As noted earlier, the beginnings of the section fell a few months after the first years of Cartha Athletic Club were set out in ‘Cartha: A Retrospect’, which took us towards the end of 1905.

A major problem over the years was that, as shown in the minutes, the rugby representative on the general committee more often than not failed to attend meetings. Thus the section’s progress was usually recorded as ‘no report’!

Equally, at this critical point, the available minutes do not take up the story until 1912. However, it is recorded in the years immediately before the First World War that two fifteens were being run ‘with 20 players over’.

In 1913, the Scottish Football Union (as the SRU was then known) wrote to the Club warning against the encroachment of professionals into the game.

The Club continued successfully after the War, finishing the 1922/23 season equal first with Ayr and Cambuslang in the Junior Championship .

It is interesting to note that the first match of the season took place on 27 September – and even this was an early start!

The Club’s fortunes fluctuated in the inter-War period, although there were clearly some good times. In 1930, four players were selected for the West District side; in November 1931 the first fifteen was ‘stronger than it has been for years’ leading to ‘the most successful season for some time’ – although the same comment was made in the following season! The West District League was won three years in a row in 1932/33, 1933/34, and 1934/35.

Tours to the Borders had been inaugurated in 1928, and while it is not apparent that this was an annual event, it was certainly a regular occurrence, with a tour to Hawick taking place on the holiday weekend of September 1934, for example. These tours no doubt led to the long-standing relationship which the Club developed with Hawick Trades in subsequent years, a friendship only disrupted relatively recently.

The first sevens tournament – previously unrecognised by the Club until this history was being researched – took place on 8 April 1935, being repeated the following year on 4 April, and again on 12 April 1937. At the AGM in February 1938, however, it was questioned why no sevens tournament for that season was being organised.

After the Second World War, an attempt was made to resurrect the Sevens tournament, but there was difficulty in raising a team, and at the beginning of April 1947 no games had been played for two months. As the Sevens record shows, the tournament was resumed in 1950 and has run continuously since that time .

During that period, Jordanhill received a replica cup for three successive victories from 1952 to 1954, and Hawick Trades did likewise from 1960 to 1962, also receiving a replica trophy.

The rugby section went through a sticky patch in the 1950’s, with the continuation of the Sevens under threat – although this appeared to have more than a little to do with the behaviour at the Sevens Dances on the evenings of the tournament.

By 1961 the rugby AGM considered a suggestion that tactics should be discussed before every game. This was left for discussion by the committee! But the colour of the section’s socks were changed from red to green and blue.
Reality returned the following year when the Captain, in the chair, commented that ‘the social life had always been one of Cartha’s strong points’, a comment we like to think is as valid today. He thanked the vice captain and all the players for their ‘gamesmanship and pinting’ and the greatly maligned selectors.

In March 1970, the committee considered a proposal to create a ‘Glasgow South’ senior team from the junior clubs, with games being played midweek at the beginning and end of the season.

Bellahouston FP and Shawlands withdrew from the scheme at an early stage, followed by Whitecraigs and Queen’s Park.

Progress appears to have been made, though, with a Cartha man, Sandy Turpie, organising the competition. The minutes fail to show how successful this was – but a proposal that Glasgow South should take over Cartha’s place in the (West of Scotland) knock-out competition was unanimously rejected.

This was a successful period for rugby at Cartha; by the end of March 1972 the committee recorded with satisfaction that no game had been lost since early December 1971 – the best season for ten years.

A third team was operating and senior clubs were seeking entry to the Sevens tournament.

The section minutes draw to a close soon afterwards, by noting that Cartha Athletic Club was now ‘owned’ by the rugby club, hence raising the section to a more elevated position than it had achieved in the preceding seventy years!

The merger of the Club with Queen’s Park took place soon thereafter, and this was followed in the early 1980’s with the embracing of Bellahouston FP, bringing with it the grounds further along Dumbreck Road - but financial constraints made it necessary to give up the lease on that part of the Club’s ‘estate’ and it is now used for football.