The annual City Dinner took place on Wednesday night (8th December 2004) at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, EC1 and was attended by club sponsors, many City companies, the current NEC Harlequins squad and ex-Quins players.
Once again, this black tie event was an enjoyable evening and a chance to enhance and promote the club's links with the City. The evening was compered by Damien Hopley, the Harlequin FC Hall of Fame introduced by Mark Evans and entertainment was provided by comedian Mick Miller.
The fundraising on the night was split between the British Paralympic Association, the club's official charity, and the Richard Langhorn Trust. Items in the auction included a tandem sky diving experience with the Red Devils, a Valentine's / International rugby weekend and a shirt signed by the Welsh 'Fly Half Factory;' Cliff Morgan, Dai Watkins, Barry John, Phil Bennett and Jonathan Davies.
Raffle prizes were kindly donated by NEC, CSF, Land Rover, the Runnymede Hotel & Spa, Sportingclass and Premier Rugby.
The second Hall of Fame induction took place on the night and the following four Harlequin legendary players were inducted:
Brian Moore
- 77 appearances for Quins / 64 caps for England
R W D (David) Marques
- 224 appearances for Quins / 23 caps for England
Ricky Bartlett
- 251 points in 276 appearances for Quins / 7 caps for England
Dan Lambert
- 1,462 points in 180 appearances for Quins / 7 caps for England
We were delighted to welcome Brian Moore and David Marques on the night to receive their awards in person and to say a few words about their time at the club. Ricky Bartlett's son accepted the award on behalf of his father, who has passed away, and Graeme Murray accepted on behalf of Dan Lambert.
The Harlequin FC Hall of Fame was set-up to promote greater understanding of the heritage of the most famous rugby club in the world. In order to minimise the conflicts relating to criteria, the following structure was finally adopted with respect to players being eligible to become members of the Hall of Fame:
• The player must have won international caps
• The player must have toured with the British and Irish Lions (post war British players)
• The player must have made a major / lasting contribution to Harlequins
• The player must be retired from professional rugby for at least five years
For more information on the Harlequin FC Hall of Fame, please contact Chris Wright c/o the Stoop Memorial Ground.