User:Physio1234/Northolt Rugby Club

Northolt Rugby Football Club
Northolt Rugby Football Club (NRFC or Northolt RFC) are an English rugby union club, based at Cayton Park, Greenford in West London, that compete in Herts / Middlesex RFU Division Four. The club was founded in the 1950's and originally played at the Polish War Memorial in Ruislip near to RAF Northolt aerodrome. The club currently comprises a 1st XV and 2nd XV senior team, veteran side and a U-16 youth team.

Club History

The rugby club formed in 1958 near The Polish War Memorial, where the Acton based engineering company Lucas CAV had some of the best-conditioned sports grounds in West London. CAV RFC ran for 30 years until Lucas CAV moved to Haddenham, in Buckinghamshire.

As the CAV grounds were technically inside Northolt, the rugby club changed its name to Northolt RFC, and moved temporarily to Lord Halsbury playing fields, just behind Northolt station. Unfortunately the planned stay only lasted one season, as the promised changing rooms and pitches never arrived, but a quick last minute switch to the Kensington & Chelsea Playing Fields, in the heart of Northolt saved the club. Northolt RFC stayed there for 6 years until the grounds were closed down, at which point the club was relocated to its present location in Cayton Green Park, Cayton Road, Greenford.

Northolt RFC hold a 60 year lease on the sports grounds at Cayton Green Park, in Cayton Road, Greenford, which it uses along with various other local sports clubs who are associate members of Northolt RFC.

Early in 2006, and with a great deal of help and encouragement from the RFU, from Middlesex County RFU, from Active Ealing (local authority) and from the local education authorities, NRFC established mini rugby. This has quickly developed into mini and youth rugby, and the club now hosts an annual tag tournament for local schools.



Community Rugby

In 2005, NRFC registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) it is open to various areas of the local community. The club plays host to a variety of other sports as well as local group meetings, such as the Neighbourhood Watch.

As part of a pilot project to develop a coordinated network of partner organisations, the Ealing Community Rugby Action Group (ECRAG) was established in 2003 to develop and promote rugby-based sporting opportunities for school-age young people of all abilities The group consists of representatives from Active Ealing, the local rugby union development officer, local clubs, both West London Academy and Featherstone Sports College school sports partnerships and individuals in the community. Subsequently, since 2007, the club has inaugurated two annual rugby tournaments for local schools; one at Primary School level and the other at Secondary School level, and offers its grounds to those local schools that lack their own pitches and facilities.

In the Summer 2009, the RFU contributed £137,000 to a new changing room block for the club. NRFC also received £5600 from LB Ealing’s Community Chest Project, and club funding of £6000 attracted an RFU ‘Groundmatch’ award of £6000. On 5th September, the opening ceremony was conducted by Jason Stacey, Leader of Ealing Council and Ward councillor Several members of the team have participated in Channel 4's 'The Sex Education Show' in a campaign to sensor pornographic technological downloads and promote safe sex amongst teenagers

Northolt participate annually in the EDF National Trophycompetition. This is a cup competition for the 118 clubs of the Rugby Football Union from National Division One and below. Previously these teams had played in the Powergen Cup, but are now excluded from that cup under a new format adopted for the 2005/06 season and beyond. The EDF National Trophy retains the knock-out structure of the old Powergen Cup. In addition to gate receipts, prize money is also awarded on an elimination basis. Teams who exited the competition in the third round were reported to have earned £5,500, teams eliminated in the fourth round were paid £6,600 for their participation 

Club Honours

1st XV Squad Frank Enright(Captain), Roger Simpkin, Sean Haycock, Eamonn Dunleavy, Mark Johnson, Tomas O'Mongain, Steve Nolan, John Carpenter, Bruce Russell, David Clifton, Sam Smart, Huw Thomas, Niall O'Gorman, Harry Skinner, Kenneth Enongene, Chris Gregory, Matthew O'Gorman, George Williams, Darren Walmsley, Wayne Meek, Martin Cole, Alan Cole, Luke Driscoll, Geoff Payne.