 The duke served for many years as President of the Hamilton Academy FP (former pupil) Rugby Club.The pavilion (burnt down by vandals in 1976) comprised eleven changing rooms, dining room, kitchen, baths, two referees' rooms and drying and storage rooms.The grounds found to be too uneven, a scheme was devised (1936) for their levelling which began in March 1939 but due to World War II was not completed until 1947, following also the acquisition of a further six acres of adjoining fields, providing space for an additional three pitches.