Shelford Rugby Club
UnionEastern Counties RFU
Nickname(s)Peacocks
Founded1933 (1933)
LocationGreat Shelford, Cambridgeshire, England
Ground(s)The Davey Field (Capacity: 2,000 (150 seated))
ChairmanAnthony Roberts
PresidentRory Finlayson
Coach(es)Will Cotterill
Captain(s)Charlie Baker
League(s)Regional 1 South East
2022−232nd
Team kit
Official website
www.pitchero.com/clubs/shelfordrugbyclub/

Shelford Rugby Club is an English rugby union football club based in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire. The club currently play in Regional 1 South East – at the fifth tier of the English rugby union league system – following their promotion from London 1 North at the end of the 2021–22 season.[1] Shelford run five men's sides, two women's sides and fifteen junior teams for boys and girls. They are members of the Eastern Counties Rugby Football Union.[2]

History

Shelford Rugby Club was formed in 1933 following the formation of a rugby section of Shelford Amateur Sports Association.[3] The announcement was first published in the Cambridge Independent Press which also decreed that the club's colours would be claret shirts with white collars.[3] They first played on land loaned to them by a Mrs Goldsmith near Shelford railway station and changed in the nearby pub. The land was given to them by P. J. Davey who donated the land to them, which was named Davey Field in his honour. It was officially opened in 1966 with a match against Northampton Saints.[3] The club moved to its present ground in 1965. Since the leagues began in 1987, Shelford have reached as high a level as the fourth tier (National League 2 South). In 2009, they were promoted to National League 2 South.[4] They played in this division between 2009 and 2015 when they were eventually relegated back to National League 3 London & South East., having finished in 15th place.[5]

In 2016, Davey Field was renovated and transformed from a grass pitch to a 3G pitch with floodlights and perimeter barriers installed. This £1 million project was funded by the Rugby Football Union as a part of an initiative to increase the number of community 3G pitches following the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[6] Shelford also agreed a new ten year lease allowing them twelve guaranteed hours a week on the pitch.[6] They avoided relegation during the 2017-18 London & South East Premier season with a win against Tunbridge Wells.[7] However, the following season they were relegated to London 1 North.[1]

Honours

References

  1. 1 2 "New coach impressed with Shelford RFC's ambitions". Cambridge News. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "Plenty more to come from Newmarket". Newmarket Journal. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club". Ealing Trailfinders. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Cambridge target promotion charge". BBC Sport. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "National Two South: The complete seasons review". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Shelford Rugby Club pitch in for a new era". Cambridge Independent. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Shelford out to finish the season on a high against Tunbridge Wells". Cambridge Independent. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "2001-2002 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "2003-2004 London South-East Division". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "London 1 08/09". Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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