Frank Lawson was born on 9 January 1934 in Shipley, West Yorkshire in England. He first played rugby for Bingsley RFC and Yorkshire Presidents XVs in England before coming out to East Africa about 1958/ 1959 season. He joined Impala RFC in 1959 and made the first team where he was fielded at prop forward.
He was an integral part of the team that won the 1959 Nairobi District & Championship-NDC, their first major honours. ‘Impala beat defending champions Kenya Police 12-8 in the deciding match at the new Kenya Police Grounds off Mombasa Road on 22 August 1959 recorded the East Africa Standard. Impala won the 12-team competition unbeaten.
Frank was first capped for Kenya Simba’s 15s on 16 April 1960 against Tanganyika Giraffes 15’s at the Arusha Gymkhana Sports Club in Arusha, Tanganyika. He played at lock or second row partnering Simon David ‘Lofty’ Reynolds. Frank wore shirt number 12. Those were the days the backs wore shirt numbers 1-7 while the forwards wore numbers 8-15. Kenya won the match 28-6. Impala his Club side who had experienced good fortunes since their 1959 NDC win reached their first ever Enterprise Cup final taking on Nakuru at the Athletics Club
but came up a little short going down 11-9.
‘The game was close and tight but the injury to the Impala scrum-half John Andrews was a turning point as only fourteen men were left to battle it out ‘reported the Sunday Post. Up to 1968 substitutes for injuries were not allowed in Rugby Union. Frank was awarded the Impala honours cap in 1960. In 1961 Frank was called up to the Kenya Central Province Rugby Football Union and was a member of the side that clashed with touring sides Pretoria Harlequins of South Africa and London Harlequins of England between 13 & 17 May 1961 at the RFUEA Grounds, Nairobi, Kenya. Nick Cross in The First 150 years of London Harlequins 1866-2016 wrote ‘we were held to a draw by a Province side playing the best rugby for many years.’
‘There is no truth in the rumor that the Enterprise Cup will be presented to Impala irrespective of the score’ written in the Impala brochure ahead of the 1961 Cup final.’ Frank instills a great deal of his own Yorkshire fire into the pack’ where he played at number 8 ‘as described in the same brochure. In the final, played on 29 July at the RFUEA Grounds, Nairobi, Impala won their first ever Enterprise Cup defeating Nakuru 8-6. Lawson was transferred to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika in early 1962 where he also took time out and played for Dar-es-Salaam Leopards RFC and also represented the Coast Province Rugby Football Union in the Prescott Cup, the Inter-Provincial competition. His precocious talent was quickly recognized and he was called up to the Tanganyika Giraffes the national side for the annual test against Kenya. The test was played on 3 April 1962 at the Arusha Gymkhana Club in Arusha and Frank played at number 7 for Tanganyika in a match the hosts lost 0-11.He was a unique player capped for both Kenya and Tanganyika.
Frank first gained his East Africa colours against the British Combined Services on 5 May 1962 at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi. Brian Granville-Ross was initially set to start at number 8 for East Africa but Robin Sudbury got an injury at the last training session. The selectors moved Granville-Ross to full-back and brought Lawson to number 8 for the game. The pinnacle of his East African playing career came with a Tusker call up for the tour of Northern Rhodesia-(Zambia from 1965) in August 1962.’Lawson, Nick Paterson, Mike Andrews & Lofty Reynolds were prominent in the Tuskers 39-6 thrashing of Ndola-Roan XVs at Ndola Wanderers Grounds ‘reported the Northern News of Northern Rhodesia.
On 28 August 1962 Lawson played for East Africa against the British & Irish Lions at the RFUEA Grounds, Nairobi. The British Lions were on their way home from a tour of South Africa. The Lions have just toured Australia this year. How many East Africans can boast of playing them? Lawson was again capped for Kenya against Tanganyika in 1963.
Frank Lawson also played Sevens rugby and was a member of the Impala side which won their first ever Nile 7s trophy in 1965. ‘Lawson picked up the ball and galloped 70 yards to score the opening try against Kampala RFC in the 1965 Nile 7s Cup final’ recorded the Uganda Argus for 4 September 1965.The winning side consisted of Frank Lawson, Mike Andrews, John Andrews, Paddy Hume Rainsford, Duncan C. Brown, John Harman, Barry Powell & John Thomas Patrick Lynch.
A few weeks before he captained Impala to their second Enterprise Cup when they beat Kampala RFC 16 -14 on 14 August 1965 at Impala Club-Nairobi. This was the ‘greatest ever’ final and Kampala must be congratulated in providing a lot of the fast-open football. ‘These were the sentiments of Charles Disney in the East African Standard, the next day. ‘The greatest ever Enterprise Cup final ‘screamed the Uganda Argus the Kampala, Broadsheet.
In 2017, Gordon Bell his Impala colleague of the 1960s said ‘the back row controls the, tiller, the brake and the accelerator & they man the very heart of defenses. That was Frank, Mike Andrews & Nigel Graham Sandys- Lumsdaine or Niall O’ Sullivan’ Speed, defiance, disruption. Captain of the Scorpions-the East Africa Barbarians that took on Blackheath of England – 1966 President of Impala RFC when they toured England.
West Germany & Denmark in 1968 Frank Lawson passed away at Saint Albans, Hertfordshire, England on 27 August 2025.He was married to Anne Hammond Lawson at Saint Marks Church, Nairobi-5 June 1965. Anne passed away on 24th June 2024. He is survived by his son Gillem Lawson & daughter Andrea Lawson. He deserves an honoured and treasured place in the annals of East Africa Rugby.
History,
Honours with Impala
Nairobi & District Championship
1959,1961,1962,1965
Enterprise Cup
1961, 1965 –(Captain)
Kenya Simba Caps
vs Tanganyika-16/4/1960, vs Tanganyika-8/4/1961, Reserve Tanganyika 8/4/1963, vs Tanzania-3/7/1965
Tanganyika Cap 8/4/1962 for TZ
East Africa nee Tuskers Caps
vs British Combined Services 1962, vs-Mufulira 1962, vs Nchanga-Bancroft 1962, vs NdolaRoan-1962, vs Central Province-Midlands-1962, vs Northern Rhodesia 1962, vs British & Irish Lions-1962, vs Middle East Command-1967
Article by Paul Okong’o
East Africa Rugby Historian
