one of ten founder members of the Surrey County Football Association, in 1877. Rugby union The club's strength in rugby was borne out by their record: from 1870 to 1881 the club played 151 Rugby games, winning 80, losing 30, and drawing 41. During the 1870s they fielded a team that had four internationals: R. H. Birkett (who was captain), his brother, L. Birkett, and the Bryden brothers. Additionally Crampton, and Walker were well regarded forwards and Clapham was known to have "the strongest combination of the time behind the scrummage". On 26 January 1871, 32 members representing twenty-one London and suburban football clubs that followed Rugby School rules (Wasps were invited but failed to attend) assembled at the Pall Mall Restaurant in Regent Street. E.C. Holmes, captain of the Richmond Club assumed the presidency. It was resolved unanimously that the formation of a Rugby Football Society was desirable and thus the Rugby Football Union was formed. A president, a secretary and treasurer, and a committee of thirteen were elected, to whom was entrusted the drawing-up of the laws of the game upon the basis of the code in use at Rugby School. R. H. Birkett represented The Rovers and was one of the thirteen original committee members. The first international rugby match was played between Scotland and England in 1871 and The Rovers provided R. H. Birkett. In this match he scored England's first ever try. When the club played one of the strongest and most well established clubs, Richmond, for the first time on 21 October 1871, they won the match by 1 goal and 2 tries. At the end of the 1870–71 season the club moved from Clapham Common, to a field at Balham, where they continued to play till 1876, when they moved to Wandsworth, where they were still playing in 1892. Dissolution The club survived until 1914 and their last recorded match was a 2–1 win over the Royal Military College at Sandhurst on 14 February 1914. The club announced that it was ceasing activities for the duration of World War One and never re-emerged when hostilities ended in 1918. The club lost three players during the war and Captain Begg who was the driving force behind the club was injured. International players Association football Eight Clapham Rovers players played for England between 1874 and 1887, who were as follows (caps in brackets): Norman Bailey