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| Full name | Esher Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Surrey RFU | |
| Founded | 1923; 102 years ago (1923) | |
| Location | Hersham,Surrey, England | |
| Ground(s) | Molesey Road (Capacity: 3,500 (1,200 seated)) | |
| Chairman | Bob Stratton | |
| Coach(es) | Peter Winterbottom and Chris Wilkins | |
| Captain(s) | Sam Morley | |
| League(s) | National League 1 | |
| 2023–24 | Promoted fromNational League 2 East (champions) | |
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| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Esher Rugby Football Club is anEnglishrugby union club based inSurrey,England. Esher currently play in the third division of theEnglish league system,National League 1, following their promotion as champions from the2023–24 National League 2 East.
The club was formed in 1923 when four rugby enthusiasts agreed to start a club.
When the league system was introduced in 1987 Esher were placed inLondon 1, but were relegated in the first season and did not win promotion back to that league until 1993.
Esher were first promoted to the national leagues system for the 1997–98 season, finishing fourth inNational League 2 South. They led for most of the season the following year but finished second, but won promotion in 1999–00. The club set a new points record when winningNational Division Two in2006–07 and were thus promoted. They were promoted into the second tier, theRFU Championship after winning National League 1 in 2009–10. During this season they broke the world record when they beatManchester 148 – 0. They played in the Championship for two seasons before being relegated back into National League 1 for the2012–13 season.[1]
Esher suffered another relegation at the end of the 2018–19 season, dropping down to National League 2 South, their lowest league level since the end of the 1990s. They would yo yo between the leagues over the next few years, being promoted as National 2 South champions in 2021–22 and then being relegated from National League 1 at the end of 2022–23 season.
In 2020, the club announced a two-year agreement to share their ground withRFU Championship sideLondon Scottish starting in 2021–22.[2] However it was later confirmed that Scottish would remain atRichmond Athletic Ground.[3]
On 13 April 2024 Esher defeated Dorking to winNational League 2 East and return to National League 1 after being relegated the season before.[4]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 713 | 409 | +304 | 15 | 0 | 91 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Rotherham Titans | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 694 | 481 | +213 | 11 | 3 | 86 | |
| 3 | Rosslyn Park | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 735 | 552 | +183 | 15 | 2 | 81 | |
| 4 | Plymouth Albion | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 582 | 566 | +16 | 14 | 5 | 75 | |
| 5 | Rams | 22 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 627 | 458 | +169 | 17 | 6 | 75 | |
| 6 | Blackheath | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 692 | 498 | +194 | 12 | 5 | 73 | |
| 7 | Sale FC | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 531 | 542 | −11 | 10 | 6 | 60 | |
| 8 | Birmingham Moseley | 21 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 508 | 503 | +5 | 10 | 4 | 56 | |
| 9 | Bishop's Stortford | 21 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 520 | 531 | −11 | 11 | 6 | 49 | |
| 10 | Sedgley Park | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 550 | 582 | −32 | 9 | 5 | 48 | |
| 11 | Dings Crusaders | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 596 | 715 | −119 | 13 | 1 | 48 | |
| 12 | Esher | 22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 588 | 885 | −297 | 12 | 1 | 37 | |
| 13 | Leicester Lions | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 461 | 601 | −140 | 7 | 6 | 33 | Relegation place |
| 14 | Darlington Mowden Park(R) | 22 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 380 | 854 | −474 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
Neil Hallett - scored 1,301 points for Esher in all competitions between 2004–10 to become one of the most prolific points scorer intier 3 history. Also capped by theBarbarians andEngland Counties XV as well as captainingSurrey.
Ladislav Vondrasek - captain of theCzech Republic national team played for Esher between 2005–07.| Towns, villages and neighbourhoods |
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Places listed are articlesnotable as settlements, arranged bypost town TheM25 motorway follows approximately a boundary and is included for its regional importance. | ||||||||||||||||||
