Claro Road, Harrogate RUFC, 1896-2015
The ground that Harrogate RUFC called home for almost 120 years, Claro Road was once a state-of-the-art facility, the chosen home of Yorkshire and where Geoff Cook’s England would come to train. Now, streets named after former players are the only reminders of the history beneath what’s now a housing estate.
Founded in 1871, Harrogate (FC) first made home at Dragons Fields before moving to what would be their long-time home at Claro Road in 1896. Kicking off with an 8-6 win over Farsley Athletic, the ground soon became a centre for rugby in Yorkshire and eventually for the country.
Within five years Claro Road played host to none other than the famous Roses match. Yorkshire defeated Lancashire 24-3 in front of a crowd of three thousand on that day in 1900, the memories of that victory convincing Yorkshire to play there for many years to come. With the convenience of the local hotels in Harrogate, Claro Road attracted many a touring side over the years, perhaps most notably the national Canada side in 1903, who beat Harrogate 5-0 on the wettest of pitches.
With rugby returning after the war, soon came what put Claro Road on the map: the changings rooms. Regarded as the best in the country at the time, they continued to be used right up until the clubs departure in 2015. The clubhouse opened in 1963 was similarly the best around.
The 1960s was the heyday of rugby at Claro Road, led by the arrival of Wales international and British Lion Jeff Young in 1964. “He was a formidable player and coach” recalls Brian Forshaw, club historian and former Harrogate captain. “Up until he arrived training was very relaxed, people would just turn up maybe one night a week and have a run around. But Jeff put training on to a more formal basis, similar to what we have these days. With Jeff we started gym sessions to build up strength and fitness, and we were one of the first clubs to be doing it.” This more professional approach proved its worth by 1986, with Harrogate crowned winners of the Sunday Telegraph Pennant competition.
“One of my strongest memories of Claro Road is playing against Coventry in 1973” continues Brian. “They were a top side in the country and their captain was David Duckham, so that was a good game”. Despite the 4-21 score line in favour of the visitors, Brian remembers it fondly. “We also always had a good fixture against Headingly, and Sir Ian McGeehan played for them at the time.” A number of other famous internationals would grace the Claro Road turf over the years; the visit of Harlequins in 1971 brought Nigel Starmer-Smith up to the ground, while the likes of Bill Beaumont of Fylde and Roger Utley of Gosforth made more regular trips.
With only three pitches to accommodate six adult teams, and a junior section, Harrogate began to outgrow Claro Road at the turn of the century. House builders circled to obtain the valuable town centre land and so the decision was made to leave their spiritual home and move to Rudding Lane in 2015. A 29-18 loss to Hull Ionians spoiled the fairy-tale ending, but with 119 years of memories the ground will never be forgotten.
