St Helen’s ArchivePreserving the past for the future

Item

JY148

Object ID

JY148

Type

Rights Holder

CIC

Provenance

Thia Markson

Season

Description

Jersey, B.A.T.S. 1970s. Worn by Bric Hayley (forward No. 8). Blue and white hooped rugby style jersey with white collar. Black 'B.A.T.S' logo sewn on left breast. Black No. "8" on white background on reverse. Loose stitching on B.A.T.S. logo. Brown foxing on white number patch on reverse.

Info

This jersey might be from the 1978 tour of Britain, although there is no way of knowing. During this tour, Willie Moore - who played for the B.A.T.S and was a teammate of this jersey's owner, Bric Hayley - played for the B.A.T.S seconds team against Tenby while the first team had a historic win against Llanelli where 7 internationals were playing on the pitch. The most well known of these internationals was Phil Bennett, who, according to Moore, came down specifically from London for the game. Moore also explained that Bennett warned his teammates “not take the contest lightly”, as he had played against the B.A.T.S. on the 1976 Barbarians tour of North America. Moore says that the atmosphere in the hall after the game was wonderful, claiming they were “wonderfully serenaded in the hall post-game, filled with fans”. The final score was 31-17 to Llanelli.

Below is a link to a short video clip of the Llanelli vs B.A.T.S game in 1978

Keywords

1970s, B.A.T.S, USA Rugby

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