St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future
Item
JY144
Object ID
JY144
Type
Rights Holder
CIC
Provenance
Thia Markson
Season
Description
Jersey, California Poppies. 1975 UK tour. Navy blue with white collar, gold hooped sleeves. Gold rectangle on reverse with black "no.8". Gold embroidered "Poppies" badge on left breast (NB: spelt "Poppy"). Match worn by Jim Waste who was the President of the B.A.T.S. (Bay Area Touring Side) Club.
Info
The Poppies were formed in 1975 as a Northern Californian select side, on the same principles as the Barbarians. There were 11 players from the B.A.T.S. in the 24-man squad.
On the 1975 tour, the Poppies played 7 games. They won 3 games, beating Ebbw Vale (12-10), Edinburgh select (25-4), and Cheltenham (24-0). They drew one game against Esher (9-9). And they lost 3 games, losing to Swansea (21-7), South of Scotland (19-16), and Bath Invitational XV (18-15). This constituted a successful tour for the Poppies.
On the tour, the Golden Poppies became the first American side to beat a Welsh top division side when they beat Ebbw Vale 12-10. A newspaper clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle from the 11th of April 1975 details how an Ebbw Vale official said, “This is the best American team ever to play here”.
Jim Waste, who this jersey belonged to, was recruited by the CIA during his time as an antique dealer and rugby player for the B.A.T.S.
On the 1975 tour, the Poppies played 7 games. They won 3 games, beating Ebbw Vale (12-10), Edinburgh select (25-4), and Cheltenham (24-0). They drew one game against Esher (9-9). And they lost 3 games, losing to Swansea (21-7), South of Scotland (19-16), and Bath Invitational XV (18-15). This constituted a successful tour for the Poppies.
On the tour, the Golden Poppies became the first American side to beat a Welsh top division side when they beat Ebbw Vale 12-10. A newspaper clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle from the 11th of April 1975 details how an Ebbw Vale official said, “This is the best American team ever to play here”.
Jim Waste, who this jersey belonged to, was recruited by the CIA during his time as an antique dealer and rugby player for the B.A.T.S.
Keywords
1974-75, California Poppies, B.A.T.S, USA Rugby
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