Northolt Rugby Football Club

Northolt RFC

Full name	Northolt Rugby Football Club
Founded	1958
Location	Greenford, London
Ground(s)	Cayton Park (Capacity: 650 standing)
Chairman	Geoff Payne
Coach(es)	John Carpenter
Captain(s)	David Grace
League(s)	Herts / Middlesex 4
4th
Official website
www.northoltrfc.co.uk

Northolt Rugby Football Club (or Northolt RFC) are an English rugby union club, based at Cayton Park, Greenford in West London, that compete in Herts / Middlesex RFU Division Four.^[1] The club was founded in the 1950s and originally played at the Polish War Memorial in Ruislip near to RAF Northolt aerodrome. The club currently comprises a 1st XV and 2nd XV senior team, veteran side and a U-16 youth team.

Club history

Northolt Rugby Club formed in 1958 near The Polish War Memorial, where the Acton based engineering company Lucas CAV had some of the best-conditioned sports grounds in West London.^[2] CAV RFC ran for 30 years until Lucas CAV moved to Haddenham, in Buckinghamshire.

As the CAV grounds were technically inside Northolt, the rugby club changed its name to Northolt RFC, and moved temporarily to Lord Halsbury playing fields, just behind Northolt station. Unfortunately the planned stay only lasted one season, as the promised changing rooms and pitches never arrived, but a quick last minute switch to the Kensington & Chelsea Playing Fields, in the heart of Northolt saved the club. Northolt RFC stayed there for 6 years until the grounds were closed down, at which point the club was relocated to its present location in Cayton Green Park, Cayton Road, Greenford.

Northolt RFC hold a 60 year lease on the sports grounds at Cayton Green Park, in Cayton Road, Greenford, which it uses along with various other local sports clubs who are associate members of Northolt RFC.

Early in 2006, and with a great deal of help and encouragement from the RFU, from Middlesex County RFU, from Active Ealing (local authority) and from the local education authorities, NRFC established mini rugby. This has quickly developed into mini and youth rugby, and the club now hosts an annual tag tournament for local schools.

NRFC Forwards

Community rugby

In 2005, NRFC registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)^[3] it is open to various areas of the local community. The club plays host to a variety of other sports as well as local group meetings, such as the Neighbourhood Watch.

As part of a pilot project to develop a coordinated network of partner organisations, the Ealing Community Rugby Action Group (ECRAG) was established in 2003 to develop and promote rugby-based sporting opportunities for school-age young people of all abilities.^[4] The group consists of representatives from Active Ealing, the local rugby union development officer, local clubs, both West London Academy and Featherstone Sports College school sports partnerships and individuals in the community. Subsequently, since 2007, the club has inaugurated two annual rugby tournaments for local schools; one at Primary School level and the other at Secondary School level, and offers its grounds to those local schools that lack their own pitches and facilities.

In the Summer 2009, the RFU contributed £137,000 to a new changing room block for the club. NRFC also received £5600 from LB Ealing’s Community Chest Project, and club funding of £6000 attracted an RFU ‘Groundmatch’ award of £6000. On 5 September, the opening ceremony was conducted by Jason Stacey, Leader of Ealing Council and Ward councillor^[5] Several members of the team have participated in Channel 4's 'The Sex Education Show' in a campaign to sensor pornographic technological downloads and promote safe sex amongst teenagers ^[6]

Northolt participate annually in the EDF Junior Vase competition. This is a cup competition for Rugby Football Union clubs from Level 9 and below. Level 9 teams enter the competition at round 3, while the teams at Level 10 and below battle it out in rounds 1 and 2 to make it into the final 256 teams in round 3.^[7]

Club honours

League Table Place

2006/2007	2007/2008	2008/2009	2009/2010
8th	6th	4th	5th

Players

1st XV Squad Frank Enright, Dan Bridge, Eamonn Dunleavy, Mark Johnson, Tomas O'Mongain, John Carpenter, Bruce Russell, James Flynn, David Clifton, Niall O'Gorman, Paulius Deveikis, David Grace (Captain) Matthew O'Gorman, Sajmir Cecja, Wayne Meek, Luke Driscoll, Geoff Payne, Tanjib Choudhry, Cadillac Mansur, Andis Mema.

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.

Player Position Union Frank Enright Prop Ireland Eamonn Dunleavy Prop Ireland Luke Driscoll Prop England Roger Simpkin Hooker England Dan Bridge Hooker England Tomas O'Mongain Lock Ireland James Flynn Lock England Mark Johnson Lock England Cadillac Mansur Lock England Andis Mema Lock Albania (no union) David Grace Flanker England John Carpenter Flanker England Wayne Meek Flanker England Danny McCarthy Flanker England David Clifton Number 8 England Bruce Russell Number 8 New Zealand

Player Position Union Alistair Slaughter Scrum-half England Martin Cole Scrum-half England Adam Harding Fly-half England Harry Skinner Fly-half Japan Niall O'Gorman Centre Ireland Paulius Deveikis Centre Lithuania Geoff Payne Centre England Englatin Cecja Centre Albania (no union) Tan Chowdhury Wing England Dovydas Kaltanas Wing Lithuania Sajmir Cecja Wing Albania (no union) Matthew O'Gorman Fullback Ireland

References

1. ^ "Herts / Middlesex 4 League table 2009/2010 season". Rugby First. http://www.rfu.com/fixtures/MatchByDivision.aspx?DivID=17112144. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
2. ^ Northolt RFC News. "Club History". http://northoltrfc.blogspot.com/. http://northoltrfc.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2009-07-29. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Community Amateur Sports Club UK. "CASC". http://www.cascinfo.co.uk. 
4. ^ The West London Rugby Journal. - Northolt RFC join ECRAG. London: e-WLRJ, 2003, p58
5. ^ RFU News. "Northolt Open Day For Innovative Changing Rooms". http://RFU.com/. http://www.community-rugby.com/communityrugby/index.cfm?fuseaction=Home.Story&StoryTypeId=108&SectionId=816&StoryId=23321. Retrieved 2009-09-05. 
6. ^ "Let's talk about sex: C4's new sex education show". London: The Independent on Sunday online. 2008-09-23. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/lets-talk-about-sex-c4s-new-sex-education-show-938726.html. Retrieved 2008-09-23. 
7. ^ EDF Energy Competition. "EDF Junior Vase". http://www.edfenergyrugby.com/9136_10605.php. Retrieved 2008-09-24. 

External links

1. Herts / Middlesex 4 League Table Fixtures 2009/2010 season [1]

2. Northolt RFC @ RFU Clubs [2]

• RFU Website Official website
• RFU Clubs Official RFU Clubs Website
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