Cliff Wilton

Cliff Wilton was a Scottish rugby union player. He was the 94th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.^[1]

Rugby Union career[]

Amateur career[]

Wilton went to Fettes College.^[2] After Fettes he played for Fettesian-Lorettonians in 1935.^[3]

He then went to Cambridge University at Caius College;^[4] where he played for Cambridge University.^[2][5][6][7] While at Cambridge University he was fined £5 for driving a sports car without insurance in October 1936.^[8] He scored a try against Oxford University in the 1936 match.^[9]

In 1937 he played for London Scottish.^[10][11] While based in Northumberland with the Territorial Army he also played for Northern.^[12]

He played for a Territorial Army XV in 1937^[13] and 1938^[14][15] and a Services XV in 1939.^[16]

Provincial career[]

He made the side in 1937.^[17]

Administrative career[]

He was Honorary Secretary of the Four Nations tour committee. He had to make a statement confirming that the tour to South Africa would be going ahead despite condemnation of the apartheid regime in 1961: 'We have great respect for the opinions of these different bodies, but so far as we are concerned our plans, which were made some time ago, are going ahead.'^[18]

Wilton was a member of the Scottish Rugby Union since 1964.^[19]

He was on the board of the IRB from 1972 to 1980.^[19]

Wilton became the 94th President of the Scottish Rugby Union. He served the standard one year from 1980 to 1981.^[1][20][21]

The Newcastle Journal had to apologise to Wilton on 12 June 1985 when they stated he had died. In fact, it was another past president of the Scottish Rugby Union Charlie Drummond who had died.^[22]

Military career[]

He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 72nd (Northumberland) Field Brigade of the Territorial Army in 1937.^[2][23]

He then went into the Royal Artillery.^[14]

In 1942-43 he was in an Italian Prisoner of War camp.^[24][25]

References[]