Royal Selangor Club

thumb|450px|The older portion of the Royal Selangor Club building (center), as well as its more modern north wing (right) added after the club's 1970 fire, are primarily built in [[Tudorbethan architecture|Mock Tudor stylings.]]

The Royal Selangor Club () is a social club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, founded in 1884 by the British who ruled Malaya at the time. The club is situated next to the Dataran Merdeka, or Independence Square, padang (field), and is accessible from Jalan Raja (King Road).

History and overview

Establishment

The club was founded as the Selangor Club in 1884 as a meeting point for educated and high-ranking members of British colonial society. Most of its early members were British, the founding members include H.C. Syers, the Superintendent of Selangor State; A.R. Venning, Treasurer of Selangor and head of the Sanitation Board (who also created the Lake Gardens); A. C. Norman who designed some early buildings of Kuala Lumpur; and H.F. Bellamy who headed the Selangor Public Works Department. Nevertheless, membership to the club was primarily determined by high educational standard or social standing, rather than race or citizenship; for example an original founding member was Thamboosamy Pillay and its first Secretary was a German, Count Bernstorff. Count Bernstorff however left the club with an unexplained deficit of $1,100, and later Henry Huttenbach steadied the club's finances as Secretary. The club house was built with funds from the British colonial administration, and the British Resident of Selangor was ex officio the President of the club – the first three Presidents were John Pickersgill Rodger, William Edward Maxwell, and Frank Swettenham.

The club was initially based in a small wooden building with an attap roof near the north eastern corner of the padang. In 1890, this early building was replaced by a two-storey structure designed by the Government Architect A.C. Norman at the current site of the club on the west side of the padang. In 1910, the building was rebuilt using a design by architect Arthur Benison Hubback (notably credited with the design of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station) in Mock Tudor styling, with two additional wings on either side of the main building.

The club was nicknamed "The Spotted Dog", one explanation is that it referred to its mixed community membership and began with a remark that "frequenters of The Spotted Dog pub must accept the company as they find it". The club is also simply referred to as "The Dog".

Over the years, the club's membership increased and had also begun to include high-ranking Malaysian civil servants: judges, lawyers and important people in society. The club's proximity to the old High Courts at the other side of Dataran Merdeka has also made the club a popular meeting place for the legal fraternity.

Members of the club are said to have introduced hash running in 1938. Legend has it that some members of the Selangor Club decided that it would be a good idea to run to work after heavy drinking the night before so they could rid themselves of their hangovers, which apparently they did. As the club was once also called Hash House (so named because some of its members thought its food unpalatable) the members therefore named themselves Hash House Harriers. During the World Interhash in 1998, an exception was made to allow women into the Long Bar.

Dataran Merdeka field

The field or padang fronting the Royal Selangor Club, now known as Dataran Merdeka, had long been used by the club but was leased from the Government under a "Temporary Occupation License - TOL" before it was taken back by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall in 1987 to be used specifically for events organised by City Hall. Throughout the time the field was used by the club, sporting activities such as cricket, rugby, hockey and football matches were held there almost on a daily basis. The club's loss of the field was compensated with a piece of land in Bukit Kiara, which is currently the site of the Royal Selangor Club Bukit Kiara Annexe.

Royal Selangor Club Kiara Sport Annexe

The Royal Selangor Club Kiara Sport Annexe is a branch of the Royal Selangor Club built over a piece of land in Bukit Kiara 5.5 kilometres away from the original clubhouse, which was given as compensation after the original club's field was acquired by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall in 1987. The facility was officially opened on 7 June 1998 by then Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Jaafar. The annexe is laid out in a similar manner as the original club, with the main club building facing a large field and designed in a similar architectural style as the original club building. The annexe also includes a swimming pool at the rear of the building.

Cricket

In 1997, the ground held ten matches in the ICC Trophy. The following year it held five List A matches as part of the cricket competition at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. These matches saw Malaysia play Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland play South Africa, Malaysia play Zimbabwe, New Zealand play Scotland, and Barbados play South Africa. The Bukit Kiara ground was used for some matches at the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

References

External links

Official Royal Selangor Club website
Official Royal Selangor Club Hash House Harriers website