In appreciation of his efforts with the clubhouse Mr. Norman Collisson was made president for 1957-58. Work began on filling in the large declevity on the north side of the ground with soil from the sewage works. This year was also notable for the fact that Gerald Webb first expressed his willingness to form a Colts under-l8 XV, a work which he carried on for many years and which has been a feature of club life ever since.

If the two previous years had been notable, 1958-59 was exceptional. At the June meeting of the committee, with Mr. Jack Friswell presiding as president, it was announced that the first All England Trial in the year following had been allocated to Banbury. The minutes record that this announcement was received with a "great ovation".

In the November the club secretary, G. Peters, submitted a set of plans for an extension to the clubhouse. These were considered "too grand" but guide lines were laid down. These were that the extensions should take in the need for four changing rooms, two to accommodate thirty men each and two for fifteen men each. Arrangements should include plunge baths with hot and cold water and enlarged toilet facilities. The dividing wall between main clubroom and south dressing room to be taken down so that the main clubroom could be extended and that a sliding partition be fitted on the line of the existing wall so that the extra space could be used as a committee room and office if required. That the space occupied by the south dressing room plunge bath be used to extend the existing kitchen, the dividing wall between kitchen and toilet to be taken down. Nuttal and Lucas, the architects, to be asked for estimates "step by step".

A special meeting was held at the White Lion Hotel, Banbury, in November, 1958 and received revised plans from the architects. These were for four new changing rooms on the north side, extending the kitchen into the south changing room, with an extension to the main clubroom. An amendment for a modified extension was defeated. An extensions sub-committee was asked to look into the financial aspects.

The estimates presented by the architects envisaged an expenditure of £3,000 with completion in April, 1959. Mr. Norman Collisson offered to carry out the work, excluding some fittings, for £2,750, to complete the main clubroom by the day of the fete and conclude the work for the start of the playing season of 1959. He was also prepared to assist in the application for a Ministry of Education grant. On a vote Mr. Collisson's proposal was accepted. The architects offered to halve their usual commission.

At a committee meeting on March 26th, 1959, the club entertained two representatives from the National Playing Fields Association who said that they did not think the terms of the 1955 agreement for a grant had been kept as the club was still a "one game club" which the Ministry was against. Any application must show that other sporting organisations would benefit. In reply the club stated that their facilities were still inadequate for rugby football.

The Ministry representatives also said that any grant would not exceed one third of the total cost of the project and that the club would have to guarantee two-thirds. A mortgage on the property would not be acceptable to them.

Bearing in mind what had been said to them, the club committee in April decided to approach local sporting organisations in regard to the possible use of the club's facilities in support of their application for a grant. The fete raised no less than £1,428 that year. A ball and Christmas and fete draws were held. As a result income exceeded expenditure by £870. At this time players' subscriptions were still only 10/6d - the same as when the club was founded. It was decided to raise these to £1.5/-, non-playing members paying £1.1/-. The vice-presidents' subscriptions at £1.1/- were not changed. The club, since its beginning had vastly benefited from the support of a long list of vice-presidents. These include the club's most famous "son', Air Marshal Sir William Coles, who played for the club in the early days and whose career in the R.A.F. has been brilliant.

The general committee was told in November 1959 that the Ministry was to make a grant of £1,040 towards the clubhouse extension. In the following March an agreement was signed with Mr. Collisson. Another agreement between Trustees, Guarantors and the club was drawn.

Meanwhile another "red letter" day in the club's history was approaching; December 5th, 1959 - the day chosen for the first of the season's All England Trial matches. Months of hard work and planning had been put in to make it a success. A pitch was laid out running east to west rather than the usual north to south, a stand to seat 1,500 had been erected. The United States Air Force had lent 2,000 seats from their baseball arena for ring accommodation. The sub-committee on which the burden of the work fell for organising the sale of tickets, car parking, spectators' accommodation, beer and refreshment tents consisted of Messrs. Jack Friswell, A.J. Colegrave, F.H. Colegrave, S.A. Miller, J. Russ, J. Smith, the club captain, S. White, J. Court and G. Peters, club secretary. The president was Mr. Fred Coles. Among the large attendance at the match was Mr. F.D. Prentice, secretary of the England RFU.

In perfect weather the Whites, the likely England side, defeated Colours by 14 points to 6 points. Particular interest centred on the play of rival full-backs J.G.G. Hetherington, of Northampton and D. Rutherford, of Percy Park; on the combination of A.B.W. Risman and Dickie Jeeps, the England half-backs of the previous year. By its selection for the trial Banbury felt it had been firmly placed on the rugby map. The event was, in every way, a success and the club reaped a small profit in the bargain.

At the 1960 fete which drew an attendance of 10,000, Mr. Jack Friswell, then Mayor of Banbury, told the large crowd about the clubhouse extensions. Although rain interfered with the event in the late afternoon a profit of £850 was made.

The year was also memorable for another reason. Soil was being excavated for Banbury's new industrial estate. The club was able to secure it and use it for levelling the north side of the ground, thus vastly increasing the playing area. In view of the history of the ground previously related, it is perhaps interesting to note that another member of the Clark family was president, Mr. E.T. Clark, the writer of this narrative. Tipping had gone on periodically through subsequent years but the major infilling was done at this time.

The club's ground was now in such a condition that the Oxon versus Berks rugby match was played on it and the Oxon RFU staged the first of many seven-a-side preliminary rounds on it. The Oxon RFU also played there a President's versus County XV match.

The raising of revenue was an ever-present problem and a new idea was the installation of a fruit machine in the clubhouse. By the end of the year it had provided a much-needed £170 to the coffers. The overdraft, as a result of the various efforts made, was considerably reduced.

The fete made a profit of £770 in 1962 and, at the annual meeting a great improvement in the balance sheet was reported due to increased takings at the bar, the fruit machine income and payments received for earth tipping. In five years the club's assets had grown from £5,878 to £9,501.

For some time the club, under agreement with St. Louis School, whose property adjoined, had had the use of the school's rugby pitch. In May 1962 it was reported that the school was closing down. Oxfordshire County Council agreed to lease the field to the club at £15 per annum. This arrangement continued for some years.

At the annual meeting in April 1963, two long serving members on the general committee retired from it - Mr. S.A. Miller and Mr. H. Colegrave. Both were subsequently elected president and both continued their considerable interest, particularly in connection with ground improvements and this, in the case of Mr. Miller, even when his responsibilities as a member of the England RFU increased. In July 1963 the club committee first proposed Mr. Miller as the county representative to serve on the England committee and thus began his career on that august body.

Applications began to come in more frequently at this time from other clubs and organisations for the use of the ground and these included the locally historic Banbury Harriers Athletic Club. Use of fete equipment was much sought after and to house this a Compton building of 24 ft 6 inches long by 8 ft 4 inches high was bought and erected for £122.7/-. When planning permission for this was sought, permission was also asked for the erection of main gates.