Repton Avenue, Wasps R.F.C., 1923-1996
Although two decades have passed since Wasps played at Repton Avenue, near Wembley, west London, the clubhouse that has been enjoyed by countless legends of the game still stands, albeit in a slightly different guise.
Repton Avenue, Sudbury, will remain the first ground that Wasps called their own but, nowadays, the congregation is smaller and worship different Gods, in its new role as a Hindu temple.
Once the formidable fortress of Wasps, the ground has however retained some of its defining features. Alongside the clubhouse is a pitch and around the pitch are slowly rusting floodlights which will once have shone on the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio and numerous other Wasps glitterati. But apart from these signs of a bygone era, everything else has changed.
The remaining pitch lies empty, unmarked, lost behind padlocked gates. The other pitches are covered with houses akin to the suburban streets which have always surrounded this ground. Along with the pitches, the stands are gone too, the posts, gone, the crowds, gone.
The story of Wasps’ long tenure at Repton Avenue began in 1923, just after the First World War. Founded in 1867, the club’s early years were characterised by a nomadic lifestyle; they had played home games at twelve different venues across London prior to the war.
Sadly, only 38 of around 150 players returned from the battlefields. The surviving members had to start afresh, but even as they were putting down new roots, tragedy struck once more. In 1928, the year Wasps bought the ground outright, their brilliant fly half Harold Clinch died during a home match against Streatham. He was twenty-three years of age.
Despite losing one of their star players, Wasps went on a mammoth run of home wins around this time. The 1930/31 season was their second in a row undefeated and made contributed to part of a four-year period in which they didn’t lose a single home game.
In 1947, following on from the Second World War, a new stand was built. The basic structure of high beams and a corrugated roof was a major development for the club. It provided shelter for the black-and-yellow faithful, who would turn out to marvel at the likes of John Herbert, Ron Syrett, and illustrious number ten, Richard Sharp, who all played for both Wasps and England towards the end of the 1950s.
By that point in time, the club had grown drastically from the dwindled numbers that returned from the Great War. They were now regularly fielding anything up to fourteen sides, and with a membership of 1,500, they had become the largest English club and the second largest in Europe, bested only by Racing.
As for the ground itself, players from the 70s and 80s recall a big slope and a frequent mud-bath as the elements swept in from two exposed sides. Although the facilities and attendances were a long way short of places like Leicester, there remain fond memories of the intimate atmosphere created at Sudbury. As a compact ground, it felt like the crowd were sat on the players’ benches on big matchdays and such mingling continued in the clubhouse afterwards. Some days were celebrations, others not so much. In both 1986 and 1987, Wasps’ cup runs ultimately ended in defeat, at the final hurdle, against Bath.
Repton Avenue however, was never short of great victories. On the 28th of April 1990, with the fans spilling out from the stand and packed four deep behind the advertisement boards, a Wasps side laden with legendary names such as Buzza, Rendall, and Probyn went on to beat Saracens 24-6, securing the Courage League Title in emphatic fashion.
The ground remained home for Wasps for another five years and witnessed the beginning of professionalism for the team. However, like many grounds up and down the country, the beloved Sudbury home of Wasps fell victim to a time of transition for the sport. The final year that saw match action was 1995, thereafter it became a training ground for the club, while home fixtures moved to Loftus Road in Shepherd’s Bush.
