1st Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers on their parade ground, Academy Park. Source.
The First Renfrewshire Rifle Volunteers were a volunteer rifle corps created by Greenockians in 1860 to defend the town in the event of invasion by Napoleon III. Similar volunteer corps were formed throughout Britain around that time, and in Canada too. These volunteer units were at first independent of the British Army, but were grouped into the Army's Territorial Force in 1908, and by the end of the First World War they were fully integrated into the British Army, 1st RRV as a battalion of the 5th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
1st RRV was made up of companies drawn from Greenock, Port Glasgow, Gourock and Rothesay.
1st RRV's parade ground was Academy Park on Kelly Street in the west of town. They also maintained a rifle range at Hole Farm off the Inverkip Road.
When association football took off in the 1870s many RV battalions organized football squads. The 10th Dumbarton RV, 3rd Edinburgh RV, 1st, 3rd, 4th, 19th and 23rd Lanark RVs and the 17th Renfrew RV all took part in the 1878-79 Scottish Cup. Third Lanark famously went on to co-found the SFL and they remained in the league right through to 1967.
1st RRV's football team was active from 1884 to 1890. They used Academy Park as their home ground, and fielded squads in both senior and junior competition. The senior team wound down in 1890, but a junior team named Greenock Volunteers had success through the 1890s.
Seasons of 1st Renfrewshire RV:
1889-90
1890/3/22 1st RRV 1 - 5 Dykebar G&DCCup R1
1890/3/8 Whitefield (Govan) 2 - 0 "1st LRV (Greenock)" (abandoned)
1890/3/8 1st RRV 2nd XI 6 - 2 Overton
1890/3/1 1st RRV 1 - 6 Morton (both scratch teams)
1890/3/1 Rutherglen 10 - 0 1st RRV
1890/2/8 1st RRV 4 - 1 Greenock Abstainers
1890/2/1 1st RRV 2nd XI vs Victoria (Port Glasgow) A draw.
1890/1/25 1st RRV vs Carlton (Carlton failed to show.)
1890/1/18 1st RRV 1 - 3? Queen's Park Strollers
1890/1/11 Glenfield 3 - 1 2nd RRV [2nd 1st RRV?]
1889/12/28 1st RRV 3 - 2 Whitefield (Govan)
1889/12/21 1st RRV 2nd XI 2 - 0 Gourock Rangers
1889/12/14 Gourock Rangers 7 - 3 1st RRV Crusaders
1889/11/30 1st RRV 2 - 4 Motherwell
1889/11/23 Falkirk 12 - 0 1st RRV
1889/11/16 Carlton 7 - 4 1st RRV
1889/11/9 1st RRV 3 - 2 Pollokshaws
1889/11/2 Cathcart 5 - 1 1st RRV RCup R2
1889/10/26 1st RRV 4 - 4 Cathcart RCup R1
1889/10/19 Lochwinnoch 5? - 1 1st RRV
1889/10/19 Bellgrove Ramblers 4 - 1 2nd 1st RRV
1889/9/28 1st RRV 2 - 10 Morton SCup R2
1889/9/21 1st RRV 3 - 4 Dalry
1889/9/14 Gourock Rangers 4 - 2 2nd XI 1st RRV (at Tower Park)
1889/9/14 1st RRV 1 - 0 Rutherglen
1889/9/7 1st RRV 7 - 1 Pollokshaws Harp SCup R1
1889/8/24 1st RRV 6 - 3 1st LRV
1888-89
1889/5/14 Dumbarton 10 - 0 1st RRV G&DCCup SF
1889/x/x bye G&DCCup R1
1889/5/4 Falkirk 3 - 3 1st RRV
1889/4/27 1st RRV 2 - 2 Dumbarton Athletic
1889/3/23 Motherwell 8? - 1 1st RRV
1889/3/16 1st RRV 3 - 4 Port Glasgow Athletic
1889/3/9 1st RRV 3 - 4 Glasgow Thistle
1889/3/2 Gourock Rangers 5 - 1 2nd RRV, Greenock (Does this mean 2nd 1st RRV?)
1889/3/2 1st RRV 4 - 2 Carlton
1889/2/16 2nd XI 1st RRV 4 - 3 Harp
1889/2/16 Ayr FC 5 - 0 1st RRV
1889/2/9 1st RRV 0 - 5 Mossend Swifts
1889/1/5 Ladyburn 9 - 2 3rd 1st RRV G&D Junior Cup
1889/1/5 Port Glasgow Athletic 3 - 1 1st RRV
1888/12/27 Belville 4 - 2 1st RRV 2nd XI
1888/12/15 1st RRV 4 - 1 Mansfield G&D Junior Cup
1888/12/15 Rutherglen 6 - 5 1st RRV
1888/12/8 1st RRV 9 - 4 Carlton
1888/12/1 1st RRV 3 - 8 Abercorn RCup R2
1888/11/17 East Stirlingshire 5 - 2 1st RRV
1888/11/10 1st RRV 5 - 5 Neilston
1888/11/3 1st RRV 2nd XI 2 - 1 Kilmacolm
1888/10/27 1st RRV 8 - 0 Johnstone Harp RCup R1
1888/10/20 1st RRV 5 - 6 Glasgow University
1888/10/13 1st RRV 3 - 4 Kilbirnie SCup R3
1888/10/6 1st RRV 5 - 0 Woodvale
1888/10/6 1st RRV wo/scr Woodvale SCup R2
1888/9/29 Whitefield 1 - 1 1st RRV
1888/9/15 1st RRV 7 - 3 Renfrew
1888/9/8 1st RRV 5 - 3 Port Glasgow Athletic
1888/9/1 bye SCup R1
1888/8/25 Methlan 6 - 5 1st RRV [Methlan are from Dumbarton.]
1887-88
1888/5/3 St Mirren 7 - 3 1st RRV G&DCCup SF
1888/4/14 East Stirlingshire 4 - 3 1s RRV
1888/4/? Port Glasgow Athletic scr/wo 1st RRV G&DCCup R1
1888/3/3 1st RRV 5 - 7 Port Glasgow Athletic
1888/2/25 Cowlairs 4 - 0 1st RRV
1888/2/11 Dykebar 5 - 1 1st RRV
1888/2/4 1st RRV 1 - 2 Northern (Glasgow)
1888/1/28 The Athletics 5 - 2 1st RRV [who are they?]
1888/1/21 1st RRV 4 - 2 Rutherglen
1888/1/14 1st RRV 1 - 2 Crusaders
1888/1/7 1st RRV 2? - 5? Morton [very murky]
1887/12/24 Morton 11 - 1 1st RRV
1887/12/17 !st RRV 6 - 0 Greenock Rangers
1887/12/10 1st RRV 1 - 4 Arthurlie RCup R3
1887/12/3 1st RRV 3 - 2 Thornliebank
1887/11/19 1st RRV 6 - 3 Kilbarchan RCup R2
1887/11/12 Whitefield (Govan) 2 - 2 1st RRV
1887/11/12 Port Glasgow Athletic 3 - 1 1st RRV
1887/11/5 1st RRV 5 - 2 Dykebar
1887/10/29 1st RRV 5 - 6 Jamestown (Dumbarton)
1887/10/15 1st RRV 11 - 0 Woodvale RCup R1
1887/10/8 1st RRV 0 - 1 Whitefield
1887/10/1 Morton Strollers 3 - 1 1st RRV (scratch)
1887/9/3 1st RRV 1 - 8 Renfrew SCup R1 (Herald has 1 - 7.)
1887/8/27 1st RRV 4 - 5 Albion Rovers
1887/8/20 1st RRV 2 - 7 Renfrew
1886-87
1887/5/14 Partick Thistle 4 - 2 1st RRV G&DCCup SF
1887/5/7 1st RRV 2 - 1 Dumbarton Athletic
1887/4/30 1st RRV 2 - 1 Neilston
1887/4/23 Albion Rovers 5? - 1 RRV (Greenock)
1887/4/9 bye G&DCCup R1
1887/2/5 Rangers (Greenock) 3 - 2 1st RRV
1886/12/25 1st RRV 1 - 12 Morton (at Academy Field, Greenock)
1886/12/4 1st RRV 1 - 3 St Mirren
1886/11/27 Abercorn 3 - 2 1st RRV RCup R2
1886/11/20 1st RRV 3 - 5 Dykebar
1886/11/13 1st RRV 2 - 2 Thornliebank
1886/11/6 Pollokshaws 2 - 2 1st RRV RCup R1 replay (both teams advanced)
1886/10/30 1st RRV 2 - 2 Pollokshaws RCup R1
1886/9/11 Greenock Rangers 3 - 4 1st RRV SCup R1 (disqualified)
1886/8/21 Dumbarton Athletic 4 - 0 1st RRV
1885-86
1886/5/22 Morton 8 - 1 1st RRV G&DCCup final
1886/5/15 Greenock Rangers 2 - 4 1st RRV (at Cappielow) G&DCCup SF
1886/5/6 bye G&DCCup R1
1885/10/31 1st RRV 2 - 4 Johnstone RCup R1
1885/9/26 1st RRV 2nd XI 1 - 1 3rd LRV 2nd XI
1885/9/19 Whitefield (Govan) 7 - 2 1st RRV
1885/9/12 Port Glasgow Athletic 4 - 1 1st RRV SCup R1
1885/8/8 3rd LRV beat 1st RRV Morton Athletic Games
1884-85
1885/4/25 somebody 4 - 1 1st RRV
1885/4/18 1st RRV 3 - 5 Greenock Rangers G&DCCup R1
[1885/3/14 1st RRV 2 - 1 Morton friendly]
1885/2/14 Shettleston 3 - 3 1st RRV
[1884/12/27 Morton 5 - 0 1st RRV friendly]
1884/12/20 1st RRV 1 - 8 Neilston RCup R2 replay
1884/12/13 Neilston 2 - 2 1st RRV RCup R2 replay
1884/11/29 Neilston 4 - 0 1st RRV RCup R2 replay (protested)
1884/11/22 1st RRV 4 - 4 Neilston RCup R2
1884/11/1 1st RRV wo/scr Johnstone Athletic RCup R1
1884/10/18 1st RRV 2 - 9 Southern (Greenock)
1884/9/13 Port Glasgow Athletic 6 - 1 1st RRV SCup R1
1884/7/19 Johnstone 1 - 0 1st RRV (four a side) St Mirren FC Sports
(Sources: The Beautiful Dribbling Game for the Scottish Cup; Scottish Football Historical Archive for the Renfrewshire Cup and Greenock & District Charity Cup; The Glasgow Herald at Google News Archive for friendlies and the Greenock and District Junior Cup; Wikipedia "Morton 1884-85 season" article for the December 27th 1884 and March 14th 1885 matches.)
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