16-year-old schoolboy Ellis 'invented' Rugby Football

By A. C. de Silva

RUGBY FOOTBALL: Rugby Football is in the news these days here in Sri Lanka with the events that took place, first with the problems about the selection of the captain for the Asian qualifier in Bangkok and then that most unfortunate incident where Kandy Sports Club player Imran Bisthamin is fighting for survival after a fall from a high-rise building.

Keen followers of the game will also like to know how this game, which has become very popular here in Sri Lanka, came into being.

If one accepts the famous story that has been perpetuated by historians and various memorials, no sensation of sport has had such valuable and lasting effect as the deed of William Webb Ellis.

Way back in 1823, Ellis caught a football during a match and broke the rules of the game by running forward with it in his arms. Thus, we are told, that Ellis -an impulsive 16 year-old schoolboy "invented" Rugby Football.

It was displayed in bold black letters on a granite plaque at Rugby school, it is recorded: "This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis, who, with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time, took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game, A.D. 1823."

Touring teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have stood reverently before this polished granite slab. The great stadium in Johannesburg is called Ellis Park. In 1923, England and Wales played against Scotland and Ireland at Rugby school to mark the centenary of the game.

No evidence

Sometime back prayers were said "especially for the servant William Webb Ellis" at the famous London Church of St. Clement Danes. The occasion, attended by many leading rugby football administrators, was the dedication of a panel bearing the names of all the Rectors of the church.

It marked the fact that Ellis, traditional founder of the game, was Rector from 1843 to 1855.

And yet...there is no well-founded evidence to uphold the story of this schoolboy reformer of football. Indeed, some people consider it an attractive fairy tale or, more bluntly, the biggest fake in the history of sport.

This is the real sensation involving William Webb Ellis.

Who was this headstrong schoolboy? And how did he come to achieve immortality as the alleged inventor of Rugby Football?

Cricket his game

Master W. W. Ellis was born in November, 1807 the second son of a manchester gentleman, and entered Rugby school on a foundation scholarship after the midsummer holidays of 1816.

Cricket - not football - was the game at which he made his mark.

Going up to Oxford in 1825 he was chosen two years later to play in the first Varsity cricket match, batting No. 3 and being bowled for 12 by the Cambridge captain Jenner.

He died at Mentone in the South of France on January 24, 1872, just over two weeks before the first University Rugby match was played, and in all probability he was blissfully unaware till the last that he had invented the "handling code" of football.

For no mention of Ellis as a footballer was made until October, 1876 four years after his death and 53 years after he allegedly made his revolutionary move on the football field.

Letter gives clue

Then a certain Mr. Matthew H. Bloxam sent a letter to the Rugby school magazine, the Meteor, and for the first time connected the late Rev. W. W. Ellis with the origin of the game.

Bloxam, who left Rugby three years before the great deed occurred, said he had "ascertained" an account of exploit. And in a further article in 1880 he wrote more fully about how Ellis caught the ball in his arms.

"This being so, according to the then rule, he ought to have retired back as far as he pleased, without parting with the ball, for the combatants on the opposite side could only advance to the spot where he had caught the ball, and were unable to rush forward until he had either punted it or placed it for some one else to kick, for it was by means of these placed kicks that most of the goals were in those days kicked, but the moment the ball touched the ground, the opposite side might rush on.

"Ellis for the first time, disregarded this rule, and on catching the ball, instead of retiring backwards, rushed forwards with the ball in his hands towards the opposite goal..."

Legend upheld

Fact or fiction? In July, 1895 - 72 years after the alleged exploit the Old Rugbeian Society set up a subcommittee of inquiry. This was blatantly prejudiced body whose task was to gather evidence to show that the game had its origin at Rugby rather than to weigh up evidence and seek out the true facts.

Their report - a most misleading and unsatisfactory document - was published in 1897. It upheld the legend though the committee had completely failed to corroborate the story and had suppressed unfavourable details. Three years later the famous memorial stone was erected at Rugby.

One man approached by the committee was Thomas Hughes, the most distinguished Old Rugbeian and author of 'Tom Brown's Schooldays'. In a letter he wrote: "I don't think Matt Bloxam a trustworthy authority in other matters, but don't doubt he was right that "running in" was not known in his day. The 'William Ellis' tradition had not survived to May day."

The 1897 report introduced his letter - but omitted this reference to the reliability of the key witness. Hughes could not object; he died a year before "The Origin of Rugby Football" was published.

Claim ignored

Nor did this report include a letter from Morris Davies, Secretary of the Old Rugbeian Society, to Mr. H. F. Wilson, Secretary of the committee.

In this he explained how he had called on a George Benn, an old boy who recalled that Theodore Walrond introduced a system of backs and half-backs, and after leaving for Oxford sent down a set of draft rules on approval.

Davies wrote: "Mr. Benn is convinced that Theodore Walrond perfected the game and deserves the credit."

Again no living witness could object to the committee's findings. Mr. Benn died before it was published. And Walrond, who had become a school governor, was also dead.

Dying man

Morris Davis did consult the one man known to have been at school with Ellis - the Rev. Thomas Harris, then 83 and a dying man. But Davies was clearly over-eager to uphold the Ellis legend since he campaigned for a memorial to "our hero" while the inquiry was still in progress.

He wrote to Wilson: "I gather he (Harris) unconsciously supports Mr. Bloxam's tradition for he says that our hero was 'generally regarded as inclined to take unfair advantages at football' which is just what Bloxam states."

Later Davies wrote in another letter: "I wonder if Mr. Harris thoroughly understands what we are at? Did you explain that there was a tradition, etc., to be found in Bloxam's book and all that we wanted was some corroboration (which we hoped he could give) of the statement that Webb was the first man to run with the ball?...

"I should again press him to say what he knows about it. He must remember our hero doing something unusual."

Based on hearsay

In fact, Rev. Thomas recalled nothing very definite about Ellis except that he was an "outstanding cricketer", And this witness too died before the report was completed.

Thus one of the greatest stories in sport is based solely on the uncorroborated, hearsay account passed on to Bloxam by an unknown person and published by him in vague terms - 53 years after the event was alleged to have occurred.

Perhaps the Ellis exploit really happened. Or perhaps this is one "sensation of sport" which is really a colossal fraud.

For despite the evidence of memorials and numerous histories and reference books which recognise rugby's No. 1 hero, the story of William Webb Ellis' during deed - however harmless and charming it may be - remains unproven.