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Wimbledon RFC

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Wimbledon RFC
Full nameWimbledon Rugby Football Club
UnionSurrey RFU
Nickname(s)Dons
Founded1865; 159 years ago (1865)
LocationRaynes Park, Merton, London, England
Ground(s)Beverley Meads (Capacity: 1,000)
ChairmanStefano D'Anna
PresidentJim Green
Coach(es)Collin Osborne, Neil Hallett, Shawn Renwick, Marc Bertrand, James Ogilvie-Bull and William Brunt
Captain(s)Josh Bayford
League(s)National League 2 East
2023–2413th (relegated to Regional 1 South Central)
Team kit
Official website
www.wimbledonrfc.co.uk

Wimbledon Rugby Football Club is a sports club based in Wimbledon, London. The club was a founding member of the Rugby Football Union and were at that time known as the Wimbledon Hornets. The first rugby union team currently play in National League 2 East following their promotion from Regional 1 South Central at the end of 2022–23 season.

Apart from rugby, the club has a netball section.

History

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Wimbledon’s first recorded match was against Richmond F.C. in November 1865, making the club one of the oldest in the country, and one of just twelve surviving clubs that founded the Rugby Football Union in 1871. The club’s captain at this time was L J Maton who drafted the first laws of the game and went on to become the third president of the RFU in 1875. In the same year, two club members, J D and H J Graham, gained one and four caps respectively for England.

In 1874 the club changed its name to Wimbledon RFC. It has been suggested that the change in name was due to the club's L J Maton becoming president of the Rugby Football Union, and in order to reflect their new-found gravitas they dispensed with the Hornets for a less whimsical name.[1]

They played on Wimbledon Common until World War I, using the Rose & Crown in Wimbledon Village as changing rooms and clubhouse. The club then went into suspended animation when the First World War started, and was only re-formed in 1927.[1] It was at this time that the club changed colours from broad blue and white hooped jerseys, to maroon and Cambridge blue hooped jerseys.[2] The club's celebration of its centenary with a dinner held in February 1966, was demonstrative that it perceived itself a continuation of the original Wimbledon Hornets.[1] They moved to the current clubhouse on Barham Road, Wimbledon in the 1987–88 season, coinciding with the setting up of amateur league rugby in Britain.

Honours

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1st team:

2nd team:

Club colours

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Wimbledon 1st team play in maroon shirts with blue sleeves and a blue stripe on the side. They wear navy shorts and navy socks.

All other teams play in maroon and blue hooped shirts with navy shorts and navy socks.

Teams

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Wimbledon has four men's teams, a ladies team and a thriving youth & mini section.

The men's teams Wimbledon currently has four men's teams.

The 1st team play in London & South East Premier (Nat3SE), as a result of result of relegation from National League 2S in the 2017–18 season. The 2nd team play in the Zoo Sports Shield Division 1 having won consecutive promotions from Division 3 and 2 in the 2015–16/2016-17 seasons. The 3rds or Mavericks as they are fondly known and the 4ths Strollers (the Vets team) compete in the Surrey Leagues.

The ladies team The ladies team was founded in the 1990–91 season by Tina and John Ambler, club stewards from 1989 to 1993. Their team mascot is Alderney, one of The Wombles.

The first ladies match was against a selection of players from the men's teams. Due to a lack of playing experience the men emerged the victors. Since then, the Ladies section has grown from strength to strength with several of the players reaching national and international level.

The team currently plays in the Championship South West 2 League and has a regular squad of over thirty ladies as well as strong mini and youth section offering rugby for all ability levels from 5 to 18.

Current standings

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2023–24 National League 2 East table
Pos Team
 Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Result
1 Esher (C) 26 22 0 4 1108 598 +510 21 4 113 Promoted
2 Barnes 26 21 0 5 883 631 +252 18 4 106
3 Dorking 26 19 1 6 971 676 +295 23 3 104
4 Henley Hawks 26 16 2 8 784 680 +104 19 2 89
5 Tonbridge Juddians 26 14 1 11 844 714 +130 20 7 85
6 Bury St Edmunds 26 14 1 11 813 653 +160 17 6 81
7 Canterbury 26 13 0 13 808 736 +72 16 5 73
8 Old Albanian 26 12 0 14 802 828 −26 17 4 69
9 Westcombe Park 26 10 2 14 735 741 −6 16 9 69
10 Guernsey Raiders 26 11 0 15 685 856 −171 16 2 62
11 Sevenoaks 26 11 1 14 605 724 −119 10 4 60
12 Worthing Raiders 26 7 0 19 761 963 −202 18 5 51
13 Wimbledon (R) 26 6 1 19 686 899 −213 13 5 44 Relegated
14 North Walsham (R) 26 1 1 24 432 1218 −786 6 0 12
Updated to match(es) played on 27 April 2024. Source: National League 2 East RFU [3]
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
    (C) Champion; (R) Relegated

Notable former players

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Dick Tyson, London's Oldest Rugby Clubs, p159 (JJG Publishing), 2008
  2. ^ Dick Tyson, London's Oldest Rugby Clubs, p158 (JJG Publishing), 2008
  3. ^ "National League 2 East". England Rugby.
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