Season: 2020-2021

Rams Rugby

Rams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rams RFC is an English rugby union club based near the village of Sonning on the outskirts of Reading in the county of Berkshire. The first XV play in the third level league of the English rugby union system, National League 1, following their promotion from National League 2 South as champions at the end of the 2018-19 season. Up until 2018, the club was previously known as Redingensians and then Redingensians Rams before being renamed simply as Rams for the 2018-19 season onwards.[1]

Rams consist of five senior teams of differing playing ability and a full complement of mini and junior sides.[2] The first team currently plays in National League 2 South (level 4) of the rugby union league structure. The second team play in Canterbury Division 3, the third team play in Berks/Bucks & Oxon Prem A, and the fourths in Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1. The fifth team participates in the Thames Valley Invitational Leagues. Both the under-17s and colts play in division 1 of their respective Berks/Bucks & Oxon leagues. Rams RFC is also renowned for its Rugby 7s capability and participates in several major international tournaments across Europe from March through to August.

Rams play home fixtures at Old Bath Road in the village of Sonning on the north-east outskirts of Reading.[3] As it is next to the A4 travel links are decent, with parking available at the ground and regular bus services going into Reading which is accessible by train. The ground consists of a main pitch next to a modern club-house, along with a number of other pitches for second XV and junior rugby.[4] The capacity is approximately 1,250 (all standing) around the main pitch and on the club-house balcony.

1st team:

2nd team:

4th team:

Rotherham Titans

History

During the 1920s and 1930s the club regularly turned out two teams and on odd occasions three, normally in school holiday periods when local 6th-formers played.[6]

Rotherham in common with many clubs shut down during the Second World War and the club was reformed in 1946 at Clifton Lane. The next fifteen years were a struggle in terms of running teams and raising finance to improve facilities. The club received a big boost when a local secondary modern school started rugby and soon a regular supply of players were coming through.[6]Rugby started to be played in many local schools and the arrival of a number of Physical Education teachers in the area who were rugby specialists helped both the playing standard and the club organisation.[6]

Prior to the advent of a national league structure, Rotherham struggled to get fixtures against establishment sides, largely from the south of England, meaning when the league was established they were placed well down the league structure despite always showing an ambition to develop. This perceived snub by other top teams, and placement at the bottom of the rugby hierarchy fired the initial drive up the leagues and led to several former players such as Mike Yarlett investing their time and resources to transform the club.

Rotherham entered league rugby in 1987 enjoying enormous success with seven subsequent promotions culminating by eventually reaching the Premiership. In the 1988–89 season, Rotherham won the North East 1 title and so began its rise up the rugby pyramid.[7] This was immediately followed up by five further promotions in six seasons to propel the club to the fourth tier of English rugby by 1995–96.

This period in the club’s development was later to be considered the start of the “golden decade”, and secured legendary status for several players including John Dudley, Richard Selkirk, Craig West and Kevin Plant. During this period Rotherham attracted some criticism for their early adoption of paying players during a period later referred to as “Shamateurism” as most progressive clubs in essence paid their players while keeping up the pretence of being Amateur clubs.

In this era, the Yorkshire Cup, still a prestigious competition in which all the top Yorkshire sides competed, became a symbolic quest for the Rotherham players and management. The competition had been dominated for the previous 25 years by Wakefield, Harrogate and the four big Leeds clubs, Headingley, Roundhay, Morley and Otley, none of whom would give Rotherham a fixture prior to the introduction of league rugby. Rotherham reached the final for the first time in their history in 1993, going down 22–5 to Otley,[8] however 2 years later there was no doubting that Rotherham had arrived as they defeated Harrogate 39-3 at Kirkstall to win the Cup for the first and to date only time.

The 1994 County Championship final at Twickenham also provided further evidence of Rotherham’s ascent to senior club status in Yorkshire, as Kevin Plant and Craig West were members of the Yorkshire side (along with soon to be Rotherham scrum-half Guy Easterby — then with Harrogate) who won the championship in exhilarating fashion with a 26–3 triumph over Durham.[9]

Summarising the success in 1995, the independent put Rotherham’s success into context saying:

Chinnor

History

Chinnor RFC was founded in 1962. One of the main driving forces behind its inception was Frank Angel. Frank, an ex-officer in the Royal Navy, thought a reasonable day to found the Club was Trafalgar Day so, on 21st October 1962, at the Bird-in-Hand, together with Cyril Perry, a teacher at Risborough School, the club was born.
Chinnor’s first match was a one-off game in March 1963 against Old Henleyensians which was arranged by Cyril Perry & Harry Cartwright who found the pitch and recruited players for the team; most of the team came from Princes Risborough Secondary Modern & Lord Williams School in Thame.
Frank Angel with his boxer dog Copper was always a regular supporter of the club, but kept out of the administration challenges that faced Chinnor in these early days.
The first full season was in 1963-64. Marcus Cann negotiated with a Mr White; a local farmer, that we could play on a field adjacent to the Bird-in-Hand. Bledlow Cricket Pavilion became Chinnor’s headquarters providing changing room facilities, some 3 miles down the road.
It was obvious that if we had any aspirations we had to move to a permanent solution. A place where we could have a pitch, a Clubhouse and all that entailed. Towersey Playing Fields was that place. A 20-year lease was negotiated. Room enough for three pitches and the fact that it had no Clubhouse was a mere detail. In the time we were to remain at Whites Field, the club designed and built a Clubhouse from scratch. All volunteer labour. A tremendous effort. Season 1971-72 saw the Club move permanently to Towersey.
On the field, the standard of rugby being played also began to make marked progress. The Club was beginning to attract quality players with the fixture list slowly improving. The Minis, Juniors and Colts all became part of the mix in 1973 – 74, as well as the club was now running four Senior sides! 1976 saw the Club winning the County Cup for the first time. Not a bad effort considering the Club was but 14 years old and fittingly it was Henley who gave the Club their first run-out back in 1962, who were their opponents on the day.
The Club settled at Towersey, but after a short while the village wanted their field back, along with the Clubhouse that the Chinnor members had constructed. Once again the Club had to move. One member was David Elmer, Chairman of Thame Show. He was a major force in securing the purchase of 10 acres of land for the Club adjacent to the new venue for Thame Show in Thame.
In 1987, Chinnor moved to their final home turning the 10 acres into pitches and building another Clubhouse. Since this move, the Club has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength. The advent of the League structure has played a huge part in the development of Chinnor RFC. Starting in Bucks and Oxon Division 1, they were promoted through Southern Counties, South-West 2, South-West 1 and into National Leagues some 4 years ago. The youngest ever side to achieve playing National League rugby in the country.
Chinnor is proud of the many players who started at the Club and found success with Premiership teams; Tom Varndell, David Seymour, Paul Volley and new kids on the block; Bob Baker, Sam Jones, Chris Elder, Andy Berry. Rob Hill, Tony Wilkinson & Woody have played in the England Deaf Squad as well as coaching younger players at the Club.
A book entitled “Rucking and Mauling” has a dedication to Chinnor RFC. The dedication reads: “To play with style and provide and atmosphere of warmth and camaraderie tinged with a sizeable slice of ambition”

THIS IS CHINNOR RFC

Birmingham Moseley

A brief history

1873-4 The club was founded in October, as Havelock Football Club, an offshoot of Havelock Cricket Club some of whose younger members wanted to play a winter sport. There only being one association club in the area at that time they decided to adopt the rugby version of the game. The first season’s membership amounted to twenty just enough to form a team, rugby then being a 20-a-side game. Home matches were played at St. Paul’s Road, Balsall Heath more. The club’s first captain was Birmingham jeweller S.H. Deakin who led the side for the first four seasons more and the first president of the club was local businessman and philantropist Amos Roe who remained in office until the end of 1886-87 more. Like most sports clubs at the time Havelock Football Club received little coverage in the local press more.  Results 1873-74.