THE HISTORY OF WIMBLEDON RFC.  

The Ladies team

The Ladies team was founded in the Season of 1990-91 by Tina and John Ambler who were Club Stewards from 1989 - 1993. The first Ladies match was against a selection of players from the men's teams, which due to lack of playing experience the ladies unfortunately lost. Since then, the Ladies section has grown from strength to strength with several of the players reaching representational levels from County, South East Region and Division to Emerging England, England Students, Welsh and Irish Exiles.

The club goes back a long way

Wimbledon’s first recorded match was against Richmond in November 1865, making the club one of the oldest in the country, and one of just twelve surviving clubs that founded the RFU in 1871. The club’s then captain, L.J. Maton, drafted the first laws of the game and went on to become the third president of the RFU in 1875. Also that year two club members, the brothers J.D. and H.J.Graham, gained one and four caps respectively for England .

The club played on Wimbledon Common until World War 1, using the Rose & Crown in Wimbledon   Village as changing rooms and clubhouse.

More recently

The club’s move to its current clubhouse in Barham Road , off Copse Hill, coincided with the launch of league rugby in Britain in 1987/88. Both events have benefited the club considerably.

After being placed, somewhat arbitrarily, in Surrey 2 in the first year of the leagues, Wimbledon began its spectacular rise through them:

• 1 again. Runners-up Surrey Cup, losing to 1988/89. Introduction of leagues. WRFC put in Surrey 2.
• 1989/90. Finished 3rd in Surrey 2.
• 1990/91. Finished 2nd in Surrey 2.
• 1991/92. Finished 2nd in Surrey 2 (on points difference).
• 1992/93. Winners of Surrey 2.
• 1993/94. Winners of Surrey 1.
• 1994/95. Winners of London League 3 South West.
• 1995/96. Winners of London 2 South. (With 26 consecutive league wins on the way).
• 1996/97. Finished mid-London 1.Runners-up Surrey Cup, losing narrowly to Sutton & Epsom.
• 1997/98. Mid-table London 1 again. Runners-up Surrey Cup, losing to Camberley.
• 1998/99. Top half finish in London 1.
• 1999/00. Although coming back strongly after an appalling start to the season (9 straight defeats), finished 6th from bottom in London 1 and, due to the re-structuring of the leagues, were relegated.
• 2000/01. London 2 South. With a new coach, Tim Herman, recruited from Rosslyn   Park , and a new team spirit, finished 4th.
• 2001/02. Finished equal third with Gosport & Fareham, but with 15 wins to their 14. Only a couple of narrow early defeats prevented promotion. The 2nd XV were unlucky to lose the final of their new league.