Birth, revival, excellence: Trinidad Northern celebrates 100 years

TO exist for 100 years is something worth celebrating.

Since being founded in 1923, Trinidad Northern Football Club has done more than existing and has done more than its fair share of promoting rugby, excellence and professionalism on the national landscape.

Kenneth Moss, 86, who has been a member of the Trinidad Northern Rugby Club for more than 60 years, reflected on the club’s early years, saying that the decade of the 1960s was a time when Northern ruled local rugby as the national team was always filled with their players. Moss, who joined the club in 1960, has been involved in the sport in many facets.

“I played from 1960–1970, then I refereed for about 20 years after that...I captained the club, then I became president of the (local) union, then I became president of the Caribbean Rugby Union for quite a while as well.”

Moss remembered when rugby was not played by Trinidadians and was there to witness the growth of the sport.

“You have to remember that rugby was not a local sport. Rugby was mainly played by expats and guys who were sent to England, but they learned their rugby and when they came back across they wanted to continue playing.”

During the second World War, from 1939–1945, Moss said, Northern fell apart. Many future Northern players later represented Caribs Rugby Football Club, but in 1960 Northern was revived, and a rivalry born.

“I joined the club (Northern) in 1960. During the second world war there was little rugby in Trinidad, so the Northern rugby club disappeared for a while. Anybody playing rugby in Port of Spain would be playing for Caribs.

“In 1960, we found we had too many players playing with Caribs, so they decided they would split and Northern would be re-formed as a rugby club.”

Caribs fielded two teams in the local competitions prior to the 1960s. “When they started playing...they had the first team and the second team, and the second team would still be beating the clubs from down South,” Moss said.

QUALITY PLAYERS OVER THE YEARS

Moss, a former national player, said the TT rugby team in the 1960s were made up mostly of Northern’s players. “The first (TT) game I went to in Jamaica, I think of the 15 guys on the field, ten of them were Northern. That would be 1961.

“Northern were a powerhouse in those days. From 1960 to about 1967, Northern were the team, the best team in Trinidad. They had an official league and Northern would be on top of it for most of that period.”

The club has a rich history, producing outstanding players over the years. Moss said players like Ryan Bennett, Peter Farinha, David Farfan, Nick Drew, Peter Inglefield and Nigel Slinger are some of Northern’s stalwarts from his playing days.

The year 1981 was also a memorable year for Northern. The TT team, including many Northern players, competed in the Caribbean Championships in Trinidad. TT pulled off an upset win as Bermuda lost for the first time to a Caribbean opponent. Northern players Drew, Robert Thompson, Brian Cooks and Paul Mowser were part of that historic TT team.

In more recent years, Rhett Chee Ping, Dereck Cumming, Staci Cateau and Steve Agostini were some of Northern’s leading players.

RIVALRY WITH CARIBS

To celebrate their shared history and dominance, the Bruno Browne Cup, an annual tournament played since 1963 between Northern and Caribs, was formed. “Any game between Northern and Caribs was important. For a long time those teams were the strongest teams,” Moss said.

The matches between Northern and Caribs are always keen contests. Reflecting more on the rivalry, Moss said, “Caribs, of course, (were the rival). Both were Port of Spain teams.”

Despite fierce battles on the field, players on both teams were friends. During Moss’s playing days Northern did not have a clubhouse, so after matches players from both teams would get together at Caribs’s clubhouse. “We spent a lot of time drinking at the Caribs’s clubhouse by the (Emperor Valley) Zoo...Remember, in rugby after the game both teams get together and have a drink and they are all good friends. It is not like your supporters go one way and the other team go the other. The Pelican Inn (in Cascade) was sort of the rugby centre (also).

“In the 1960s I would say they shared the spoils amongst them. That was a great rivalry.”

Moss said in the early days when he got into rugby, matches were played more often which helped them to remain fit. “In those days you played every week with no breaks in between. The only way to get fit in rugby is to play regularly. You could exercise it, you could practise, but you got to play the game on a regular basis to keep fit. Unfortunately, what is happening now, that is not the case.” What sets Northern apart from other clubs? “The main thing with Northern is that they have strived to be an independent club. I think they are the only club that has their own facilities. They actually bought that property on Ciprani Boulevard.” The clubhouse has been a hub of activity as members often get together to sing rugby songs, which are heard from far away.