Window-shopping rugby fans in Gloucester on an afternoon out will almost certainly stop and take a peak at Hudson & Co Sports shop which is just a big punt away from Kingsholm, the home of Gloucester rugby.

The small independent retailer was established more than 100 years ago and is run by John Hudson, the grandson of one of the original founders.

It has an excellent reputation of course, but any window-shoppers who decide to pop in and look for a bargain will find out a lot more than the price of a gumshield or a scrum cap if they engage in conversation with the shop’s owner.

That’s because Mr Hudson is a fount of all knowledge when it comes to rugby in the city – and his family have certainly etched their names into Gloucester’s proud sporting history.

“My grandfather Arthur started playing rugby for Gloucester in 1903,” said John. “He was a wing and was very, very fast. He could also play in the centre and was a decent runner too.”

His performances for Gloucester in the early 20th century were soon earning rave reviews and it wasn’t long before England came knocking. It was in the days when international rugby was only just getting started – none of this 12 to 15 games a year schedule that the top players of today face.

“My grandfather first played for England in early 1906,” said John. “He went on to play eight times for England and scored nine tries.

“He played in the first ever international between England and France in 1906. It was at the Parc des Princes and he scored four tries.”

It wasn’t just at rugby that Arthur – who was known as Archie – excelled in.

“He was a footballer and a runner too,” said John. “He played football for Gloucester City Albion who were based next door to Kingsholm. And he was a good sprinter over 60 and 100 yards.”

Mind you, his speed off the mark almost got him in trouble with the rugby bigwigs of the day.

“He won a cup for his running and it was worth more than the amateur limit allowed in rugby,” chuckled John.

Fortunately, commonsense prevailed and his rugby career continued without interruption until the onset of World War One although it was to be three years into the conflict before he got the call-up to active service.

“He joined the navy in 1917,” explained John, “and for a while he played for Devonport Services. He actually played against Gloucester when he was with them.”

But Gloucester was always his first love. He continued to play for them – and Gloucestershire – until he was nearly 40.

“He packed up in 1921 when he broke his collarbone,” said John. “It was in the county championship final against Yorkshire.”

By then his shop in Northgate Street was already well established.

So what made him open the shop?

“Gloucestershire played against the All Blacks in 1905,” said John. “The game was at Kingsholm and there was a massive crowd. Grandad played on the wing but he got knocked out in the first half.”

It turned out to be a tough day all round because Gloucestershire got thrashed although some good did come out of it because Grandad Hudson struck up a friendship that was to impact on people’s lives in the city for many years to come – and still does.

“The fella who played against him on the wing – Duncan McGregor – came back to play rugby league for Merthyr Tydfil in 1908,” explained John, “and it was him who founded the shop. My grandad was a sleeping partner.

“They had become mates because both of them worked on their national railways.”

The end of Archie’s rugby-playing days did not signal the end of the Hudson/Gloucester family connection, however, because his son Gordon became one of the club’s mainstays post-World War Two, captaining the team for three years in the late 40s.

“He was a wing forward but could play in the centre as well,” said John. “His career was affected by the war, he would have been in his prime at that time.

“He played for England Services during the war against Scotland and Wales and must have played for Gloucestershire about 30 times.”

John’s dad packed up playing for Gloucester in 1953/54 when he was almost 40 by which time Archie had been Gloucester’s club secretary for 30-odd years.

It was a role he was to continue in until 1962 when he handed the mantle on to his son who went on to become chairman for 10 years before retiring from the committee in 1990.

They were two pretty tough acts to follow, of course, and while the young John, who is 66 in December, never reached their heights as a player. He was certainly no mug either.

“I first started playing rugby when I was at Crypt School,” said John, who lived in the flat above the shop for the first five years of his life. “I went on to play for Old Cryptians.

“I was a full-back and I captained the club for a season. My last season as a player was when the leagues were first introduced and I remember playing against Saintbridge.

“The game ended in a draw and it was one of the best games I ever played in.”

John, who was also a decent footballer and cricketer in yesteryear, did play one game with some of the more celebrated rugby names of his generation.

“It was when I was in Cheltenham Technical College,” he chuckled. “It was about 1971/72 and Cheltenham were playing at Moseley. Cheltenham’s full-back fell ill so I played instead.

“Cheltenham had a decent side in those days with the likes of John Fidler and Bob Redwood and Moseley had six or seven internationals. That was definitely the biggest game of my career.”

John’s grandad was a top international back in his day, of course, and there is a visible reminder of his stature in the game whenever you walk into the family shop because the England shirts he wore against South Africa and the Wallabies are on display.

When John spoke to The Local Answer he was preparing to fly out to New Zealand to see his newest granddaughter who was born in early October.

And while visiting his family was obviously top of the list – he’d never been to New Zealand before – John did take the opportunity to visit Duncan McGregor’s grave in Timaru.

And he also visited a museum which was showing video highlights of a game between an England XV and New Zealand Services playing at Twickenham while World War Two raged. It was a game in which his dad played.

That was right up John’s street, of course. Closer to home the streets around the memorial ground in Tuffley Avenue in the heart of Gloucester are always busy on Saturday afternoons.

That has a lot to do with John’s grandad too because it was a fund set up by him – he contributed £150 which was given to him for looking after the ground at Kingsholm during World War Two – which enabled them to buy the ground for rugby clubs.

“It’s for local junior rugby and is used by Widden Old Boys and Old Cryptians,” said John.

And Grandad Hudson’s legacy can be seen elsewhere in the city as well.

“He had a lot to do with setting up the tennis courts along Escourt Road,” said John.

“My dad’s sister – Gwen Scott – was a very good tennis player and qualified for the singles at Wimbledon three times and the doubles six times.

“In 1950 she played on Centre Court against the defending champion Louise Brough. She got beaten but she’d been up all night the night before because her son Ian had mumps!”

Gwen also played county tennis and hockey.

It really is a remarkable story of one family’s sporting success... and John is only too happy to tell it.