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Chinnor R.F.C.

Chinnor
Full nameChinnor Rugby Football Club
UnionRFU
Nickname(s)The Villagers
Founded1962; 62 years ago (1962)
RegionOxfordshire Rugby Football Union
Ground(s)Kingsey Road, Thame (Capacity: 2,500)
ChairmanNick Stainton
PresidentSimon Vickers
Director of RugbyNick Easter
Coach(es)Craig Hampson, Tom Cruse
Captain(s)Willie Ryan
League(s)RFU Championship
2023–24Promoted from National League 1
Team kit
Official website
www.chinnor-rfc.com

Chinnor Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club based in Thame, Oxfordshire. They currently play in the second tier of the English league system, RFU Championship following their promotion from National League 1 having won promotion in the 2023-24 season.The club regularly runs five senior teams as well as a full youth setup from age 5 upwards. Chinnor's youth setup is widely thought of as one of the best in the country having produced top Premiership players such as Tom Varndell (Leicester Tigers), Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs), Dave Seymour (Saracens), Paul Volley (Wasps), and Sam Jones (Wasps). Chinnor became the first club in Oxfordshire or Buckinghamshire to establish an under-19 academy.

History

Chinnor RFC was formed in 1962, by Frank Angel, Cyril Perry and Marcus Cann at the Bird in Hand pub in Chinnor, playing its first game the following year.[1] Norman Baldwin (the sponge) was one of the first to play for Chinnor and wrote the clubs first “song book”. The 1970s saw the club expand to include junior and youth teams and in 1976 the club won the Oxfordshire Cup. When the English league system started the club was placed in Bucks and Oxon Division 1 and progressed through the Southern Counties section to gain promotion to the National Leagues in 2006; the youngest club to do so.[2] The club gained a further promotion from National League 3 South West in 2012.

During the 2016–17 National League 2 South season, the club achieved a (then) record attendance at Kingsey Road of 1,580 during a top of the table clash against Bishop's Stortford, a game Chinnor won 27–25.[3]

On April 13th 2024 Chinnor beat Birmingham Moseley to take the National League 1 title with a game to go.[4] During this season, he club also smashed the previous Kingsey Road attendance with 2,270 spectators attending the top of the league clash with rivals Rams on 15 December 2023, which would also be the best attended game in National League 1 that season.[5]

Honours

1st team:

2nd team:

3rd team:

Current standings

2024–25 RFU Championship table
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Ealing Trailfinders 9 8 0 1 465 179 +286 8 1 41 Promotion place
2 Coventry 9 7 0 2 251 189 +62 5 0 33
3 Bedford Blues 9 6 0 3 210 211 −1 4 0 28
4 Hartpury University 8 5 0 3 238 197 +41 5 2 27
5 Nottingham 9 5 0 4 234 164 +70 4 2 26
6 Cornish Pirates 8 4 0 4 192 160 +32 3 3 22
7 Chinnor 9 4 0 5 213 186 +27 3 3 22
8 Doncaster Knights 8 4 0 4 200 177 +23 3 1 20
9 Ampthill 8 3 0 5 152 277 −125 3 2 17
10 Cambridge 9 3 0 6 155 376 −221 2 0 14
11 London Scottish 9 2 0 7 176 262 −86 3 3 14
12 Caldy 9 1 0 8 138 246 −108 1 2 7 Relegation place
Updated to match(es) played on 21 December 2024. Source: Source: RFU Championship [9]
Rules for classification: 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

References

  1. ^ "Welcome To The Bird In Hand". chinnor-rfc.com. 30 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Club History" by former player John Gardner, at official website
  3. ^ "Bittersweet victory for Chinnor in pulsating match". Chinnor RFC (Pitchero). 1 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Champions! Chinnor celebrate in fine style". The RugbyPaper. No. 813. 14 April 2024. p. 28-29.
  5. ^ "Results". The RugbyPaper. No. 796. 17 December 2023. p. 30-31, 41.
  6. ^ "South West 1". Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Trelawny's Army Final League Tables 2007-2008".
  8. ^ "Champions! Chinnor celebrate in fine style". The RugbyPaper. No. 813. 14 April 2024. p. 28-29.
  9. ^ "RFU Championship". England Rugby.