King's College School Old Boys RFC is a rugby union club founded in 1907 for the alumni of King's College School, Wimbledon.[1] In recent years the club has used the name King's Rugby which reflects the open nature of the club. The 1XV currently compete in Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex at level 7 of the RFU pyramid whilst the 2XV, U22s and veterans play in the Surrey Rugby reserve leagues.
Full name | King's College School Old Boys Rugby Football Club |
---|---|
Union | Surrey RFU |
Founded | 1907 |
Location | Motspur Park, Kingston, London, England |
Ground(s) | Dornan Fields, Motspur Park |
League(s) | Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex |
Official website | |
www |
The club's constituent bodies are L&SE RFU and Surrey RFU[2] to which the club has provided numerous administrators including two Presidents - John Hamilton (1999–2001) and Darryl Druckman (2018-19).
Club location
editFor a long time the club operated out of a modest wooden clubhouse situated close to Robin Hood Way on the A3, but that burnt down in the late 1980s and after a brief homeless period King's arrived at their current location in Motspur Park, the new clubhouse opening on 11th September 1993.[3] The building was unusual in that it was constructed in such a way that two identical halves were built - King's occupying one and Old Blues RFC (Christ's Hospital old boys) the other.[4] That arrangement remains to this day.
In 2020 efforts began to raise the means to add a balcony to the clubhouse[5] the fundraising for which was a great success with the club going on to win the Canterbury Club of the Month for June 2021[6] in recognition of the achievement and profiling the club more generally and the role it plays in the local community. The building work was substantially completed in 2021 and the balcony officially opened by club president Tony Allen on 16th February 2022.
Senior section
editUntil the advent of the RFU league system the club's fixture calendar was made up of a series of friendly games against other local old boys' sides including Old Paulines, Old Cranleighan, Old Whitgiftian and many others. When the leagues started in the 1990s King's were placed in Surrey 1 where they remained until 2003 when the 1XV were promoted to London 4 South West and three seasons later promoted again to London 3 South West. In the years that followed he club remained predominantly in that league (which from 2009-2022 was known as London 2 South West).
Finally, in 2018-19 King's won London 2SW in a record breaking season which saw the 1XV record an unprecedented 22 wins from 22 games with 22 try bonus points and achieve a maximum tally of 110 points - a first for London 2SW (previously London Cornish had gone undefeated in 2016-17 but drew two games including one versus King's).[7] The achievement earned the club recognition in the national rugby press with two features in Rugby World Magazine, Rugby Club Magazine,[8] The Rugby Paper and on the 5 live Sport Rugby Union Weekly podcast. King's 1XV were the first team in the country to be promoted in 2018-19 as confirmed as league winners, doing so in mid-February.[9]
The club's player base was originally drawn predominantly from alumni of KCS but with the passing of the years has become increasingly diverse with a notable representation from South Africa and Zimbabwe in the 1990s and 2000s. The club has seen a number of players achieve international honours for minor rugby nations including Zimbabwe, Hungary, Slovenia, Gibraltar and Jamaica 7s.
Cup Rugby & 7s
editThe club regularly competes in the Surrey Cup - and were winners in 1983 beating Guildford & Godalming then runners-up in 1984 to Sutton & Epsom RFC. The late 1970s and early 1980s was a stellar period for the club and saw them compete in the national RFU Knockout Cup.
More recently, in 2015, the 1XV finished finished runner-up in the Surrey Cup narrowly defeated by Guildford (the successor club to Guildford & Godalming) in the first Surrey Cup final to be settled by a 'golden score' in extra-time.[10]
In 2023-24 King's won the L&SE RFU section of the RFU Papa John's Community Counties 1 Championship Cup defeating Dartfordians, Old Tiffinians and Teddington to progress to a national semi-final away against Longlevens, winners of the RFU SW Division section. In a high-scoring match the home side won 56-40[11] to progress to a final at Twickenham stadium against Widnes who were also defeated as the Gloucestershire club were crowned champions.[12]
The club has had periodic success in 7s competitions over the years including a 1963 appearance at Twickenham when the club reached the finals of the Middlesex Sevens. More recently in 2017 the a club side, the 'King Prawns', won the 2017 Surrey Sevens.
Mini & Junior section
editSince 1993 King's has also been home to thriving Mini and Junior sections comprising children of all ages who train each Sunday and play in festivals all over SE England and beyond.[13] Amongst the thousands of boys and girls to have passed through the section many have gone on to gain higher honours including several professionals including from the Juniors Mark Tampin and Hayden Hyde and, most famously, from the Minis Alex Corbisiero[14] the prop forward who won 31 caps for England and 2 for the British & Irish Lions[15] on the victorious 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia which the Lions won 2-1 with Corbisiero scoring a try in the third Test.[16]
Club honours
edit- London 2 South West - champions 2018-19
- Surrey 1 - champions 2002-2003; runners-up 1999-2000, 2001-02 (lost promotion play-off final)
- Surrey Cup - winners 1983; runners-up 2015
- Surrey Trophy - winners 2023-24
- Surrey Shield - winners 2000-01; 2001-02; runners-up 2002-03
- Surrey 7s - winners 2017
- Middlesex Sevens - finalists 1963
Notable players
editReferences
edit- ^ "Rugby". Old King's Club. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Find A Club". Surrey Rugby. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "OLD KING'S CLUB/KCS OLD BOYS' R.F.C. PAVILION APPEAL" (PDF). Old King's Club. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "HISTORY OF OLD BLUES RFC". Old Blues RFC. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Raise money for the KCS Old Boys new balcony fund and the NHS". Justgiving. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "King's Rugby crowned Canterbury Club of the Month for June". British and Irish Lions. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Cornish Comeback to Seal Unbeaten Season!". Justgiving. 8 April 2017.
- ^ "Rugby Club Magazine Issue 84". Rugby Club Magazine. 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Dominant KCS Old Boys out to become the new unbeatables after sealing early promotion". SW Londoner. 7 March 2019.
- ^ "Guildford Trump King's With Their Ace In The Pack". King's Rugby (Pitchero). 4 May 2015.
- ^ "Longlevens v KCS Old Boys (Papa John's Counties 1 Championship SF, 2023/24)". Youtube. 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Longlevens relishing Twickenham return for Papa John's Community Cup final against Widnes". The Local Answer. 4 May 2024.
- ^ "Junior and Mini Rugby (King's Rugby - KCS Old Boys RFC)". LB of Merton. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Journey through Rugby – Alex Corbisiero". 17 April 2011.
- ^ "Life of a Lion: Alex Corbisiero". 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Alex Corbisiero's incredible Lions Tour". 18 April 2023.