Newbury R.F.C.
| File:Stag | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Newbury Rugby Football Club |
| Colours | Blue |
| Founded | 1928 |
| Website | www.newburyrfc.co.uk |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
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| Competition | National Division One |
Newbury Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club representing Newbury. They play in National Division One.
Current standings
Today Newbury RFC is one of the top 25 clubs in England (out of 2271 registered rugby clubs) it fields 17 teams, from under 7s to the 1st XV which is entirely professional and semi professional. It fields several current and past internationals, a large number of the 1st XV have played premiership level rugby and have a reputation for being able to give any team in the country a good game.
History
The club was founded in 1928 due to the efforts of Len Whittaker who left St. Bartholomews Grammar School in 1924. The first game played by the newly formed club took place on 15th September 1928 against Midlands team, Stoke RFC. This was the first of 23 games that season during which the Club won 13 matches and lost 10 Even throughout the early years of the Club, the standard of play encouraged such major sides as Northampton, Gloucester, Harlequins and Wasps to come and play against Newbury.
In 1932 the Club found a permanent home where they stayed until 1952 at which time the Club moved to Pinchington Lane to the south of the town. It was not until 1958 that a Clubhouse could be built on the site which was less than a mile from the present headquarters at Monks Lane where they have 5 pitches, of which three are fully floodlit. The 1938/39 season saw Newbury unofficially crowned by the local press as "Champions of Berkshire". The first game to be played after the War was on 13th. April 1946. Despite the inauspicious date, the Club won 37 - 0 against Windsor.
Since that time, the Club has gone from strength to strength winning honours both regionally and at County level. A continuing policy of youth development has meant that many of our players have progressed from Junior to Senior level with the club. More recently, other Newbury players have gone on to greater heights with clubs such as Gloucester and Bedford. Today, Newbury Rugby Club, which is sponsored by locally based Vodafone, Twang.net, Netgear and Jokers' Masquerade, fields 18 teams from First XV to Under 7s, including the recently formed Women's team.
Youth Teams
Newbury RFC has a reputation for having one of the best youth sections in the country, sponsered by local solicitors Pennintons, the youth section has several hundred members and several high calibre coaches. A close link between the profesional and amateur sections of the club is a proud tradition at Monks Lane and the youth section is no exception to this, the first team squad often help out with training as do the profesional coaches at Monks Lane. Newbury teams often win at a high level and no section displays this clearer than the youth section, often winning at county level and who have represented Newbury at Twickenham stadium, .
