Kenya Harlequins
Encyclopedia
The Kenya Harlequin Football Club (Harlequins or Quins for short) is a Kenya
n rugby union
team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup
and 2010 Enterprise Cup
. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team
. The club motto "Nunquam Dormio" is Latin, meaning I never sleep.
. Nondescripts are still going strong, but this first Harlequin club lasted only ten years before it folded. The current Harlequin F.C. did not (contrary to popular belief) rise phoenix-like from the ashes of the first, though it is logical to assume that it provided the inspiration for the name.
, Old Cambrians RFC
, the Nairobi Railway Club RFC, Kenya Civil Service RFC, Kenya Police RFC, Nairobi Garrison RFC and Royal Air Force RFC. The idea was put forward by Peter Barron (later to become the club's first honorary secretary) and Ben Cook. The idea was received by Mr. D. M. Goldstein (then honorary secretary to the RFU-K) and Mr. John Parry. The club was formed in 1952 and immediately sought affiliation with the London Harlequin F.C.
in England. The committee contacted the London club to ask whether Harlequin badges could be sewn onto the shirts, however due to a misunderstanding only one badge was sent, which was sewn to the Captains shirt for the first game.
(South Africa
, founded in 1906), Melbourne Harlequins
(Australia
, founded in 1928, affiliated 1948 and Hamilton Harlequins
(New Zealand
founded in 1938).
Though the Hobart Harlequins
(Tasmania
, Australia
) were formed in 1934 they did not seek affiliation until much later, making them the fifth member of the group. The sixth sister club was the Dallas Harlequins
(Texas
, USA) who were formed in 1971 but not granted affiliation until 1983. In 2004 the Future Hope Harlequins RFC of Kolkata
, India
were welcomed into the family and the latest club that has been brought into the fold is the Abu Dhabi Harlequins in 2008; Etihad being the mutual sponsor of this and the London club, were instrumental in bringing about the latter connection.
The club shared the NDC title in 1955, 1956 and 1958 they won the Enterprise Cup
in 1955 and 1957 and were runners up the intervening year. By 1960 they had made two visits to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania and had toured Uganda. Much of this early success was due to Hugh Steel, John Tanner and Owen Wheeler (a Scottish trialist with two English county caps).
1995 – Kenya Cup
1995 – Enterprise Cup
1996 – Kenya Cup
1996 – Enterprise Cup
1996 – Eric Shirley Shield
1996 – Nakuru 10 A Side
1997 – Impala Floodlit
1997 – Blackrock Trophy
1999 – Kenya Cup
1999 – Enterprise Cup
1999 – National Sevens Champions
2000 – Safari Sevens Bowl Winners
2002 – Kabeberi Sevens
2003 – Christie Sevens
2003 – Kenya Cup
2003 – Enterprise Cup
2003 – Nakuru 10 a side
2003 – Driftwood Sevens
2004 – Driftwood Sevens
2004 – Blackrock Trophy
In addition to the above Kenya Harlequin undertook three tours to South Africa in 1996, 1999 and 2001 as guests of Pretoria Quins. Zimbabwe and Uganda were the destinations in 2003 while the under 21 side has continuously since 2002 been regular visitors of Tanzania’s Dar Leopards on an annual basis. Older members of the club will remember with great nostalgia memories of the successful 1986 tour of the UK and Ireland plus the memorable stories they brought back home.
for Men - through Beiersdorf
Marketing (East Africa) - sponsored the club in 2009 with KSh
4 million. This partnership was renewed for the 2010 season with a cheque for KSh6 million. The money will provide the team with kit, allow them to fulfil all of their 2010 fixtures and also cover the costs of the 2010 Christie Sevens; the Harlequins' annual seven-a-side
tournament. Harlequins have also promised to adopt a school in order to promote the future development of rugby within Kenya. In return Nivea will receive advertising on the team's shirts and on semi-permanent hoardings around the Harlequins home ground, the RFUEA Ground
in Nairobi
.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup
Kenya Cup
Kenya Cup is the premier rugby union competition in Kenya. It is organised by the Kenya Rugby Football Union. Kenya cup has currently nine teams and is played in a league format...
and 2010 Enterprise Cup
Enterprise Cup
The Enterprise Cup is an annual Rugby union competition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, though the competition frequently has the appearance of being an all-Kenyan affair as the majority of East African rugby clubs are based in this one country and frequently clubs in Tanzania and Uganda are unable...
. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team
Kenya national rugby union team
The Kenya national rugby union team is the Kenyan national team in Rugby. it is controlled by the Kenya Rugby Football Union.The team participates Confederation of African Rugby tournaments, but has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup....
. The club motto "Nunquam Dormio" is Latin, meaning I never sleep.
History
There was an earlier Harlequins R.F.C. club in Nairobi which was formed in 1923 when the Nairobi District team decided, because it had become too powerful, to split and create two clubs, Harlequins RFC and Nondescripts RFCNondescripts RFC
Nondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...
. Nondescripts are still going strong, but this first Harlequin club lasted only ten years before it folded. The current Harlequin F.C. did not (contrary to popular belief) rise phoenix-like from the ashes of the first, though it is logical to assume that it provided the inspiration for the name.
Formation of the Club
Kenya Harlequins are the second oldest club in Kenya. It was initially formed in 1923 but failed to survive and was revived in 1951. In the ensuing years, the game of rugby has changed tremendously from a white only sport to a fully integrated sport, with most players being indigenous Kenyans. The Kenya Harlequin F.C. was formed when, in 1951, a group of enthusiasts decided that there were enough players in and around the capital to allow the formation of another team; teams already in existence in the capital at this time included Nondescripts RFCNondescripts RFC
Nondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...
, Old Cambrians RFC
Impala RFC
Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...
, the Nairobi Railway Club RFC, Kenya Civil Service RFC, Kenya Police RFC, Nairobi Garrison RFC and Royal Air Force RFC. The idea was put forward by Peter Barron (later to become the club's first honorary secretary) and Ben Cook. The idea was received by Mr. D. M. Goldstein (then honorary secretary to the RFU-K) and Mr. John Parry. The club was formed in 1952 and immediately sought affiliation with the London Harlequin F.C.
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
in England. The committee contacted the London club to ask whether Harlequin badges could be sewn onto the shirts, however due to a misunderstanding only one badge was sent, which was sewn to the Captains shirt for the first game.
Affiliation
The affiliation gives the club the right to wear the London club colours (namely: - light blue, magenta, chocolate, French grey, reversed on the back, sleeves light green and black reversed, white shorts and dark stockings with the Club Colours in diamonds around the tops), the honour extending not only to the playing kit, but to all uses of colours and insignia including the blazer badge, tie and honours caps. This honour had only been granted to three other clubs prior to this, Pretoria HarlequinsPretoria Harlequins
-History:The Pretoria Harlequins started life as the Civil Service Club, but when the membership needed to be extended beyond the Civil Service, it was decided in February 1906 to change the name to “The Harlequin Rugby Club” and to ask for permission to use the London Harlequins colours and...
(South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, founded in 1906), Melbourne Harlequins
Melbourne Harlequins
The Melbourne Harlequins Rugby Union Club is an Australian rugby union team. Originally membership was restricted to people born in Britain, but this restriction has since been lifted...
(Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, founded in 1928, affiliated 1948 and Hamilton Harlequins
Hamilton Harlequins
The Hamilton Harlequins are an New Zealand rugby union team. Membership of the club is restricted to ek-Waikato representatives, All Blacks or members of the New Zealand Services team, and certain invited players.-History:...
(New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
founded in 1938).
Though the Hobart Harlequins
Hobart Harlequins Rugby Union Club
Hobart Harlequins Rugby Club is a Rugby Union club in Tasmania. Established in 1933, the club is a member of the Tasmanian Rugby Union, affiliated with the Australian Rugby Union and plays in the Tasmanian Statewide League....
(Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) were formed in 1934 they did not seek affiliation until much later, making them the fifth member of the group. The sixth sister club was the Dallas Harlequins
Dallas Harlequins
The Dallas Harlequins Rugby Football Club is a SuperLeague rugby union team based in Dallas, Texas.-History:The Harlequins formed in 1971. A year after inception, in 1972, the Harlequins became the first Texas RFU club to win a match against a club from outside the United States when they defeated...
(Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA) who were formed in 1971 but not granted affiliation until 1983. In 2004 the Future Hope Harlequins RFC of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
were welcomed into the family and the latest club that has been brought into the fold is the Abu Dhabi Harlequins in 2008; Etihad being the mutual sponsor of this and the London club, were instrumental in bringing about the latter connection.
Nascent Beginnings
The Kenya Harlequins won their very first match which was played in April 1952 against the Nairobi Railway Club RFC; they completed their first full competitive season that same year and by 1953 there were enough playing members for the club to field two teams. The club won the Nakuru Sevens in 1953 and its first Nairobi District Championship (NDC) in 1954; by the 1954 season the club had defeated at least once every club they had met and had travelled a total of 2,130 miles that year to fulfill their fixtures. The club's record for the 1954 season is as follows:| Team | | Played | | Won | | Drawn | | Lost | | For | | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First XV | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 251 | 42 |
| 'A' XV | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 151 | 48 |
| TOTAL | 22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 402 | 90 |
The club shared the NDC title in 1955, 1956 and 1958 they won the Enterprise Cup
Enterprise Cup
The Enterprise Cup is an annual Rugby union competition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, though the competition frequently has the appearance of being an all-Kenyan affair as the majority of East African rugby clubs are based in this one country and frequently clubs in Tanzania and Uganda are unable...
in 1955 and 1957 and were runners up the intervening year. By 1960 they had made two visits to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania and had toured Uganda. Much of this early success was due to Hugh Steel, John Tanner and Owen Wheeler (a Scottish trialist with two English county caps).
In the years...
Until 2005, silverware that donned the shelves of the club was as follows (memory not failing us):1995 – Kenya Cup
1995 – Enterprise Cup
1996 – Kenya Cup
1996 – Enterprise Cup
1996 – Eric Shirley Shield
1996 – Nakuru 10 A Side
1997 – Impala Floodlit
1997 – Blackrock Trophy
1999 – Kenya Cup
1999 – Enterprise Cup
1999 – National Sevens Champions
2000 – Safari Sevens Bowl Winners
2002 – Kabeberi Sevens
2003 – Christie Sevens
2003 – Kenya Cup
2003 – Enterprise Cup
2003 – Nakuru 10 a side
2003 – Driftwood Sevens
2004 – Driftwood Sevens
2004 – Blackrock Trophy
In addition to the above Kenya Harlequin undertook three tours to South Africa in 1996, 1999 and 2001 as guests of Pretoria Quins. Zimbabwe and Uganda were the destinations in 2003 while the under 21 side has continuously since 2002 been regular visitors of Tanzania’s Dar Leopards on an annual basis. Older members of the club will remember with great nostalgia memories of the successful 1986 tour of the UK and Ireland plus the memorable stories they brought back home.
Current squad
| Name | 15's Honours | 7's Honours |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Abuoga | ||
| Edwin Achayo | ||
| Isaac Adimo | ||
| Leon Adongo | ||
| Patrice Agunda | ||
| William Ambunya | ||
| David Ambaka | ||
| Sidney Ashioya | ||
| Naftali Bondo | ||
| James Kangethe | ||
| Joe Kangethe | ||
| Daniel Kiptoo | ||
| Wilson Kopondo | ||
| Daivd Mogere | ||
| Tony Mutai | ||
| Joel Nganga | ||
| Vincent Ongera | ||
| Allan Onyango | ||
| Chris Oduor | ||
| Victor Oduor | ||
| Jared Owinyo | ||
| Victor Sudi | ||
| Allan Omuka |
Sponsorship
NiveaNivea
Nivea is a global skin- and body-care brand that is owned by the German company Beiersdorf. The company was founded on March 28 1882 by pharmacist Carl Paul Beiersdorf. In 1900, the new owner Oskar Troplowitz developed a water-in-oil emulsion as a skin cream with Eucerit, the first stable emulsion...
for Men - through Beiersdorf
Beiersdorf
Beiersdorf AG is a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany, manufacturing personal care products. Its brands include Elastoplast, Eucerin , Labello, and Nivea....
Marketing (East Africa) - sponsored the club in 2009 with KSh
Kenyan shilling
The shilling is the currency of Kenya. It is divisible into 100 cents.-Coins:The first coins were issued in 1966 in denominations of 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 shillings. Twenty-five cents coins were not minted after 1969; 2 shillings coins were last minted in 1971...
4 million. This partnership was renewed for the 2010 season with a cheque for KSh6 million. The money will provide the team with kit, allow them to fulfil all of their 2010 fixtures and also cover the costs of the 2010 Christie Sevens; the Harlequins' annual seven-a-side
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
tournament. Harlequins have also promised to adopt a school in order to promote the future development of rugby within Kenya. In return Nivea will receive advertising on the team's shirts and on semi-permanent hoardings around the Harlequins home ground, the RFUEA Ground
RFUEA Ground
The RFUEA Ground is a rugby union stadium located on the Ngong Road in Nairobi, Kenya. It was purpose built to be the home of the national team and to serve as the headquarters of the Rugby Football Union of Kenya...
in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
.