Harrogate RUFC

Harrogate Rugby Union Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.[1] The club runs three senior sides. The first team plays in North Premier, having been relegated from National League 2 North in 2016–17. The club's second team, Harrogate Georgians,[2] plays in the Yorkshire RFU Merit Premiership and the third team play in the Yorkshire RFU 2 Central/North Merit League.[3] The club also fields a ladies' team (Harrogate Ladies)[4] in the Women's Championship North 2 league,[5] and eight junior teams (from ages 6 to 16).[6]

Harrogate
Full nameHarrogate Rugby Union Football Club
UnionYorkshire RFU
Founded1871 (1871)
LocationHarrogate, North Yorkshire
Ground(s)Rudding Lane
ChairmanIain Salkfeld
PresidentBill Barrack
Coach(es)Dave Doherty (Director),
Andy Boyde, Rob Rawlinson
Captain(s)Danny Matthews
League(s)North Premier
2019–20Runners up (promoted to 2020−21 National League 2 North)
Team kit
Official website
www.pitchero.com/clubs/harrogaterugby/

History
Harrogate RUFC's former Claro Road ground which they left in 2014.

The team was founded in 1871 as Harrogate Football Club, the same year as the Rugby Football Union, and played its first match on 16 December that year. It moved to Dragon Fields in 1875 and then moved to its present location at Claro Road in 1896. In 1903, the club played Canada and two years later it won the Yorkshire Cup for the first time. In 1914, the club decided to concentrate on football and rugby union activities were split off into a new club called Harrogate Old Boys. In 1923, a club called Harrogate RUFC was formed and RUFC and Old Boys amalgamated in 1936, although it was only in 1945 that the merged club officially became known as Harrogate RUFC. In 1957, the club merged with Harrogate Georgians and the decision was taken to retain the Georgians' name by naming the second XV Harrogate Georgians. When the leagues were formed in 1987, the club was placed in North 1. Subsequent promotions resulted in Harrogate joining the third tier for the 1994–95 season and it remained at that level for thirteen seasons. However, the club has been relegated twice and is playing in regional rugby for the first time in more than twenty years.

Harrogate's most successful season was 2001–02 when it finished fourth in the league, won the Yorkshire Cup and won the National 7s competition.[7] In 2015, the club won the Yorkshire Cup for the tenth time. At the start of the 2015–16 season, after a wait of 15 years, Harrogate moved from its old ground of Claro Road (where it had been for 119 years) to a new location at Rudding Lane.[8] On 15 September 2015 Harrogate played the first ever game at Rudding Lane – beating local rivals Otley 15 – 10 in front of a club record crowd of 1050 in the 2015–16 National League 2 North.[9]

Current standings
2016–17 National League 2 North Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Caldy (C)3027121060454606212133
2Sale302604997487510182124
3Leicester Lions302109778576202164104
4Sedgley Park301938884635249154101
5Chester301711266255011216793
6Tynedale3017112741750−915489
7South Leicester30152137627035912884
8Stourbridge3016014679685−612783
9Hinckley3014016630712−8212573
10Wharfedale3011019640757−1178961
11Otley3011019642837−1959356
12Luctonians309021640812−17212856
13Sheffield Tigers3010020670856−1868351
14Harrogate (R)309021477730−2533847
15Scunthorpe (R)309021472934−4622543
16Preston Grasshoppers (R)305025590846−2563932
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 29 April 2017
Source: "National League 2 North". NCA Rugby.

Honours
  • Division 4 North:
  • National 7s:
    • Winners (1): 2001–02
    • Runner-up (1): 2002–03
  • Yorkshire Cup:
    • Winners (12): 1905, 1907, 1949, 1965, 1981, 1991, 1992, 2002, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017
  • National League 3 (north v midlands) promotion play-off:
    • Winners (1): 2012–13

[10]

Women's team honours

League record

[14]

  • 1993–94 Division 4: 2nd — promoted
  • 1994–95 Division 3: 7th
  • 1995–96 Division 3: 6th
  • 1996–97 Division 3: 5th
  • 1997–98 National Division 1: 14th
  • 1998–99 National Division 1: 12th
  • 1999–00 National Division 1: 6th
  • 2000–01 National Division 1: 5th
  • 2001–02 National Division 2: 4th
  • 2002–03 National Division 2: 4th
  • 2003–04 National Division 2: 8th
  • 2004–05 National Division 2: 10th
  • 2005–06 National Division 2: 13th — avoided relegation due to league reshuffle.
  • 2006–07 National Division 2: 14th — relegated
  • 2007–08 National Division 3 North: 6th
  • 2008–09 National Division 3 North: 5th
  • 2009–10 National League 2 North: 4th
  • 2010–11 National League 2 North: 6th
  • 2011–12 National League 2 North: 14th — relegated
  • 2012–13 National League 3 North: 2nd — promoted
  • 2013–14 National League 2 North: 9th
  • 2014–15 National League 2 North: 4th
  • 2015–16 National League 2 North: 7th
  • 2016–17 National League 2 North: 14th — relegated
  • 2017-18 North Premier: 3rd[15]

International players

At least eleven former Harrogate players have gone on to win international caps.[16]

References
  1. Harrogate 1st XV - The team, Harrogate RUFC
  2. Harrogate Georgians, Harrogate RUFC
  3. , Harrogate RUFC Archived 4 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Harrogate Ladies - The team, Harrogate RUFC
  5. Women's Competitions, England Rugby
  6. Junior, Harrogate RUFC
  7. History, Harrogate RUFC
  8. Harrogate Rugby Club launches new ground in style with local derby
  9. Tim Cook (1 September 2015). "Harrogate Rugby Club launches new ground in style with local derby". Harrogate Informer.
    - "Rugby Union: Harrogate edge out Otley in front of record crowd". Yorkshire Evening Post. 7 September 2015.
    - "National League 2 North". The RUGBYPaper (364). Rugby Paper Ltd. 6 September 2015. pp. 34–35 & 41.
  10. Harrogate, The Rugby Archive
  11. "Harrogate Ladies". RFU. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  12. "Harrogate Ladies". RFU. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  13. "Women's Cup Competitions". RFU. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  14. Club website - Timeline of Harrogate Rugby Club
  15. "Northern Division". RFU. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  16. Club history - past international players, Harrogate RUFC
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