The White Horse Cup spent the weekend in ''enemy'' territory.
The symbol of Central Otago rugby supremacy was on loan from the Maniototo Rugby Club to Clyde Earnscleugh, but just for the weekend.
Celebrations were in order as the Clyde club marked the 50th anniversary of its 1965 side winning the cup - a highlight of the club's 126 year history. It won the cup off Gimmerburn on September 4 and held it for three years, successfully defending more than 20 times.
It was the only time the club had held the 89 year old cup and the winning team had a reunion every four years, one of the squad, John Grenfell, of Clyde, said.
About 30 people attended the anniversary - eight out of the nine surviving team members, the coach and manager, and other Clyde players who helped defend the cup during the next three years.
The reunion began on Friday with a visit to the Gimmerburn rugby ground - the match venue - and tour through the sporting memorabilia in the Gimmerburn Hall before the participants gathered back in Clyde at the Dunstan Hotel.
On Saturday, the men watched a Clyde team take on Earnscleugh in the annual end of season match and then finished the day with an anniversary dinner.
The celebrations ended with lunch at the rugby clubrooms yesterday. Most of the winning side are in their 70s, ''apart from a couple of babies in their 60s'', Mr Grenfell said.
They recall the game and the defences vividly, along with losing the cup back to Gimmerburn in 1968. There was no ticker tape parade after the big win, but they did score a free meal at the hotel, they said. Team member Stuart McIntosh said most of the side had been together since the junior grades.
''We won the under 17 junior championship ... but it took us five years to win the senior grade too.''
With the club's success at a peak, crowds flocked to the games in the 1960s and sometimes gate takings hit 100. Then again, Mr Grenfell noted, over the years the club ''always had good supporters''.
Current cup holder Maniototo was happy to lend the trophy for the anniversary photos and even kindly included a tipple of whisky for the 1965 team, along with the club's good wishes, Mr Grenfell said.
It was disappointing Clyde could not field a premier team this year, through lack of props, those at the reunion said, but they were confident the club would be represented again in the 2016 competition.
