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REVITALISATION OF DARTMOUTH RUGBY


Mark captained Ireland against Wales in 1931 at Lansdowne Road, winning 8-5.


MARK SUGDEN


WANDERERS, BARBARIANS & IRELAND 1928-32


He was best


known for having invented the dummy pass


Mark Sugden came to Dartmouth in 1932 after an illustrious rugby career, as Languages tutor and Sports Coach at Britan- nia; he lived here with his wife Margaret, until his death in 1993, and was a constant encouragement to the town’s Rugby teams and players. Mark learned the basic techniques of rugby at Denstone School, Staffordshire, and then at Trinity College, in Dublin where his family lived. Initially he played as a centre but in switching to scrum half he found his natural game and was soon on the fringes of the Irish team, gaining his first cap in 1925. He went on to play 28 matches, winning 16, drawing 2 and losing 10, and captaining the side in 1931, a record that was unsurpassed in the amateur era, and resulted in him being one of the first two players inaugurated into the Irish Rugby Writers Hall of Fame. He was best known for having invented the dummy pass, which he described thus: “The art consists of a very exaggerated fall-away, with the arms stretched and with one’s eyes looking straight at the expectant re- ceiver, like a beggar asking for alms! I would stress the importance of the eyes which often seemed to hypnotise the would-be tackler.” There was a corner in Lansdowne road stadium named “Sugden’s Corner”, where he always scored his tries, often following one of his trademark dummies. In 1931 towards the end of his international rugby career, he moved to the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, where he taught modern languages, and coached many of the sports teams. His contribu- tion to Royal Navy Rugby Club resulted in him being the only non-ser- viceman to have been given life membership of the RNRC. In 1945 Mark co-authored a coaching book: Rugger: do it this way. He also supported the development of Rugby Coaching more generally, and in 1974 was part of a Home Nations coaching initiative to improve club coaching and more open styles of play. Mark was a sporting enthusiast, playing cricket for Ireland, and squash


for Devon. He was also committed to bring sport to young people and was a passionate support of rugby in the town, as President of Dart- mouth Rugby Football Club for 39 years. In the 1960s he established an annual fixture where an invitation team of national and services players formed a Mark Sugden XV to play the Dartmouth first team, giving town players great experience of playing at the highest level. Later, he was part of the team that brought the Rugby Easter festival to Coronation Park through the 1970s (see Peter Larter above). The 1989 DRC Vice President’s day programme paid tribute to his


contribution as ambassador for the game and for Dartmouth Rugby Club; the Sugden Cup is a cup to be played for between the BNRC and Dartmouth annually in his memory.


FOOTBALL CLUB In 1952, two of these Rugby greats worked together to reestablish Dartmouth Rugby Football Club. Mark Sugden and Bill Woodgate, supported by Jack Cutter a local teacher, had the vision for a local club for ex schoolboy players. Together they assembled a team that played its first match on Septem- ber 6th


as the Dartmouth Schools Old Boys Rugby Football Club.


Above: Mark Sugden and Bill Woodgate are standing together in the back row on the left


The Club soon established itself, and went on to become the Dartmouth Rugby Union Football Club that represents the


town today.


If you’re interested in history, why not join the Dartmouth History Research Group (DHRG)? There’s more information on our website www.dartmouth-history. org.uk or have a look at our many publications (available in the Community Bookshop, the Museum, or directly from the DHRG). New members are always welcome, and membership is free.


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