Arthur John Dorman joined Rugby School in 1895 and left for Trinity College Cambridge in 1900, his House Master was W G Michell. In 1899 he was made a member of the School XV and awarded a Following-up cap (image above). In that 1899/1900 rugby season he played 11 matches which were sewn into his cap and include:
- Sixth Match 1899
- Uppingham Nov. 25. 1899
- Oxford Varsity Nov. 2. 1899
- London Scottish Nov. 7. 1899
- Coopers Hill Nov. 14. 1899
- Cheltenham Dec. 2. 1899
- Oxford O.R's Dec. 2. 1899
- 25X11V 1899
- Trinity Coll Feb. 22. 1900
- Pembroke Cam Mar. 8. 1900
- Cambridge O.R Feb. 24. 1900
A number of these matches were recorded in the School’s magazine The Meteor, this is a summary of some of the commentary on A J Dorman’s activities and commentary on the matches played.
During the Nov 18, 1899 School XV v Uppingham match it was Dorman who scored a try. Many games were played in 1899, in the School XV v Oxford (Dec 2,1899) match Dorman dribbled up the field and scored a second try in the second half of the game. During this match four members of the team were absent and the scrum lost 3 heavy forwards yet the School won by 2 goals and 3 tries. In the School XV December 1899 game Rugby School lost by 3 goals and 3 tries.
In The Meteor of 19th December 1899, the School was congratulated for breaking the succession of Cheltenham victories in the annual match. The game was described as something that was difficult to predict at first but as the game progressed Rugby School was by far the better side. The scrummage was ‘beyond all praise’. The writers expressed the overall sense of gratitude the match date was a few days before the wintery December weather set in as it would have prevented the game being played. The Cheltenham victory of December 1899 added to the festive spirit prior to the Christmas holidays.
The Meteor is accessible via Rugby School | Digital Archives (rugbyschoolarchives.co.uk).
Dorman left the School in 1900, after studying at Cambridge he worked in the iron and steel industry in Yorkshire before joining the armed forces. During his military career he was in the 1st Volunteer Bn. Yorkshire Regt., 4th Bn. Yorkshire Regt. Major. and Reserve of Officers, T.A.