THE OKU MEMORIAL TROPHY 2012

December 8th 2012, Iffley Road Ground

Vincent’s Club/Hertford College XV

London Japanese RFC • Kew Occasionals RFC

Oxford University RFC is proud to host

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the eighth Oku MemorialTrophy. This is the occasion to remember Ambassador Katsuhiko Okuwho, together with his colleague Mr Masanori Inoue and their driver,made the ultimate sacrifice while in Iraq on a highly important mission.Our thoughts and prayers go to Mr Oku’s widow, children and friendsat this time of year.

In Japan and in Iraq, as well as in the UK, Ambassador Oku isremembered, above all, for his wonderful, engaging personality. Hewas also a diplomat of action. That is the reason why he so willinglyand bravely accepted the mission, despite the obvious dangersinvolved. He left such a positive, lasting impact on the reconstruction

process in Iraq that his achievement still has strong resonance in the country eight years afterhe was killed in action on 29 November 2003.

‘Katsu’, as he was affectionately known, touched many lives, and it is heart-warming that hischerished friends here in the UK remember him in the best way possible – through the sporthe loved so much, rugby. Sport brings people together and turns strangers into friends, and Idaresay many new friendships will be formed today as we celebrate this incredible man’s life.

I hope today will be an enjoyable and fulfilling occasion for players and spectators alike. On behalf of everyone at the Embassy of Japan, may I extend my sincere gratitude to everyoneinvolved in the Oku Memorial Trophy for holding this annual event in memory of a trulyremarkable man.

H.E. Keiichi Hayashi

Ambassador of Japan

I am delighted to send the very best wishes ofHertford College to the eighth Oku Memorial Trophy,and congratulations to all those involved in making thetournament happen. We are proud that AmbassadorKatsuhiko Oku was a member of Hertford College whileimmensely sad that his death in 2003, while ondiplomatic duty in Iraq, has prompted this now regularevent. He was a great enthusiast for rugby. Inevitably for those whoknew him the Oku Memorial Trophy is bitter sweet , but I suspect thathe would urge us all to enjoy the rugby. So do. And celebrate KatsuhikoOku as an inspiration to us all.

Will Hutton

PRINCIPAL OF HERTFORD COLLEGE - WILL HUTTON

EMBASSY OF JAPAN101-104 PICCADILLY

LONDON

W1J 7JT

020-7465 6500

WELCOME TO THE 2012 OKU MEMORIAL TROPHY RUGBY TOURNAMENT

Once more we gather near the anniversary of thetragicdeath of Ambassador Katsuhiko Oku to honour hismemory by playing the game he loved. ‘Katsu’ was a trulyremarkable man – educated at Itami Prefectural HighSchool in Hyogo Prefecture and Waseda University inTokyo, having joined the Japanese diplomatic service hewent on to attend Hertford College, Oxford from 1981-3.Having played rugby with distinction at high school anduniversity, he became the first Japanese national ever torepresent the Blues XV at Oxford and to become amember of Vincent’s Club. A long standing member of theinternational committee of the Japan RFU, he was a wellknown and much loved figure in the sport globally whoworked tirelessly for Japan’s ambitions to host the RugbyWorld Cup – how proud he would have been when thatproject came to fruition with the award of the 2019tournament.

Katsu was above all a wonderfully energetic and cheerfulman who brightened the lives of those he encountered in all walks of his life. His assassination in Iraq inNovember 2003 whilst on secondment from the Japanese Embassy in London was the most awful shockto his many friends, and immense tragedy for his family to whom our thoughts and prayers go once moreat this time of year.

We gather however to celebrate Katsu’s life today. London Japanese rugby club, of which he was afounder, and Kew Occasionals of which he was a member, have done so since 2005 and this is theeighth memorial event. The first five events were played at the Richmond Athletic Ground and we werejoined in 2006 by New York Japanese RFC; in 2008 the event was combined with a reunion of the 1988Blues XV who toured Japan with Katsu as the JRFU liaison officer. Two years ago with the kindsupport of OURFC we staged the games at Iffley Road, and included teams from Hertford College andVincent’s Club – the venue and format has proved a great success. This year due to timing in relation tothe University term Vincent’s and Hertford will field a joint XV in a three team tournament, which will alsofeature a final game between mixed sides from all the teams.

I would like to thank Tim Stevens and all at OURFC for their hospitality; the Principal of Hertford College,Will Hutton, for his message of support, and Richard Foord for organising the college’s contribution to thecombined Vincent’s and Hertford side today.

Successive Japanese Ambassadors have been great supporters of the event and we are grateful toAmbassador Hayashi, a noted rugby fan, for continuing this tradition. The President of Vincent’s Club BenMansfield and Secretary Dugald Macdonald have helped enormously and we thank Marcus-AlexanderNeil for organising the Vincent’s players and the Club for hosting us after the post game celebrations in theIffley Road pavilion.

The London Japanese party at today’s event includes players and supporters who have travelled fromFrance, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Germany to be with us. I would like to thankthem all for making the effort and in particular my great friends Saburo Takahashi and Tamekuro Nagatafor their great contribution to the organisation of the event.

Finally, we are extremely pleased that both the Japanese and British diplomatic communities arerepresented today. Minister Hiroshi Suzuki, who spoke so movingly to the teams before last year’stournament is joining us again and will present the trophy together with Melville Guest, known to manyof us as the Chairman of the Vincent’s Club 150th Anniversary Appeal.

My own personal happy memories of Katsu are innumerable – playing together for London Japanese in themid 80’s, Managing the 1988 OURFC tour to Japan with him as liaison officer, a private trip together towatch Oxford play Waseda in Tokyo in 2002 (a wonderfully diplomatic 22 all draw), to name only a fewof the rugby related ones. He was one of the finest people I have ever had the privilege to know – today’smemorial tournament is a small way for us all to honour his memory and celebrate his life and I wouldlike to thank all participants and supporters for enabling us to continue to do so.

Reg Clark.

Reg Clark and Katsu Oku at the2002 Oxford - Waseda game in Tokyo

OKU MEMORIAL TROPH

HY, DECEMBER 3RD 2011

PARTICIPATING TEAMS

LONDON JAPANESE

Chairman: Tamekuro Nagata; Hon Secretary: Saburo Takahashi;Captain: Yoshinari Ihaya; Vice Captain & Treasurer: Satoshi Takehana;Vice Captain: Tatsuya Ishii.

KEW OCCASIONALS

President: Jim Parton; Chairman: John Purcell;Joint Captains: Tom Clark and Tom Quayle;Hon Secretary: Reg Clark; Hon Treasurer: Howard Dormer.

VINCENT’S CLUB

President: Ben Mansfield; Secretary: Dugald MacDonald;Captain: Marcus-Alexander Neil.

HERTFORD COLLEGE

Captain: Richard Foord; Vice Captain: Masanori Watanabe;Hon Treasurer: Omer Sheikh Mohamed.

First Oku Memorial Trophy

the Yomiuri Shinbum reports on

the game played on November

26th 2005. Ambassador Yoshiji

Nogami presents the trophy to

Kew Occasionals captain Jim

Parton, after their 31-28 victory,

with London Japanese captain

Junichiro Minami.

2005 Kew Occasionals 31 London Japanese 282006 New York Japanese 7 London Japanese 0

Kew Occasionals 30 New York Japanese 5Kew Occasionals 25 London Japanese 7

2007 Kew Occasionals 31 London Japanese 192008 Kew Occasionals/OURFC 1988 XV 48 London Japanese 262009 Kew Occasionals 44 London Japanese 312010 Hertford College 31 London Japanese 15

Vincent’s Club 21 Kew Occasionals 7London Japanese 15 Kew Occasionals 5Vincent’s Club 5 Hertford College 0

2011 Hertford College 19 London Japanese 5Vincent’s Club 5 Kew Occasionals 50Vincent’s Club 39 London Japanese 10Kew Occasionals 50 Hertford College 7

Match A - 1.00 pm Vincent’s Club/Hertford College vs London Japanese

Match B - 1.45 pm Vincent’s Club/Hertford College vs Kew Occasionals

Match C - 2.30 pm Reg Clark’s XV vs Saburo Takahashi’s XV

Referees: Tim Stevens & Reg Clark

After the final game the Oku Trophy will bepresented by Minister Hiroshi Suzuki and Mr Melville Guest

Each game to consist of 2 x 20 minute halves.

There will be a meal for all players in the Iffley Road Pavilion, where the bar willremain open from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

All participants and supporters are invited to Vincent’s Club from 6pm onwards.

MATCH SCHEDULE

PREVIOUS RESULTS: