Barnes RFC

Barnes Rugby Football Club (formerly Harrodians Rugby Football Club) is a rugby union club based in Barnes, London. The club currently play in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 East, following an increase of fourth tier leagues from two to three.

For the association football club founded in 1862, see Barnes Football Club.

Barnes
Full nameBarnes Rugby Football Club
UnionMiddlesex RFU, Surrey RFU
Foundedc. 1920 (as Harrodians RFC)[1]
LocationBarnes, Richmond upon Thames, London, England
Ground(s)Barn Elms (Capacity: 1,000)
ChairmanMichael Whitfield
League(s)National League 2 East
2023–24Runners up
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.barnesrfc.org

History

The club's website states that it was established in Barnes in the 1920s.[1] For many years the club played at the Harrodian Club before moving to its Barn Elms location in 1987 when the grounds were sold to form a school.[1] Barnes RFC first XV has been promoted eight times since being positioned in Surrey Division Three in 1987. The club changed its name from Harrodians to Barnes at the beginning of the 1992–93 season.

Claim of continuity with Barnes Football Club

In 2002, the club's website claimed continuity with Barnes Football Club, stating that "[o]ur earliest recorded match was November 1862 versus Richmond, played at Barn Elms. We won that match and the replay that followed. For many years we played as Harrodians RFC before moving to our Barn Elms location in 1987."[2] In 2005, this claim was amplified in The Daily Telegraph by BBC sports presenter John Inverdale. Inverdale, who stated that he was "[f]or reasons that I'm not altogether clear about, ... one of a number of vice-presidents" of Barnes RFC, wrote that "in 1839, according to the club records, Barnes RFC were born, playing fixtures against a whole mish-mash of teams of which no match results have been kept."[3]

In 2008, the rugby club's website weakened this claim, stating only that "Barnes Rugby Club is a club with a rich history and was established in Barnes in the 1920s. Although there are indeed possibilities that our earliest recorded match was in November 1862 versus Richmond and played at Barn Elms, it is from the 1920s that our true history is clear."[4] As of 2018, similar wording remains on the current version of the rugby club's website.[1]

Honours

Current standings
2023–24 National League 2 East Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Esher (C)2622041108598510214113
2Barnes262105883631252184106
3Dorking261916971676295233104
4Henley Hawks26162878468010419289
5Tonbridge Juddians261411184471413020785
6Bury St Edmunds261411181365316017681
7Canterbury26130138087367216573
8Old Albanian2612014802828-2617469
9Westcombe Park2610214735741-616969
10Guernsey Raiders2611015685856-17116262
11Sevenoaks2611114605724-11910460
12Worthing Raiders267019761963-20218551
13Wimbledon (R)266119686899-21313544
14North Walsham (R)2611244321218-7866012
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 27 April 2024
Source: National League 2 East RFU [5]

Notes
  1. Won when club was known as Harrodians RFC.
  2. Both titles won when club was known as Harrodians RFC – 1988–89 title was for Surrey 2A.

References
  1. "Barnes RFC History".
  2. "About BRFC". Archived from the original on 10 August 2002. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. Inverdale, John (2 November 2005). "My assumptions about 'oldest' were confounded by Barnes". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. "Barnes RFC - a club going places!". Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  5. "National League 2 East". England Rugby.

51°28′30″N 0°14′13″W

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