MATCH DAY Programme th
17
Oct 2026
Witney v Chippenham
Witney RFC Sat 17th Oct 2026 KO 3 pm
Witney
VS Chippenham
KO 2.30 pm
Quins III
VS Witney III
Dob in Dabber ! Dabber Willis has taken up hiding in the programme. All you have to do is find him and win a pint. Dob in Dabber at the Bar on match day, and if you’re the first to do so, you win a pint of ale or a glass of wine.
Cheers Dabber!
Chairman’s Lunches at Hailey Road All lunches start at 11:30 sitting down no later than 12.30. Bar closes 22.30. KO 3pm Dates: Saturday 31st October 2026 Witney v Cleve 3pm Saturday 21st November Witney V Thornbury Saturday 19 December Witney v Marlborough Saturday 06th February 2027 Witney v Newbury Blues Saturday 20th March Witney v Keynsham Saturday 10 April Witney Vipers v Hungerford Typical Menu: Starter : Chunky country style pate, Tangy home made chutney, salad garnish. Main: Slow cooked crispy belly pork, crunchy crackling, caramalised orchard apples, creamy mashed potatoe and seasonal vegetables. To Finish: Local Cheeses, biscuits and chutney. To Book contact Bob via: bob.fisk@witneyrugby.co.uk. All Sponsors are welcome, depending on your package a fee may be required. VPs, members and guests are all welcome, £35 per head.
1st XV v Chippenham Sat 17th Oct 3 PM KO 1 Jacob Holland 2 Ryan Harris* 3 Dan Webb* 4 Matthew Webb(C)* 5 Cam Ayris* 6 Gareth Jenkins* 7 Will Phair* 8 Jack Thompson 9 Ollie Walker* 10 Charlie Dunbar* 11 ollie Toner* 12 Cam Brown 13 Callum Jones 14 Ethan Clarke* 15 Sam Turberville* Replacements: 16 Connor Pummery* 17 John Mason 18 Reuben Owen*
Coaches: James Lamb* Matt Clarke Robbie Richardson Team Manager: Simon Copperwheat Physio: Ella Dawkins Officials: Peter Bramley *Denotes WRFC Mini & Juniors Player Players in Blue on Front cover
PLAYER SPONSORS
ANGUS BROWN
BEN REED
CALLUM COPE
CHARLIE BOWYER
CHARLIE DUNBAR
CONNOR PUMMERY
PLAYER SPONSORS
DAN WEBB
DENNIS NORRIDGE
ACADEMY PLAYER
GEORGE BOWELL
MARC COPPERWHEAT & JACK GODFREY
JOHN MASON
STEVE ALDRIDGE
JON DERRICK
JOSH RHIAN
PLAYER SPONSORS
ACADEMY PLAYER
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DAVID WILLIS LIAM COOK
MATT WEBB
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PLAYER SPONSORS
ACADEMY PLAYER
SAM TURBERVILLE
CO IAN LOUGHBOROUGH
TOM GAFNEY
WILL KING
ACADEMY PLAYER
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PLAYER SPONSORS
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ACADEMY PLAYER
ACADEMY PLAYER
ACADEMY PLAYER
T U O D L O S T U O SOLD
We have secured tickets for all 3 England Home games and both Saturday and Sunday Finals Days. Want to be there? Sponsors, Players and Members contact: ian.loughborough@witneyrugby.co.uk
Have you got your tickets yet? If you’re still wondering what this new Nations Championship is all about, let us explain — because this could be something rather special. For the first time, the world's leading rugby nations from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are competing in one connected championship, culminating in a three-day Finals Weekend at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, from 27–29 November. And this isn't simply six international matches bolted together. Every match matters. Every point matters. Every team has something to play for. After the opening three rounds, the battle between North and South couldn't be closer: NORTH 9 — 9 SOUTH Dead level The remaining rounds in November will decide the rankings, before all 12 nations descend on London for a unique Finals Weekend. Six matches. Three days. Two hemispheres. And on Sunday, the top-ranked Northern and Southern teams meet in the Grand Final, with the inaugural Nations Championship trophy on the line.
Have you got your tickets yet? But there's another battle running throughout the weekend. Every North v South result contributes to the Hemisphere Shield, with seven points available across the six matches. The first hemisphere to four points will be crowned the dominant hemisphere. WHO WILL LIFT THE Shield and the trophy? Will the Northern Hemisphere rule the roost? Or will the Southern Hemisphere remind us why New Zealand and South Africa, have dominated so much of world rugby? Nobody knows yet. That's the beauty of it. What we do know is that this is the inaugural Finals Weekend of a brand-new global competition — and it is happening right on our doorstep at Twickenham. Our Club currently has a limited number of Finals Weekend tickets available to members. So, rather than watching history being made on the television, why not be there when the first ever Nations Championship is decided? Three days. Six international matches. The world's best players. North v South. BE THERE FOR THE FIRST ONE. Tickets are available through Witney RFC — contact me to secure yours. Who will lift the trophy? Which hemisphere will dominate? There's only one way to find out.. Click the ball and. SEE YOU AT TWICKENHAM!
2 Be or not 2 Be! Tadley 40–26 Witney A The Vipers enjoyed their first week back on the Hailey Road turf, but they knew their visitors, Tadley, would come with a nasty bite. Witney started brightly and played plenty of good rugby, but they allowed Tadley’s dangerous three-quarters too much space. A few missed tackles put the Vipers under pressure, and Tadley took advantage, opening up a two-score lead — one of them a wellworked move that released their winger into space. The next score was vital, and Witney got it after a period of concerted pressure, giving the Vipers the lift they needed. The match remained very even, with Witney having the better of the lineouts and generally holding their own in the set piece. However, missed tackles and a few aimless kicks allowed Tadley to maintain their advantage and, despite Witney’s best efforts, they never quite looked like being caught. The sides exchanged tries, and a powerful break from Witney’s No. 8 offered a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, Tadley struck again soon afterwards with an intercept, and the opportunity was gone. The Vipers did finish in style, though. After multiple phases of pressure, fly-half Ed Bee produced a sublime double miss pass to release Will King, who finished clinically in the corner. Once again, the Vipers showed that they can compete with the established First XVs in this league. The tackling will need to tighten up, but the boys competed for the full 80 minutes and, importantly, secured a four-try bonus point for the second consecutive week.
2 Be or not 2 Be! Witney’s tries came from Adam Nobbs, Ross Sinclair, Alex Bellenie and Will King, with Ed Bee adding three conversions from four attempts. Sadly, the Vipers fell just short of securing a losing bonus point, but there was plenty to take from another committed performance. Next up for our Vipers, Abingdon at home, but you are going to have to wait until the 24th October for that one. Until then you will have to settle for back to back First team fixtures as our ones entertain both Bassett and Chippenham here at Hailey Road.
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Come & Watch Rugby @Witney RFC! September 2026 26th
Witney 26 : 15 Chinnor III
home win
October 2026 3rd
Witney Vipers 26 : 40 Tadley Witney III 36 : 17 Gosford All Blacks II
10th
Witney v Royal Wootton Bassett II
17th
Witney v Chippenham
24th
Witney Vipers v Abingdon Witney III v Farringdon
31st
Witney v Cleve
Chairman’s Lunch
All KOs 3pm unless otherwise annotated COME ALONG AND SUPPORT THE BLACK AND BLUE!
Oxford Harlequins II v
3rd XV Sat 17th Oct 2.30 PM KO 1 Alex Bellenie Coaches: 2 George Withers Ben McPherson 3Wayne Caffekey*(C) Chris Cope 4 Ollie McLoughlin Adam Copperwheat 5 Blaine Eason Manager: 6 Ian Burton Pete Holiday 7 Ned Smith* 8 Cameron McIntosh* Physio: 9 Carl Strutt Leah Nash 10 Carl Strutt* Officials: 11 Chris Cope Alex BOND 12Jacob Smith* *Denotes WRFC Mini 13Harry Smith* & Juniors Player 14Eamon Doherty Players in Blue on 15Josh Whitehead* Front cover
Replacements: 16 Kieren Flack 17 Dave Jackson 18 Dan Ashford 19 Declan Duffy
Who Shall We 3s Beat Again? After a weekend off to rest the bodies, recover from the bruises and find excuses for avoiding the washing pile, the Barmy Army are back in action this Saturday with a trip to Oxford Harlequins 3rds! The Quins are clearly no mugs, having put Banbury 3rds to the sword with a convincing 52–22 victory last weekend. Both sides head into this one boasting a 100% record, so something’s got to give. Let’s hope it’s not a Witney hamstring! Training this week has focused heavily on the rather specialised art of touching the ball down and, more importantly, recognising those pesky white lines painted across the pitch. Following the unfortunate navigational errors at Didcot, the coaching staff have decided that knowing where the pitch ends might be quite useful. Who knew?!
😂
With Faringdon coming to town on the 24th, another side sporting a perfect record, the fixtures are starting to look less like a league campaign and more like a series of character-building experiences. But first, it’s the Quins. The Barmy Army will be looking to keep the momentum going. Two unbeaten sides. One big game.
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Mars is shaped like a rugby ball! It is a Triaxial Ellipsoid: Unlike Earth or other rocky planets that resemble smooth, rotating oblate spheroids, Mars has different lengths along all three of its principal axes. Rather than be afraid of an invasion from Mars, we should look forward to the inevitable rugby game.
At home we tend to share the cooking. When we make pizza, my wife shreds the cheese, she’s the gratest.
The Angels have opened their 26/27 season with a bang! The ladies took on Grove at a gloriously sunny Hailey Road, with a guard on honour provided by our utterly awesome Cherubs, and a patio full of Witney support. And what a performance - after what has seemed like an endless pre-season, the ladies went out with so much energy and enthusiasm and that translated into points on the board within minutes, and a final score of 41-0 to the mighty Angels. We had 7 stars on our team sheet today - that’s 7 players who have come up through our girls teams - that is 4 years in the making and a dream come true. Playing up with the Angels for the first time were former junior players Liv Clack and Tilly Heast. We also had ladies playing who have come to us as a result of our recruitment efforts over the summer, and who made their debuts for us today - these were Finnley Aston, Katie Wooloff, and Emily Rose. Tries came from Izzie Pereira (2) Tilly Castle (2) Lily Cope (1) Captain Izzy Barker (1) and Eliana Howlett (1). Conversions came from Nay Godfrey (2) and Esther Clifton (1). It was a challenge to pick our stand out players today, but we gave Forward of the Match to Becki Downham for her utility play all over the pack, Back of the Match went to Liv Clack for a stellar debut performance at 9, and overall Player of the Match (and proud recipient of our new blue sequinned blazer) was Ruby Bishop, who blew up the Wing like our very own Jess Breach. But in all honesty, the joy of today was that the victory came from such a display of teamwork - everyone carried, tackled, rucked and the results were a demonstration of the positivity, creativity and confidence that is flowing through the ladies team at present. We are so proud of all our Angels. Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success, from the clubhouse to the spectators. And particular thanks to Lucy and Mark from Anderson Clinic, who joined us as proud sponsors today. It was a pleasure to host you and we are so grateful for your support. Up next: Didcot - bring it ON!!!!!!
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M & Js Investing in the Future Lots of action for our Minis and Juniors last weekend with plenty of tries and a great deal of effort being put in at all age groups. Our under 16's welcomed Wallingford at home to kick of their OBB games. Great tries from Josh and Arthen and a conversion from Callum. Player of the match rightly shared between Jhaden and Arthen. Eventually the game was drawn at 12 v 12, but plenty of positives to come from that one, onwards and upwards The under 15's played a cup game at home against Stow and had an outstanding game, which was clearly reflected in the final score of 71:10. Player of the match shared between David and Olly. Our under 14's had their first cup game of the season, welcoming Banbury to Hailey Road. Not one but two tries from Zach and a great try from Louie! Alfie scoring 2 conversions too. Well done to Freddie who was man of the match. Unfortunately, the lads went down 19 – 22, the closeness of the score reflecting the effort put in by the team.
M & Js Investing in the Future The U12 and U14 Cherubs put out an outstanding performance Sunday, both playing against Fosse Falcons in a wonderful friendly game. 5 players made their debut for the cherubs, the future is bright! This weekend the following is planned: Minis (Home Training) Under 4s: 9:15–9:45am Under 5s: 9:15–10:00am Under 6s: FESTIVAL GROVE Under 7s: FESTIVAL GROVE Under 8s: FESTIVAL GROVE Under 9s: FESTIVAL GROVE Under 10s: FESTIVAL GROVE Under 11s: FESTIVAL GROVE Under 12s: FESTIVAL GROVE Juniors Academy Home against Bicester & Oxford U18 Colts A. TBC
Witney Can Do Magic! Join The Witney Wizards After making our festival debut in July at Kingswood, home of the world’s largest walking rugby festival, and then hosting Thatcham at home, the Wizards were back on the road last weekend — this time heading to Thatcham’s very first walking rugby festival. With 10 teams taking part, the Wizards faced Reading, Gosport & Fareham, Royal Wootton Bassett and Kingsclere. Four games, plenty of intensity and some fantastic walking rugby! The Wizards played some of their best rugby yet, putting into practice all the hard work and coaching that’s been going on behind the scenes. There were some great passages of play, excellent teamwork and, most importantly, plenty of smiles along the way. Barry Cooper, Mike Edworthy and Bill Barfoot all produced some dazzling footwork. At times, it was difficult to tell whether we were watching walking rugby or a dance competition! But our Player of the Day was Billy. Try scorer, assists, great handling and crucially… no running or travelling! Perhaps his greatest achievement of the day…He didn't fall over!! A special shout-out also goes to Barry, Nixey and Matt Burke, who each pulled on a Baa Baa’s Hi-Viz for a game. Another great example of what walking rugby is all about. A huge well done to everyone who took part and to the coaches for all their hard work. Next stop is Newbury on October 24th Come on, Wizards!
Contact: John Hughes +44 7799 474509 Email: derrick.fox@witneyrugby.co.uk
6 NATIONS Coming Soon! Twickenham tickets available for England’s home fixtures in the 2027 6 Nations with the England welcoming ‘The Blues” to Twickenham . If you are a sponsor, player or Club Member then you can obtain tickets for the Home of rugby at face value by contacting Ian @ ian.loughborough@witneyrugby.co.uk Sunday 14th February England v FranceWales 3.10 pm £155 th Saturday 20 February England v Italy 4.40 pm £124 th Saturday 13 March England v Scotland 4.40 pm £155 Limited availability so get your Bid in now. Tickets will be allocated once all of the sponsors have submitted their requirements.
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What’s On @ Hailey Road! CHAIRMAN’S LUNCHES: 31st October
Witney v Cleve
21st November
Witney v Thornbury
19th December
Witney v Marlborough
TRAINING: Senior Men Tuesday and Thursday nights 7-8pm. Angels
Tuesday 7-8.30pm
Touch
Thursday 6-7pm
Walking
Thursday 7-8pm
Cherubs.
Tuesday 6-7.30pm
M&Js
Sunday Mornings 10-12
Academy
Sunday 1pm
SUMMER BALL 2027 5th June The Big Ball. Hollywood comes to Hailey Road. Tickets £85 pp.
Calling all Golden Oldies? Veterans @ Hailey Road Contrary to poular belief, you do not have to have: Served in the Trenches of WWI Be over 60 with a pacemaker! Although being either of those does not preclude you from playing,
The Reality is:
we do ask for a letter from your parent.
You have to be over 35 years old and have been a member of Witney RFC for at least 4 weeks before match day. Sound like this could be for you? Why not come along to Club training night; Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you need to ease back in gently, we have Walking and Touch Rugby on Thursday evenings. Contact Simon Copperwheat on: 07904 360561
Witney Calling All Savers! How would you like 10% off everything you buy over the bar? With a WRFC Members Discount Card that’s exactly what you get. 10% off all your beers, teas, coffees, sandwiches etc. For a small anual fee, currently £27.50, you get a year’s worth of discounted products. That’s approximately 50p a week, so one pint of lager a week and you have made your money back, 2 pints and your saving at a level appreciated by Yorkshiremen. To qualify for the card you need to be a signed up member of the Club. Interested? email me or speak to any of the marvellous bar staff. ian.loughborough@witneyrugby.co.uk
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