Surrey Rugby Football Union
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1879 |
| President | Keith Neal |
The Surrey County Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for rugby union in the county of Surrey, England, and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union having been formed in 1879.
History
Early years of County representative team
The earliest recorded game played by a team purporting to represent Surrey under Rugby Union auspices was played before the Surrey County Club has been formed. This was played on 21 February 1878 against Middlesex and won by Surrey with a try scored by AS Trevor.[1]
Formation of the County Club
On 22 December 1879, a meeting was held at the York Hotel, on Waterloo Road, South London (then in Surrey), at which the County Club was formed. Two fixtures were played in that season. The first was against Middlesex which turned out to be an easy win for Surrey. However, their confidence was put into check when they were soundly beaten by Yorkshire.[1]
County side
Honours
County Championship finals (2 times winners);
| Year | Winners | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Yorkshire | Surrey | 4-16 | Yorkshire | Richmond | |
| 1938 | Lancashire | Lancashire | 24-12 | Surrey | Blundellsands | |
| 1960 | Warwickshire | Warwickshire | 9-6 | Surrey | Coundon Road, Coventry | |
| 1967 | Title shared after replay drawn | Surrey | 14-14 | Durham County | Twickenham | |
| Durham County | 0-0 | Surrey | Hartlepool | |||
| 1971 | Surrey | Gloucestershire | 3-14 | Surrey | Kingsholm | |
County Championship Shield finals (3 times winners);
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dorset & Wilts | 43 – 22 | Surrey | [2][3] |
| 2012 | Surrey | 43 - 12 | Leicestershire | [4] |
| 2013 | Surrey | 21 – 16 | Cumbria | [5] |
| 2014 | Surrey | 39 - 12 | Leicestershire | [6] |
County Championship Plate finals (1 time winner);
| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Surrey | 17–3 | Eastern Counties | [7] |
Notable players for the County side
Many notable players have represented Surrey. The most appearances in County Championship games for the Surrey side have been by:[1]
- Bob Hiller (Harlequins) - 68
- Bob Lloyd (Harlequins)- 46
- Stanley Couchman (Old Cranleighans)- 45
- Ted Priest (Old Alleynians)- 39
Other famous players include:
- George Doherty (former captain of Ireland)
- Jonny Wilkinson
Club sides
In 2010 Surrey had 71 full member adult clubs. In addition, many Schools and small rugby clubs are also members. There are four Surrey County leagues for the 1st XVs of member clubs. These leagues feed into the London regional leagues and form there into the National league system. There are also 'reserve leagues' and two veterans' leagues.[1]
In 2007/08 Old Cranleighan RFC, were undefeated in league matches and the highest placed Surrey rugby club in the national league system was Esher RFC (in National League 1).[1]
Presidents
The 2008/09 president of Surrey RFU is John Vale.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rugby in Surrey at Old Cranleighan Rugby Club Official site
- ↑ http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/9055062.Rugby__Dorset___Wilts_enjoy_Twickenham_triumph/
- ↑ "Dorset & Wilts claim Shield win". BBC News. 29 May 2011.
- ↑ "Leicester Aim for Shield Success". RFU. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ↑ "Surrey retain County Championship Shield". RFU. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ↑ "Surrey finish strongly to seal hat-trick". rfu.com. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
- ↑ "Super Surrey call Twickenham their home once again". Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser. 31 May 2015.