Rugby union
Kingfishers receive some treasured possessions

Buy photos » Mike Payne (chairman) and Dave Joynes (chairman of central club and Rugby Committee member) with Toby Allchurch and his England School and Youth Caps. Photo by Marcus Mingins. 1412023MMR1.

FORMER Cambridge University flanker Toby Allchurch returned to his first club Redditch on Saturday to present them with three of his England Schools and Youth caps.

Allchurch, who went to Japan, Fiji and Tonga with the England senior squad on a non-cap tour in 1979, began his rugby career at Redditch in the 1970s before he moved on to Durham University, where he first came to the attention of the England selectors.

He won Blues at Cambridge University in 1980 and 1981 and then captained Rosslyn Park before injury curtailed his career.

Allchurch has retained a close affection for the Kingfishers and in what proved to be a splendid occasion was back at his first club to present them with the caps he won for England Under 15s against Wales in 1973, England Under 16s against France in 1974 and England Under 19s against Scotland in 1975.

On the same day, Redditch stalwart Archie Moore also presented the club with his collection of fixture cards, representing every year from the reformation of the club in 1966 to the present day.

Moore played for Redditch as a front row forward for many years and then served as a committee member.

He has now retired to Tenerife but relished making a nostalgic return to the Bromsgrove Road clubhouse along with Allchurch.

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