Cheltenham Saracens RFC
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| Full name | Cheltenham Saracens Rugby Football Club | |
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| Union | Rugby Football Union | |
| Nickname(s) | "The Sarries" | |
| Founded | 1975 | |
| Ground(s) | King George V Playing Field, Brookyln Road. | |
| Chairman |
 Jimmy O'Shea | |
| President |
 Roger Harris | |
| Coach(es) |
Ross "Archie" Nelmes, Leroy Hughes | |
| Most caps |
 Andrei Hanger | |
| League(s) | Gloucester Premier | |
| 2014–15 | 3rd | |
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| Official website | ||
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cheltenhamsaracensrugby | ||
Cheltenham Saracens RFC is an English rugby union club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, affiliated to Gloucestershire Rugby Football Union. The club's First Team currently play in Gloucester Premier, while their reserve teams play in the Gloucestershire Merit Leagues. The club also runs an under 13's.
Club History
Early Years
The club was founded in 1975 after Cheltenham Colts Old Boys RFC joined the Cheltenham Saracens Sports Complex, a multi-sports organisation that fielded teams in other sports, such as association football and cricket. The original club was based at the multi-sports organisation but played their home matches at King George V Playing Fields in Cheltenham which had previously been used for field hockey. The original kit compromised of blue jerseys with a yellow hoop, black socks and blue shorts, however alternative kits involving a navy and light blue hoops as well as black with a red hoop were also used during the club's history. The first Chairman of Cheltenham Saracens RFC was Harry Atwood and centre, Tony Pates, was named first captain.
Decline and Rise
Results slowly declined and many players drifted away from the club in search for match time at a higher level, heading to bigger clubs such as Cheltenham Rugby Football Club. After relegation from Gloucester 1 in 2003-04, the club was on the verge of collapse and was offered little support for their umbrella organisation leading to a discussion between those still attached to the club debating whether to leave. Eventually, the decision was made to move the club away from the multi-sports complex and after securing a lease from Cheltenham Borough Council, converted the office space above the club's changing rooms into a clubhouse space composing of a kitchen area, bar area and toilets. The move proved to change the location of the club saw a rise in the club's fortunes as they were crowned league champions of Gloucester 2 losing only two matches all season, losing out 12-17 to Old Cryptians and 37-22 to St. Brendan's Old Boys. The Sarries ended up beating Newent RFC by five points, as the club started to attract a new number of players.
The 2011-12 season saw Saracens First XV struggle to adapt to the new standard of rugby as they beat fellow-promoted club Newent 17-3 on the opening day only to lose 30-6 away to Painswick RFC and followed that by a one-point win over Ross-on-Wye RFC, 11-10. The clubs results bounced between win and loss until a run of four games undefeated, from January to March, saw them climb to a top half position and remain there despite a few losses close to the end of the season. However the season provided a good stead for the reserve teams with both putting together good form in their respective Merit tables which culminated with the Sarries 2nd XV lifting the Cheltenham Combination Junior Cup for the first time in 20 years as they beat Old Patesians RFC 3rd XV 17-14 after being 0-14 down at half time.
2012-2013 saw the Sarries First XV lose only two matches in the opening months as they ground out small margin wins against seasoned Gloucester 1 clubs. Their promotion efforts were hampered at the start of January with a big loss to eventual league winners Newent RFC and a draw with midtable Old Colstonians saw them drop off the pace. Any chance of promotion was stopped after three losses back to back as the club suffered injuries to a few key players. The reserve teams continued their fine form from the previous season as both teams managed to secure promotion from their Merit leagues and both teams reach the final of the Cheltenham Combination cups but fail to secure any silverware as the Second XV lost out to Old Patesians RFC 3rds in a replay of the previous year and the Third XV lost out to Smiths in the Minor Shield.
Despite losing on the opening day of the 2013-14 season to Longlevens RFC, the club eventually achieved promotion from Gloucester 1 for the first time in its history as the club soared with a number of new young recruits. They maintained their early good form until the start of November 2 when they lost 13-20 at home to Old Richians rfc. Following this club's form was shaky, but a strong run into the end of the campaign including a 93-0 home win over Kingswood RFC set up a must-win match against fellow promotion chasers Longlevens on the last day of the season. Despite a promising start to the match, Longlevens managed to grab the win 45-38 which saw the Sarries achieve promotion in second behind Bream RFC as they secured two bonus points. The Sarries also performed with their reserve teams as both teams managed to win their respective Merit tables for a second time in a row. The Sarries First XV capitalised on their league performances to capture the Cheltenham Combination Senior Cup for the first time in 30 years, picking up a win over a strong Old Patesians RFC team, however the Sarries reserve teams were unable to secure the Junior Cup or Minor Shield.
The Sarries opened their Gloucester Premier campaign coming out second best against Stroud RFC but picked up a bonus point. Their first home match as a Level 8 club saw them face local rivals Tewkesbury RFC and pick up a 65-5 win. This was followed by two more wins over Forest of Dean clubs Berry Hill RFC and Bream RFC before losing to Whitehall in mid-October, who would eventually go on to secure the playoff place above the Sarries on the last day of the season. The Sarries then went on a long win of runs, not losing a match until January 17 which saw them go into the New Year's break on top of the league. The club would continue to sit in promotion contention until a 22-22 draw with St. Mary's Old Boys RFC followed by a loss to Stroud on the last day saw Stroud win the league and Whitehall RFC secure the second place as the Sarries finished third in their first season as a level eight club. The Cheltenham Combination Cup saw the Sarries lift the Senior Cup again against the Old Pats. Once again, the reserve teams were unable to add Combination Cup silverware to the Sarries' trophy cabinet.
The St. Mark's based club started their 2015-16 at home against fellow Saracens club, Bristol Saracens. Despite a competitive start, the Bristol side proved too much for the Cheltenham Sarries, eventually running in a 22-53 win. The club's early form was unstable as they bounced between wins and losses which left them sitting midtable before a good run of form from late-October until mid-December saw them push higher up the league. The club's form remained patchy after the New Year's break with a mixed bag of results throughout the early months of 2016. Despite a late fightback, including wins over St. Mary's Old Boys and Cirencester, a 12-10 away loss to league champions Bristol Saracens saw them unable to continue to challenge for promotion. Sarries continued their history-making run, picking up their first ever first team competition win over Cheltenham RFC, winning 21-36 in the Cheltenham Combination Cup Senior Cup first round on April 12. The club found itself put through to the final following a disagreement on the date of the Combination Senior Cup semi-final with Old Patesians RFC. Saracens advance to face local rivals Cheltenham North RFC in the final on May 7.
Charity Sevens Tournament
In 2013, the club held its first rugby sevens event since becoming independent. The club had previous history of sevens after taking part in the now defunct British Saracens' Sevens.
2013
The inaugural tournament saw eight teams take to the King George V turf to help the club raise money for Jamats Activity Centre, in Gloucester. Seven teams were created from groups of friends either within the club or from other local such as Smiths RFC. Cheltenham Rugby Football Club and Old Patesians RFC. The eighth team involved was the now defunct Rucking Roosters from Bridgend in south Wales. The tournament saw the Rucking Roosers crowned champions and the event raised £1000 for the charity.
2014
2014 saw the club resurrect the tournament due to popular demand. The chosen charity was Cancer Research UK and the club set an initial target of the £1000 set the previous year. The 2014 tournament consisted of eight teams from across the south-west of England and south Wales, with teams from as far as Taunton coming to participate, however the event only went ahead with seven teams as the reigning champions Rucking Roosters pulled out twelve hours before the start of the tournament. 2014 also saw the introduction of the Charity Sevens Plate, to compliment the cup, with teams that finished first and second in each pool entering into an elimination stage for the Cup and third and fourth entering into a replica elimination stage but for the Plate. The eventual winners of the tournament were the Wizards of Wales and Aniers RFC from Taunton were crowned the first Plate winners and the event was hailed as a success, having raised £1317 for Cancer Research.
2015
The event was continued in 2015 as the club aimed to help the at-the-time Mayor of Cheltenham, Simon Wheeler's chosen charities in the form of the Aston Project, a local police initiative to battle anti-social behaviour and the Butterfly Garden, a local charity aimed at helping young adults with disabilities. The event attracted teams from even further afield, with teams as far as Southampton attending. The Wizards of Wales emerged victorious once again, following a very close final against the Shredded Ducks 7s. Lydney RFC emerged victorious in the Plate, defeating army side, Marchwood Dolphins, in the Plate final. The event was considered a great success as the event maintained its record of beating the previous year's total, raising £2000.
2016
The 2016 tournament was announced at the start of January in 2016 and aimed at raising as much money as possible for St. Mary's Old Boys RFC (SW) captain, Liam O'Keefe, who had suffered a serious neck injury against the Sarries during a match in early December 2015. The 2016 tournament was declared to be bigger than ever, featuring ten teams rather than eight which would see the top and second placed teams in both of the two pools enter the Cup elimination, while the third placed teams would enter directly into a Plate final. The four remaining teams that place fourth and fifth will be eliminated after the pool stage. The first two teams announced were the hosts and their opposition from the day, St. Mary's, while a number of teams from the local area and Bristol signed up to take part. The reigning champions, the Wizards of Wales, signed up on March 6 and the last place was taken ten days later, as Avonmouth Old Boys RFC were named the tenth team.
The event also announced a number of businesses that were supporting the event, including trophy sponsors R. A. Nelmes Plastering and Cheltenham Building Solutions; the official first aiders Apollo Event Paramedics; and local businesses The Winchcombe Burger Company, which will supply a number of handmade burgers to the event, and Tone Radio, who are set to supply their own brand cider to the event.
Current Teams for 2016
- Cheltenham Saracens RFC
- St. Mary's Old Boys (South West)
- Voodoo 7s - from Hucclecote RFC
- Sodbury 7s - from Chipping Sodbury RFC
- Smiths RFC
- Ruckem Romans VII
- Star 7s - from Bredon Star RFC
- Painswick RFC
- Wizard of Wales 7s
- Avonmouth Old Boys RFC
Senior Squads
Current First Team
2015–16 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
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Current Second Team
2015–16 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
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Current Third Team
2015–16 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
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Current Backroom Staff
- Chairman: Jimmy O'Shea
- Head Coach: Ross "Archie" Nelmes
- Forwards Coach: Leroy Hughes,
- Backs Coach: Billy Burns
- Second Team: James Connolly
- Third Team: Paul Grayson
- Under 13's: Peter Lodge, Martin Prosser, Buster Mazoweic, Mark Collier, George Efthymiou.
- Physiotherapist: Jay Martinez
Club Honours
- Runner-up: 2013-2014
- Winners (2): 2002-2003, 2010-2011
Cheltenham Combination Senior Cup:
- Winners (2): 2014, 2015
Cheltenham Combination Junior Cup:
- Winners (2): 1992, 2012
- Runner-up: 2013
Cheltenham Combination Minor Shield:
- Runner-up: 2013
Notable Former Players
- Tony Pates
- Timmy Pates
- Sylvie Donoghue
- Andrei Hanger
- Eddie Walsh
- Terry Beaver
- Jimmy O'Shea
Fabio Nicosia- Nick Hanby