Pill Harriers RFC - Club Origins

Club Origins

At the end of Jeddo Street, Baldwin Street and Marion Street in Pill was an area of bogland which was filled with ballast from ships calling at the Old Town Dock, North Dock and Alexandra Dock. The local Pill boys played many games on ‘The ballast’ as it was then called. They played baseball, football and their own brand of rugby.

Eventually a team was formed to play general sports called ‘The Curb Stone Dashers’. The jerseys were black or navy seaman’s jerseys. They played for about three years and then in 1879-80 Liverpool House opened, an establishment that employed a lot of young people with the intention of keeping them out of trouble. With the influx of the Curb Stone Dashers they turned to rugby.

In about 1881-82 Lord Tredegar gave the people of Pill a ground on built up swampland on the 'Mendalgief'.

At this time Liverpool House went to the Pill ground, and with the dockers and coaltrimmers formed Pill Harriers RFC.

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