History

North Tawton Rugby Club is this season celebrating its 125th anniversary, having been founded in 1885. In its early years there were 2 teams in action - the Gentry and the Farmers. In more recent years it still relied heavily on those involved in farming and local industry for its players and the start of the season was often difficult as it clashed with the harvest. The modern club is still proud to have these links, but the occupations of members are now very varied. Another change is that members used to be mainly from the town and the surrounding villages, whereas now they come from as far away as Exeter to play.

After the Second World War the club moved to the famous sloping pitch at The Butts. North Tawton were winners of the Devon Junior Cup for three successive seasons between 1947 and 1950. At first changing facilities were courtesy of local pubs and even the slaughter house of Rowland's Butchery. Facilities were improved with the availability of a chalet beside the pitch and then the first clubhouse -a prefab site building, erected by members themselves. In 1980 the second XV was re-established, though in recent years it has been difficult to keep this going.

A new era began in 1997 with the move to the current ground at Taw Meadow, thanks to the vision and hard work of a small group of club members, the generous support of a local businessman and funding from the National Lottery and loans from the Rugby Football Union. The club now has one of the finest rugby facilities of any small club in Devon. There are three key differences to playing at Taw Meadow compared with the Butts: the pitches are flat, the clubhouse is a superb, purpose-built structure and the cattle now watch the match from behind a fence, not from the touchline.

The club benefits from generous local support, including this season Balsdon Vehicle Services of Okehampton, South West Refrigeration of Exeter and Johnsons ApparelMaster of Exeter. Help has also been received from a life member Richard Jackson now in Australia represented under the banner of Swanbourne Software. Locally support has been given from SPAR, Gregory’s Transport, The Cheese Company and North Tawton Pharmacy. About 40 other businesses from North Tawton and the surrounding area sponsor the publication of the club’s fixture booklet, and support the club in other ways.

Following their progress from last season the men’s team has been promoted to Devon One this season, where they will meet teams such as Totnes, Salcombe, Honiton and South Molton. They also won the Devon Junior Plate competition at the end of the season. Specialist coaching for forwards and backs is taking place on Tuesday evenings in preparation for the new season’s challenges.

The ladies team was established about 6 seasons ago, originally in partnership with Tavistock, who later dropped out. They won South West League 2 last season and this year the league has been re-arranged to include teams such as Newton Abbot, St Austell and Bideford. Last season’s Devon Ladies squad was made up substantially of North Tawton players, a credit to their ability and commitment. Full coaching is provided at the club on Tuesdays at 7 pm; matches are played on Sunday afternoons. New players are welcome; the minimum age is 17.

A thriving Junior section has been established for some years, and is now running in partnership with Okehampton Rugby Club, playing as North Okes. The sharing of pitches, facilities and coaching expertise has been very successful, and teams run in all age groups from Under 7 to Under 16. Over the last two seasons North Tawton has hosted the Devon Under-12 and then the U-13 Festivals, which have been great successes. The North Tawton and Okehampton junior sections have been awarded the RFU Seal of Approval in recognition of their competence in terms of child protection and coaching. This reflects the commitment to child welfare and the importance with which the club views the junior part of the game.