Dorking R.F.C.

Dorking Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union football club, originally based in Dorking, Surrey and play in the nearby village of Brockham. The club currently play in the fourth tier (National League 2 East) of English club rugby.

Dorking
Full nameDorking Rugby Football Club
UnionSurrey RFU
Founded1921 (1921)
LocationBrockham, Surrey, England
Ground(s)The Big Field (Capacity: (1,500) all standing)
ChairmanShaun Hammond
PresidentJon Watts
League(s)National League 2 East
2022–233rd
Team kit
Official website
www.dorkingrfc.com

About

With over 700 active registered players, the club runs four senior sides and is a home-club to many internationals such as Elliot Daly, George Kruis,[1] and Kay Wilson; a ladies team,[2] and a large youth section aged between 5 and 18.[3]

History

Dorking RFC was founded in 1921 with a single team; a second team followed in 1928. The club ceased to play in 1940 due to the demands of World War II. It was re-established in 1946, initially with a single team, but grew rapidly as 2nd (1947), 3rd (1948) and 4th (1954) teams were formed.[4]

Brockham Big Field (NT), pictured in 2006

The club moved to The Big Field in Brockham in 1972 when it was granted a 50-year lease by the National Trust. This was extended with another 50-year lease in 2011.[4]

The first youth team – Dorking Schoolboys XV – was formed in 1951 with a single team of 13- to 18-year-olds. By 1965 this had grown to the point of splitting into three age banded teams. A mini section (for girls and boys aged 6–12) followed in 1980 and the first ladies team in 1988.[4] Dorking youth teams have twice triumphed in the National under-17 cup, winning the main competition in 2007 and the Shield in 2012.

The 1st XV was promoted to the RFU National Leagues (National League 3 London & SE) in 2009 and at the end of the 2013–14 season won promotion to National League 2 South, finishing fourth in 2014–15, their highest league position to date.[4] However the 2015–16 season saw the club lose many players such as hooker Ross Grimstone to Richmond F.C. & scrum half Will Crow to Rosslyn Park F.C. who represented the England Counties side in a game against Romania in the summer prior to the end of 2014–15.

Current standings
2022–23 National League 2 East Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points Points adj
PBlackheath2623031072391681202114
2Barnes26190786046239819499
3Dorking26171892056135919695
4Worthing Raiders26180889767722018292
5Bury St Edmunds26180879262117116290
6Henley Hawks26170974160213915487
7Old Albanian261511077863214618282
8Tonbridge Juddians26150116815919013275
9Guernsey Raiders269116711741−3013556
10Canterbury269017671798−12713352
11Sevenoaks266218551716−1659744
12North Walsham268018620916−2969243
RRochford Hundred265120512974−46213540
RWestcliff2600263541478−1124421−5
  • 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. Pink background are the relegation places.

Source: "National League 2 East". RugbyEngland.
Updated: 22 April 2023

John Douglas Youth Development Fund

The official launch of the John Douglas Youth Development Fund took place on Wednesday 15 March 2017. Joined by members of John's family and his former colleagues from Surrey RFU, it was a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to DRFC and the wider rugby community over many years and whose enormous passion for the sport has benefited so many of our players. The primary aim of the JDYDF is to "fund or part fund specific projects or initiatives in the support of obtaining the highest possible standard and engagement of rugby through Dorking Rugby Club with particular emphasis on Youth Development".

Honours

References
  1. "Senior Team Home". Dorking RFC. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. "Ladies". Dorking RFC. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  3. "Youth Section (Minis and Juniors)". Dorking RFC. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  4. "History". Dorking RFC. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
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