History 1 of 3

1. 1871 - 2009


WORCESTER Rugby Football Club 1871-2009
By R. J. Lumby

Worcester Rugby Football Club was founded by the Rev. Francis John Eld with the first game being played against Artillery on November 8th 1871. Since then the club has had many good times and the occasional bad one. We now find ourselves at an historic pinnacle with a place in the Premiership and club and ground facilities we could once only have dreamed of. This is due to the generosity of Cecil Duckworth and the development of Worcester Trading, which supports both the professional side of the club, and the ever growing amateur activities of the Wanderers, Worcester Ladies, and the Mini-Juniors.
This chronicles our route to modernity whilst taking a number of bye ways to look in more detail at some of the highs and lows.

Chronology

1871 First game played at Somerset Place (the site of Flagmeadow Walk)
1892 -3 Moved to New Road
1893-4 Moved to Pitchcroft
1896 Club disbanded
1908 Club revived with AGM at the Star
1910 Games played at Northwick
1914 -18 World War I
1920 Post war revival

Meetings at the Crown Hotel, Bulls Head and the Hop Market Hotel

1921 Games played at Perdiswell
1930 Games played at Northwick
1932 Saracen's Head used for meetings and changing (Club Room and Bath)
1934 Games played at Perdiswell Park - corner of Bilford Road
1936 Games played at Pitchcroft
1939-45 World War II
1945-6 Games played at Northwick
1946-7 returned to Bilford Road.
1955 moved to Bevere
1975 moved to Six Ways
1977 North Midlands Cup and North Midlands 'Sevens' Winners
1989-90 North Midlands Division I Champions
1990-1 North Midlands Cup Finalists
1992-3 Midlands Division 2 Champions
1993-94 North Midlands Cup Finalists
1994-95 Midlands Division I Champions
1994-95 Whitbread Flowers & Rugby World Junior Club of the Year
1995-96 North Midlands Cup Winners
1995-96 National Division 5 North Champions
1996-97 National Division 4 North Champions, North Midlands Cup Finalists
1997-98 Jewsons National League One Champions and North Midlands Cup Winners and Powerline Floodlit Cup Winners
1999-00 Allied Dunbar Premiership Division Two
2003-04 National Division 1 Champions
2004-05 Zurich Premiership
2005-06 Guiness Premiership