Old Wimbledonians traces its origins to 1905 when, with the Presidency held by successive Rectors of the College, the pursuits of the Association (our parent body) appear to have been more academic than sporting.
To the rugby club the season 1922 is of particular importance since it was in the autumn of that year Tommy Neylon announced the formation of a club using, by kind permission of the College, the school field when not used by the boys. Unfortunately no records of those early days now exists but there is recorded in a report from ‘J.G.J.’ in 1924 “That unpunctuality and non arrival for training, or actually a game are not unknown” (sic); somethings don’t change!
A meeting held on 25th January 1927 chaired by Frank Ennis reported that a strong fixture list had been prepared for the first full season and that an annual subscription of 15 shillings would be levied. The club’s election to the Rugby Union, Surrey RFU and the Referee’s Society all took place in 1927.
The club continued to grow and consolidate its position and during the early 1930’s transferred its activities to Home Park. Thereafter and until the outbreak of war pitches were leased at various grounds.
The club, and indeed the Association, owe a great debt of gratitude to many for keeping contacts during the war period keeping a faithful record of moves and new addresses, in particular Terry Weiler, who to this day is a much respected Vice-President of the club, and Brian Fox. When Wilf Friis revived the club after the war with Brendan McCrudden as captain and Terry Weiler as vice-captain the club restarted activities with a game against Harlequins on a pitch rented from Kings College, London where the club’s rugby was played until 1950. The search for a permanent home ended when a ground was purchased at Clayton Road, Hook for the sum of £5,000. The ground was officially opened on the 21st October, 1951 with a game against the College which was watched by a crowd in excess of 500! Clayton Road remained our home until the 1982/83 season.
1n 1984 the club decided to moveto the Atkinson Morley Hospital ground in Raynes Park on a yearly lease basis until something more attractive and affordable became available. In 1997 the Old Wimbledonians Association managed to sell the ground at Clayton Road and, along with Donhead, the preparatory school for the College, purchased from the Civil Service our current ground in Coombe Lane, a few hundred yards from the College Field.
Since the 1950s the club has been ‘open’ and the contribution made by non-old boys has been considerable both on and off the pitch. The club is amateur and indeed the players pay to play their rugby. Whilst rugby at senior level is now a serious business with cup competitions and league games dominating the fixture list we are proud of and jealously guard our reputation for fair play and hospitality.
When league rugby was introduced in 1987 the club was placed in Surrey 1 where they remained until 1991/2. For the season 1992/3 the club was promoted to London 3 South West where they won all 12 league games and was immediately promoted to London 2 South. Following the reorganization of the league structure we were placed back in London 3 South West where, in 2004/5 we very narrowly missed promotion ending second in the league behind Guildford.
We went back down to Surrey 1 in 2011 where we have been extremely competitive narrowly missing promotion on a number of occasions.
The College has regularly produced players who have represented Surrey, London and England Schools at various age groups. We also have a number who have represented Wales Schools and various Irish provinces at age group level.
Old Wimbledonian Warriors (the Warriors) is the junior section of the Old Wimbledonians RFC (OWRFC). OWRFC has a long and very successful playing tradition that dates back to the 1920’s and the excellent facilities at the Coombe Lane ground offer the space and clubhouse for children and parents to really get the most enjoyment from their rugby.
During the early 1990’s the Old Wimbledonians had a purple patch of success both on and off the field of play. Promoted twice in subsequent seasons and unbeaten in league and merit table, this period culminated in OW’s 1st XV becoming the most successful team across all of the Courage leagues for the season 92/93. A number of the coaches were lucky enough to have been a part of that success and who knows perhaps the Warriors of today will produce another all-conquering team in the years to come.
Although we are keen to be competitive and it is great to win, as a club we believe that the most important thing about rugby and sport in general is that it is fun. Our intention is to create a positive and enjoyable, team focused environment within which all players can grow personally and develop the skills to be the best team players they can be. This in turn will enable us to be competitive but with a smile on our face and the ability to lose gracefully when necessary. (Hopefully not too often!!)
The Warriors section is run by volunteers all of who have been DBS checked and approved and most are RFU qualified coaches and referees.
The season runs from September through to the end of April each year with training sessions each Sunday excluding those days that fall over a public holiday.
Training sessions are staggered by age group as follows:
Subscriptions are per player for the season (September to April).
Siblings discounts are available so please ensure you buy/renew all subscriptions together.
If any Warriors, or their families requires help with the subscription payment, a limited number of discreet bursaries are available. If you wish to discuss a bursary please contact the Secretary, the Welfare Officer or the Treasurer.
In order to ensure fairness to all our Warriors we have decided to impose the following condition. Subscriptions outstanding for more than two months will result in the player being asked to step down from training. Once again should any Warrior require assistance they are encouraged to apply for the bursaries outlined above.
Player subscription (End Date: 30th April)
Seasonal membership subscription per player:
Additional players beyond 3 can be added for no cost.
