Bedford, 1997
It’s April 1997 in Courage League National Division Two and Bedford are welcoming the visit of Newcastle to Goldington Road in a battle for promotion to the top division.
The visitors seem destined to make the jump; with a new owner in Sir John Hall who, unafraid to splash the cash, has assembled a team with no less than 11 internationals including the likes of John Bentley, Rob Andrew and Pat Lam in their XV. But Bedford, too, have taken their first steps into professionalism with the investment of Frank Warren and Sports Network, Mike Rayer, Norman Hadley, Scott Murray and star signing Martin Offiah ready to face the challenge in blue and navy.
The team sheets promised quite the contest, and on that day, it delivered; after Bedford built a commanding 29-9 lead, a mighty Newcastle resurgence almost spoiled the party. However, a late score in the corner from Offiah held off the visitors to secure a famous 34-28 victory, his ecstatic celebration an enduring image of that game.
And that shirt he wore, in front of seven and a half thousand at Goldington Road, doesn’t get forgotten easily. It is a classic in every facet; not only does it harbour memories, but the thick cotton, the traditional blue and navy hoops and the old school crest make for a nostalgia-infused jersey. From American manufacturers Russell Athletic, who briefly flirted with the rugby shirt game in the late 90’s with Bedford, Melrose, Cambridge University and others, it is perfectly representative of rugby’s transformative years, after the formal turn to professionalism but before the game, including performance-enhancing torso hugging shirts, had caught up. Arguably, shirts like this one are from the high days of rugby fashion, and that was certainly true at Bedford.
The Blues would wear some other notable numbers in the late 90s, one with a bold oversized crest that covered most of the front of the shirt, and another that featured cerise quartered with their traditional light blue. But this jersey, with its timeless design, has to be the pick of the bunch, forever a reminder of that Newcastle win.
Remember, this was a game in the second division, and yet there were stars abound on both sides. Offiah would go on to score 10 tries in his 14 games in this shirt, while Rayer would score 361 point, breaking the club record. These were two clubs fuelled by the hope that professional rugby offered, and as such the jersey is a reminder of a rather blissful time in rugby (even if it’s clear now this was blissful ignorance).
