United Hospitals Cup
Encyclopedia
The United Hospitals Challenge Cup is contested by the six medical schools in London
and is most notable for being the oldest rugby cup competition in the world.
instituted a cup competition, the United Hospitals Challenge Cup, also known as the Inter-Hospital Challenge Cup. The first final was played on Wednesday 3 March 1875 at The Oval
, which had also been the site of England's first home rugby international three years earlier. The match predated by four years the first Calcutta Cup
match and is the oldest cup competition in the game of rugby. The first final was contested by at 3.30pm by Guy's Hospital and St George's Hospital in front of 400 spectators. Guy's, wore an orange and blue kit, and kicked the game off, whilst their opponents wore green jersey, green shorts with brown socks. Guy's won but St George's got their revenge the next season. When this game was played matches were won by goals rather than points. A goal was a converted try, and tries themselves only value in the case of a draw in which case they would be counted up as the deciding factor. Guy's Hospital won the game by 1 Goal (a converted try) and 1 try to 2 tries. The records say that the three additional 'tries' were all defensive touch downs. The game was also notable for fielding 15 players per side at a time when all international matches, the Varsity Match, County matches and all other top level games were being played with 20 players per side and would continue to do so until 1877. In this regard, the United Hospitals RFC was a pioneer. With the exception of breaks for the two world wars of the twentieth century, the United Hospitals Challenge Cup has been played for without interruption since that first final.
United Hospitals
United Hospitals is the historical collective name of the medical schools of London. They are all part of the University of London with the exception of Imperial College School of Medicine which left in 2007. The original United Hospitals referred to Guy's Hospital and St Thomas's Hospital and...
and is most notable for being the oldest rugby cup competition in the world.
History
In 1874 the United Hospitals RFCUnited Hospitals RFC
The United Hospitals Rugby Football Club represents the six medical schools in London, each of whom have their own distinct rugby clubs but from whom are picked a select fifteen to compete for UHRFC. The club exists to encourage and facilitate rugby at these institutions...
instituted a cup competition, the United Hospitals Challenge Cup, also known as the Inter-Hospital Challenge Cup. The first final was played on Wednesday 3 March 1875 at The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, which had also been the site of England's first home rugby international three years earlier. The match predated by four years the first Calcutta Cup
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
match and is the oldest cup competition in the game of rugby. The first final was contested by at 3.30pm by Guy's Hospital and St George's Hospital in front of 400 spectators. Guy's, wore an orange and blue kit, and kicked the game off, whilst their opponents wore green jersey, green shorts with brown socks. Guy's won but St George's got their revenge the next season. When this game was played matches were won by goals rather than points. A goal was a converted try, and tries themselves only value in the case of a draw in which case they would be counted up as the deciding factor. Guy's Hospital won the game by 1 Goal (a converted try) and 1 try to 2 tries. The records say that the three additional 'tries' were all defensive touch downs. The game was also notable for fielding 15 players per side at a time when all international matches, the Varsity Match, County matches and all other top level games were being played with 20 players per side and would continue to do so until 1877. In this regard, the United Hospitals RFC was a pioneer. With the exception of breaks for the two world wars of the twentieth century, the United Hospitals Challenge Cup has been played for without interruption since that first final.
United Hospital Challenge Cup wins
| Hospital Team | First Competed | Last Competed | Current Status | Wins | Total Wins including constituent elements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary’s | 1874 | 1996 | Part of Imperial Medics | 32 | 32 |
| Guy’s | 1874 | 1998 | Part of G. K. T. | 31 | 31 |
| St Thomas’s | 1874 | 1998 | Part of G. K. T. | 16 | 16 |
| London | 1874 | 1995 | Part of Royal Hospitals RFC | 11 | 11 |
| Imperial Medics | 1997 | present | Active | 11 | 49 |
| St Bart’s | 1875 | 1995 | Part of Royal Hospitals RFC | 9 | 9 |
| Charing X/ Westminster | 1984 | 1996 | Part of Imperial Medics | 3 | 6 |
| St George’s | 1874 | present | Active | 3 | 3 |
| Westminster | 1874 | 1983 | Part of Imperial Medics | 3 | 3 |
| G. K. T. | 1999 | present | Active | 2 | 50 |
| Middlesex | 1874 | 1997 | Part of RUMS RFC | 1 | 1 |
| Guy's and St. Thomas' RFC Guy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football Club Guy's, Kings and St. Thomas' Rugby Football Club is the name given to the modern amalgam of three formerly distinct hospital rugby clubs each with a long history, having all been founded in the nineteenth century. The teams from Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital were the first to merge... |
1990 | 1998 | Part of G. K. T. | 1 | 48 |
| Charing Cross | 1874 | 1983 | Part of Imperial Medics | 0 | 0 |
| King's College Hospital | 1874 | 1998 | Open club so no longer eligible. Medics represented by G.K.T. | 0 | 0 |
| Royal Free | ? | 1997 | Part of RUMS RFC | 0 | 0 |
| Royal Hospitals RFC | 1996 | present | Active | 0 | 20 |
| RUMS RFC | 1998 | present | Active | 0 | 1 |
| University College Hospital RFC | ? | 1997 | Part of RUMS RFC | 0 | 0 |