 | |
| Full name | Cranbrook Rugby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | Kent RFU |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Location | Cranbrook, Kent, England |
| Ground(s) | Tomlin Ground |
| League(s) | Kent 1 |
| 2019–20 | Runners up (promoted to London 3 South East) |
Cranbrook Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club in Cranbrook, Kent, England. They were founded in 1958 and play in London 3 South East having recently been promoted as runners up from Kent 1. [1]
Though rugby had been recorded as being played in Cranbrook in the 1930s, [2] Cranbrook RFC in their current form were founded in 1958. They were founded by Mike McMinnies after taking part in a rugby match between students of Cranbrook School and some former Cranbrook School pupils in 1957. [3] The club play at the Tomlin Ground which was planned to undergo a £1.69 million redevelopment in 2019. [4]
Cranbrook won the Kent Vase in 2014 [5] and retained it the next year. [6] In 2019, Cranbrook hosted a training camp run by Premiership Rugby team Harlequins. This was subject to a mistaken report issued by the Midweek Herald newspaper which mistakenly claimed it was being run in Cranbrook, Devon, some 200 miles (320 km) away, rather than at Cranbrook RFC. [7] During the 2019–20 season, the club reached the regional final of the RFU Junior Vase but lost to Hendon at the home of Premiership Saracens, Allianz Park. [8] In the league, they won promotion from Shepherd Neame Kent 1 to London 3 South East after the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom cancelled the season but Cranbrook earned promotion under the Rugby Football Union's best playing record formula. [1]
Ruaridh McConnochie started his career with Cranbrook before representing the England and Great Britain national rugby sevens teams and later the England national rugby union team. [9] Nathan Earle also played for Cranbrook before joining Saracens and playing for England. [10]
The Women's Premiership, also called the RFUW Premiership was the top level of women's rugby union in England until 2017. It was formed in 1990 and was run by the Rugby Football Union for Women. It was superseded in the 2017/18 season by Premier 15s.
Kent 2 is an English level 10 Rugby Union League and is made up of teams predominantly from south-east London and Kent. The teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Currently promoted teams move up to Kent 1 and there is no relegation although until the 2007–08 season teams could drop down to Kent 3. Now a single division, in the past Kent 2 was divided into regional divisions - Kent 2 East and Kent 2 West.
Kent 1 is an English level 9 Rugby Union League and is made up of teams predominantly from south-east London and Kent. The teams play home and away matches from September through to April. The league champions move up to London 3 South East while the runners up play against the runners up of Sussex 1 for the remaining place. Relegated teams drop down to Kent 2.
Veor Rugby Football Club is a Cornish and English rugby union football club based in Camborne, Cornwall. The club, founded in 1966, play in amber and black at the Holmans Sports Centre. They are one of two teams in the town, along with illustrious neighbours, Camborne RFC. They currently play in Cornwall/Devon - a league at level 8 of the English rugby union system - following their promotion as champions of Cornwall 1 at the end of the 2018–19 season.
Herts/Middlesex 2 is a tier 10 English Rugby Union league. It is organised by the London and South East Division Rugby Football Union and is the second division competition for clubs in Hertfordshire and parts of north-west London that traditionally was encompassed by the historic county of Middlesex. Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
Counties 1 Herts/Middlesex is a tier 7 English Rugby Union league. It is organised by the London and South East Division Rugby Football Union and is the top-tier competition for clubs in Hertfordshire and parts of north-west London that traditionally was encompassed by the historic county of Middlesex. It was previously known as London 2 North West. After the restructuring of the English rugby union system ahead of the 2022–23 season, the league was renamed to Counties 1 Herts/Middlesex.
Gloucester Premier is an English rugby union league which sits at the eighth level of league rugby union in England with teams largely being based in the county of Gloucestershire and Bristol. Originally a single division called Gloucestershire/Somerset, in 2000 the division split into two county leagues called Gloucester Premier and Somerset Premier.
Devon League 1 is an English level eight rugby union league for clubs based in Devon. The champions are promoted to Cornwall/Devon and the runner-up plays the second team from Cornwall League 1, with the winning team gaining promotion. Up until the end of the 2017–18 season, teams were relegated to Devon League 2 but since that league has been abolished there is currently no relegation.
Devon League 2 was an English level ten rugby union league for clubs based in Devon; with one exception. The champions and runners-up are promoted to Devon League 1, and since the cancellation of Devon League 3 in 2003 there was no relegation as this is the lowest division in club rugby union within Devon.
Ruaridh McConnochie is an English rugby union player. He was a member of the silver medal winning team in Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a full England International, making his debut against Italy at St James's Park in September 2019. He wasn't selected to play again for England since, and as a result has become eligible to play for Scotland through his Scottish parents. His great grandfather James Macdonald represented Scotland in football and his grandfather Hamish Macdonald was a scratch golfer and a member of the R&A in St Andrews.
The Devon Junior Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Devon Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced in the 1888–89 season when it was won by Paignton. During the pre-war years the Devon Junior Cup was open to lower ranked teams in the county, along with the reserve sides of the larger clubs such as Exeter and Devonport Albion. Like the senior cup competition, the junior cup has periods of inactivity over its history due to World Wars, and was cancelled towards the end of the 1950s only to return in the 1986–87 season when it was won by Exeter Saracens. The Havill Plate was introduced in the 1970s for teams knocked out of the first round of the Devon Senior Cup but later included clubs knocked out of the early stages of the Junior Cup – it was discontinued after the 1998–99 season.
Penyrn RFC is a Cornish rugby union club based in the town of Penryn, and is the oldest club side in the county having been formed in 1872. The club currently has 2 senior men's teams as well as a ladies team, colts, and multiple mini/youth sides. Nicknamed "The Borough" the club's colours are black and red. The men's first team play in Counties 1 Western West - a league at level 7 of the English rugby union system - having been promoted from Cornwall/Devon as champions at the end of the 2018–19 season. They enjoy a rivalry with neighbours, Falmouth RFC.
The Middlesex RFU Vase is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Middlesex Rugby Football Union and donated by Russell Grant Founder of the Federation of Middlesex Sports. It was first introduced during the 2002–03 season, with the inaugural winners being London French. It is the third most important cup competition organised by the Middlesex RFU, behind the Senior Cup and Senior Bowl.
The Kent Rugby Football Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the county of Kent in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Kent, and administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the county. It also administers the Kent county rugby representative teams.
The Kent Vase is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Kent Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 2001-02 season, with the inaugural winners being Bromley. It is the third most important rugby union cup competition in Kent, behind the Kent Cup and Kent Shield but ahead of the Kent Plate and Kent Salver.
The Kent Plate is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organised by the Kent Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 2001–02 season, with the inaugural winners being Bromley. It is the fourth most important rugby union cup competition in Kent, behind the Kent Cup, Kent Shield and Kent Vase, but ahead of the Kent Salver.
The Kent Salver is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Kent Rugby Football Union. It was first introduced during the 2005-06 season, with the inaugural winners being Guy's Hospital. It is the fifth most important rugby union cup competition in Kent, behind the Kent Cup, Kent Shield, Kent Vase and Kent Plate.
William George Edwards is an English rugby union and rugby sevens player who has represented Loughborough Students, Saracens, Northampton Saints, Harlequins Rugby Club and England. He made his breakthrough in 2017, when he was called up to the World Series squad for the Vancouver tournament, which England went on to win.
The RFU Intermediate Cup is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union. It is contested by teams at level 7 of the English rugby union system. While the competition is a national one, it is however split into regions until the semi-finals with the final being held at Twickenham Stadium in London. It was first contested in 1997. Presently, the RFU Intermediate Cup is the third most important club cup competition in England, behind the Premiership Rugby Cup and RFU Championship Cup.
The RFU Junior Vase is a rugby union national knockout cup competition in England run by the Rugby Football Union, which has been competed for since 1990. It is mostly contested by 1st XV teams at level 9 of the English rugby union system, although sides as low as level 12 or even outside the league system can sometimes enter. The competition is a national one, but split into regions until the national semi-finals with the final being held at Twickenham Stadium in London. Presently, the RFU Junior Vase is the fifth most important club cup competition in England, behind the Premiership Rugby Cup, RFU Championship Cup, RFU Intermediate Cup and RFU Senior Vase.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)