A blade of long standing I have always wondered and never found an answer as to why we play in red and white stripes.
IIRC the initial strip was akin to Bolton/Spurs in that it was a white shirt and navy blue shorts. Shortly after a thin pin stripe of red was incorporated into the shirt and later it become a thicker stripe of 'traditional vintage'.
But why the red stripe in the first place? Some kits left over from the arch enemy, donated to them which they didn't want? The Secretary was a butcher? (hence pig references - more logical from our 'massive' neighbours). They got washed incorrectly one day and someone liked the effect? Fatty Foulke liked raspberry ripple and spilt some down a shirt during training?
Other than the kit register website and Clareborough's book I have found no reference as to why the red stripes were adopted.
Any history gurus out there?
IIRC the initial strip was akin to Bolton/Spurs in that it was a white shirt and navy blue shorts. Shortly after a thin pin stripe of red was incorporated into the shirt and later it become a thicker stripe of 'traditional vintage'.
But why the red stripe in the first place? Some kits left over from the arch enemy, donated to them which they didn't want? The Secretary was a butcher? (hence pig references - more logical from our 'massive' neighbours). They got washed incorrectly one day and someone liked the effect? Fatty Foulke liked raspberry ripple and spilt some down a shirt during training?
Other than the kit register website and Clareborough's book I have found no reference as to why the red stripes were adopted.
Any history gurus out there?