of March 27, 1941, recorded the Nassau Rugby Team winning the series against Yale. The victory extended the local side's unbeaten record to 15 years. That's remarkable and emphasizes the great tradition of rugby in the country.

No wonder, the current rugby family goes about its business in such a noble and steadfast fashion. An independent and proud breed, the Bahamian rugby entity has for years now been consistent in advancing the game with their very own initiatives. They have not regularly knocked on the door of the Ministry of Sports for financial support.

They have successfully coordinated their very own fund-raising program, purchased land and built a rugby pitch in Winton. In their own way, the rugby population of this era has handsomely added to the legacy which began back in the 1920s.

Source: Nassau Guardian