The Boisdale Spectator Calcutta Cup Hosted by Dean Richards

Boisdale of Belgravia - Saturday 8 March

One of the world’s most famous sporting contests originates from 1872 in the city of Calcutta, India. The first match was played on Christmas Day and such was the success of the first game of “England v Scotland, Ireland and the other” that it became a permanent fixture; The Calcutta Football Club of expatriate empire builders, officers and gentlemen was formed. In 1874 The Calcutta Club joined the Rugby
Football Union and despite the stifling Indian climate not being suitable for playing rugby, the club prospered during its first year with some of the matches giving a fascinating insight into the expatriate British community in India at the time - Calcutta FC v The Calcutta Volunteers (the second club to be founded in the area);
Calcutta FC v The Military; Public Schools v The Rest; Scottish and Irish v English and
Welsh; Merchants and Brokers v The Rest, etc.

However membership soon began to fall into terminal decline as competition from the other, far more climatically suitable and leisurely sports, namely polo and cricket, gained popularity. After five years The Calcutta Rugby Club was wound up. On finalising the books, the coffers were found to be quite healthy and The Calcutta Rugby Club was sitting on the princely sum of around £60 in silver rupees (equivalent today of around £2,500).

The silver rupees were melted and a cup approximately 18 inches high was made. The body of the trophy was finely engraved with three king cobras forming the handles and the domed lid surmounted by an elephant which, it is said, was a portrait of Lord Northbrook’s, the then Viceroy of India, favourite elephant, coincidentally named Boisdale*, complete with a howdah (the Indian name for a comfortable seat
with a canopy placed on the back of an elephant). The inscription on the Cup’s mahogany base reads, “THE CALCUTTA CUP”.

This fine trophy of Indian workmanship was offered to the RFU with the condition that it should be played for in a rugby match. The RFU agreed and the first Calcutta Cup match was played between England and Scotland in 1879 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. The match ended in a draw. Since that year the Calcutta Cup has been played for every year by England and Scotland the venue alternating between the two competing nations. 2008 sees the Calcutta Cup being played at Murrayfi eld in Scotland so if you are unable to make it there the best alternative is the Scottish principality of Boisdale in London’s Belgravia.

Following last year’s very successful luncheon we have teamed up with The Spectator to create the ultimate Calcutta Cup experience. The lunch will be hosted by Dean Richards currently the Head Coach to the Harlequins and the most capped Rugby Union, number eight in the world! He has played in 48 Internationals, including three World Cup squads and has also appeared for the Lions in six test matches in 1989 and 1993.

The menu itself will be a culinary contest between the fi nest ingredients from England and Scotland (see the menu). Guests will not know until after lunch whether or not Scotland was on the left or right of their plates, but voting slips will be collected before we are told. So there will be two potential victories for Scotland on the day! BBC presenter and sports commentator Nigel Barden will entertain us too and conduct an auction in support of the truly excellent charity ACTION AGAINST HUNGER (www.actionagainsthunger.org).

The all inclusive three-course lunch will be laid on in the Macdonald Bar fitted with two 60”plasma screens for this occasion.

To attend the Boisdale Calcutta Cup luncheon on Saturday 8 March, please contact Zoe on 020 77306922 or email: reservations@boisdale.co.uk Tickets are (all inclusive) £125 each (Members £100). There is very limited availability. The Jacobite Room which has a built in 42” plasma screen is available for parties of up to 12.

*Not actually true

THE CULINARY CALCUTTA CUP ENGLAND V SCOTLAND MENU

12pm: The Famous Ginger Grouse cocktail & Bollinger NV Champagne reception
·
Loch Ryan Native No2 Scottish oysters
V
Colchester English Native No2 Oysters

1pm: Sit down for lunch:

Dunkeld wild smoked salmon
V
Foreman’s London smoked wild salmon
·
Purebred Aberdeen Angus fillet of beef
V
Purebred Hereford fillet of beef Béarnaise sauce, fat chips, watercress & grilled tomato
·
Strathdon Blue & Tobermoray cheddar
V
Stilton & Keens cheddar

2.15pm: Nigel Barden and The Action Against Hunger auction & the results of the Culinary Calcutta Cup
The Famous Grouse 18 year old,
Coffee & chocolates
·
3.15pm: The Rugby Calcutta Cup
The Famous Grouse 30 year old

All wine included and supplied by Berry Bross & Rudd