The Surrey County Rugby Football Union is the union responsible for

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

in the county of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and is one of the constituent bodies of the national

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

having been formed in 1879.

History

Early years of County representative team

The earliest recorded game played by a team purporting to represent Surrey under rugby union auspices was played before the Surrey County Club has been formed. This was played on 21 February 1878 against Middlesex and won by Surrey with a try scored by AS Trevor.Rugby in Surrey at Old Cranleighan Rugby Club Official site
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Formation of the County Club

On 22 December 1879, a meeting was held at the York Hotel, on Waterloo Road,

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

(then in Surrey), at which the County Club was formed. Two fixtures were played that season. The first was against Middlesex which turned out to be an easy win for Surrey. However, their confidence was put into check when they were soundly beaten by Yorkshire. Another match with Middlesex was played at

Old Deer Park Old Deer Park is an area of open space within Richmond, London, Richmond, owned by the Crown Estate, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It covers of which are leased as sports grounds for sports, particularly rugby and ...

on 6 December 1880 with the result of each fifteen scoring one goal, in what was described as a ″splendidly-contested game″.

County side

Honours

County Championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

finals (2 wins);

County Championship Shield The Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 3 (formerly County Championship Shield) is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. It was formed in 2005 when it known as the County Championship Pl ...

finals (4 wins);

County Championship Plate The Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 2 (formerly known as County Championship Plate) is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. It was formed in 2002 as the County Championship Shield ...

finals (1 win);

Notable players for the County side

Many notable players have represented Surrey. The most appearances in County Championship games for the Surrey side have been by: *

Bob Hiller Robert Hiller (born 14 October 1942) is a former England international rugby union player. Hiller was England's first choice fullback between 1968 and 1972. He made his England debut against Wales at Twickenham on 20 January 1968 and won the ...

( Harlequins) – 68 * Bob Lloyd (Harlequins) – 46 * Stanley Couchman ( Old Cranleighans) – 45 * Ted Priest ( Old Alleynians) – 39 Other famous players include: *

George Doherty George Edward Doherty (September 5, 1920 – December 31, 1987) was an American football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Doherty was born in Mississippi in 1920 and attended Canton High School in Canton, Mississippi. He pla ...

(former captain of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

) *

Jonny Wilkinson Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and RC Toulonnais, Toulon and represente ...

Fraser Gore Fraser Gore (10 July 1857 – 23 September 1914) was a Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland international rugby union player. His regular playing position was Forward. Rugby Union career Amateur career Gore played for the Wasps FC, W ...

Presidents

The 2008–09 president of Surrey RFU is John Vale.

Affiliated clubs

There are currently 73 full member adult clubs affiliated with the Surrey RFU, most of which have teams at both senior and junior level and are based in

and parts of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Many of the London-based sides are also members of the Middlesex RFU. * Arioch Crusaders *

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

* Bec Old Boys *

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

* Chipstead *

Chobham Chobham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England. The village has a small high street area, specialising in traditional trades and motor trades. The River Bourne and its northern tributary, the Hale, ...

* Cobham *

Cranleigh RFC Cranleigh is a village and civil parish, about southeast of Guildford in Surrey, England. It lies on a minor road east of the A281, which links Guildford with Horsham. It is in the north-west corner of the Weald, a large remnant forest, the ...

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

Ealing Trailfinders Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club is an English professional rugby union club based in West London. The club's first team are the current champions of the RFU Championship but will remain in that league due to ineligibility for promotion to Premi ...

* Economicals * Egham Hollowegians *

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up Ar ...

* Effingham & Leatherhead *

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

* Guildfordians *

Haslemere The town of Haslemere () and the villages of Shottermill and Grayswood are in south west Surrey, England, around south west of London. Together with the settlements of Hindhead and Beacon Hill, they comprise the civil parish of Haslemere i ...

Horley Horley is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England, south of the towns of Reigate and Redhill. The county border with West Sussex is to the south with Crawley and Gatwick Airport close to the town. It has its own ec ...

* KCS Old Boys * Kew Occasionals * Kingston *

Kingston University , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...

* Ironsides *

Law Society A law society is an association of lawyers with a regulatory role that includes the right to supervise the training, qualifications, and conduct of lawyers. Where there is a distinction between barristers and solicitors, solicitors are regulated ...

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

* London Irish Wild Geese *

Lightwater Lightwater is a village in the Surrey Heath district of Surrey, England, about southwest of central London. Immediately surrounding towns and villages include Bagshot, Deepcut, Windlesham, Camberley, and West End, Woking. It is bounded to ...

* London Exiles * Merton *

Mitcham & Carshalton Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It h ...

* Old Alleynians * Old Blues * Old Caterhamians * Old Cranleighans * Old Emanuel * Old Freemen's * Old Georgians * Old Haileyburians * Old Johnian * Old Oundelians * Old Pauline * Old Reigatian * Old Rutlishians * Old Suttonians * Old Tiffinians *

Old Tonbridgians (God Giveth the Increase) , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding , religion = , president = , head_label ...

* Old Walcountians * Old Wellingtonians * Old Whitgiftian * Old Wimbledonians * OR Serpents * Purley John Fisher *

Racal Decca The Decca Radar company was a British manufacturer of radar systems. There were originally two divisions, Marine and Heavy Radar, with separate product lines. The latter was sold to Plessey in 1965, and the term "Decca Radar" normally refers to ...

Raynes Park Raynes Park is a residential suburb, railway station and local centre near Wimbledon, London, and is within the London Borough of Merton. It is situated southwest of Wimbledon Common, to the northwest of Wimbledon Chase and to the east of Ne ...

* Reeds Weybridge *

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

* Rosslyn Park *

Royal Holloway University Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public university, public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, ...

* South Godstone * Southwark Tigers * Streatham-Croydon * Sutton & Epsom *

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

* Wandsworthians *

Warlingham Warlingham is a village in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, south of the centre of London and east of the county town, Guildford. Warlingham is the centre of a civil parish that includes Hamsey Green, a contiguous, smaller settle ...

* Weybridge Vandals *

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

* Worth Old Boys

County club competitions

The Surrey RFU currently runs the following club competitions for club sides based in

and parts of

Leagues

Surrey 1 Surrey 1 is a level 9 English Rugby Union League. It is made up of teams predominantly from Surrey and south-west London. Teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Promoted teams move up to London 3 South West with the ...

– league ranked at tier 9 of the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...

Surrey 2 Counties 2 Surrey is a level 8 English Rugby Union League. It is made up of teams predominantly from Surrey and south-west London. Teams play home and away matches from September through to April. Promoted teams move up to Counties 1 Surrey/S ...

– tier 10 league *

Surrey 3 Counties 3 Surrey is a rugby union competition covering the English county of Surrey and parts of south-west London. It sits at the ninth tier of the English rugby union system. The teams play home and away matches from September through to A ...

– tier 11 league *

Surrey 4 Counties 4 Surrey is a rugby union competition covering the English county of Surrey and parts of south-west London. It sits at the 10th tier of the English rugby union system. The teams play home and away matches from September through to Apr ...

– tier 12 league

Cups

Surrey Cup The Surrey Cup is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Surrey Rugby Football Union. The original cup competition was first played for back in 1890, the inaugural winners being Lennox, but was discontinued in 1909, ...

– founded in 1890, for local clubs at tier 5 of the

Surrey Trophy The Surrey Trophy is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Surrey Rugby Football Union. It was introduced in 2009 and the inaugural winners were London Irish Wild Geese. It is the second most important rugby union cu ...

– founded in 2009, for clubs at tiers 6–8 * Surrey Shield – founded in 1998, for clubs at tiers 9–10 *

Surrey Bowl The Surrey Bowl is an annual rugby union knock-out club competition organized by the Surrey Rugby Football Union. It was introduced in 2006 and the inaugural winners were Merton. It is the fourth most important rugby union cup competition in ...

– founded in 2006, for clubs at tiers 11–12

Discontinued Competitions

Surrey 5 Counties 5 Surrey is a rugby union competition covering the English county of Surrey and parts of south-west London. It sits at the bottom of English rugby union system, English Rugby union system, at level 11, making it the lowest level competit ...

- tier 12 league that ran between 1989 and 1992

Notes

References

External links

* {{County rugby union in England Rugby union governing bodies in England 1879 establishments in England Sports organizations established in 1879 Rugby union in Surrey