- Wimbledon RFC
Rugby team
teamname = Wimbledon / The Dons
fullname = Wimbledon Rugby Football Club
location = Wimbledon,London ,England
country
founded = 1865
ground = Beverley Meads
capacity = n/a
chairman = James Boatman
president = Mike Keane
coach = Christian Yates and Duncan Cormack
league =London South West 3
url = www.wimbledonrfc.co.ukWimbledon Rugby Football Club is a
rugby union team from Wimbledon,London . The club was a founding member of theRugby Football Union .History
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 theRugby 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 forEngland .The club played on
Wimbledon Common untilWorld War 1 , using the Rose & Crown inWimbledon Village as changing rooms and clubhouse.The club moved to its current clubhouse on Barham Road, Wimbledon in the 1987/88 season, coinciding with the setting up of
amateur league rugby in Britain.Club colours
Wimbledon 1st team play in maroon shirts with blue sleeves and a blue stripe on the side. They wear white shorts and blue and maroon hooped socks.
All other teams play in maroon and blue hooped shirts with white shorts and maroon and blue hooped socks.
Teams
Wimbledon has three men's teams, a ladies team and thriving youth team.
The men's teams
Wimbledon currently has three men's teams. After being placed, somewhat arbitrarily, in Surrey 2 in the first year of the leagues, Wimbledon began its rise through them:
The ladies team
The ladies team was founded in the 1990/91 season by Tina and John Ambler, Club Stewards from 1989 - 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 National Challenge 1 South East league and has a regular squad of over 30 ladies as well as an emerging under-16s side.
External links
* [http://www.wimbledonrfc.co.uk Official site]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
