MATCH DAY
Witney RFC
Sat 24 Jan 2026 th
Witney RFC
Sun 25 Jan 2026 th
Chairman’s Welcome
Chairman’s Welcome
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!
GREATDAY Awesome Xmascameearly
1st Things First!
A massive thank you to all our fabulous sponsors!
Player Sponsors
Player Sponsors
2 Be or not 2 Be!
Tadley 48 : 19 Vipers
Not the best day on the road for our Vipers, it was always going to be a tough ask. The lads played with spirit but came away without any points. Tries came from Charlie Greenslade x 2 and Joe Hodgson with Ben Dilks converted 2. Today our Vipers welcome Newbury II to Hailey Road. Back in October our boys delivered and excellent performance to see off Newbury down in Brekshire, 20 : 37. Although Newbury have yet to win a game, they are fielding a side most weekends and are capable of scoring points, we shouldn’t take anything for granted but it would be a lovely game to win here at Hailey Road.
Witney Vipers v Newbury II 2pm
Player Sponsors
Player Sponsors
Who Shall We 3s Beat Again?
Who Shall We 3s Beat Again? POSTPONED
On this day in 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California, triggering one of the biggest migrations in history. Around 300,000 people moved west in search of fortune, shaping the future of the United States.
Also on this day in 1908, Robert Baden-Powell staged the first large Scout rally at Crystal Palace. The movement grew rapidly and helped shape ideas of teamwork, leadership, discipline and outdoor life, values that fit perfectly with rugby culture.
I took my daughter to the Club yesterday.
As soon as we got there she started crying so I asked her “what’s wrong?”
She sobbed, “Where are all the Clowns you said you played with?”
Royal Wootton Bassett
v Witney Angels
Sun 25 Jan 2 PM KO th
Coaches: Kate Nicholls
Sarah Dunbar
Alex Rosenberg
Kieran Flack
Officials: TBC
*Denotes WRFC Mini & Juniors Player Players in Blue on Front cover
With no game to report on from last week we look ahead to this Sunday’s fixture as we visit Royal Wootton Bassett. At the time of writing the Angels are struggling to get a team together, rest assured the management team will be doing their best to pull a full squad so the game can go ahead.
Looking forward, there are plenty of friendlies in the pipeline to carry us through to the end of the season, listed below. As for next season, the plan is to join the Allianz Inner Warrior League, an RFU-introduced scheme designed to support the development of women’s rugby. For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/AllianzInnerWarrior/
Academy
The Future’s Bright!
M & Js
Investing in the Future
M & Js
Investing in the Future
M
& Js Investing in the Future
The second half continued in the same competitive spirit, with more tries, strong running and some excellent tackling. Everyone was heavily involved, played with smiles on their faces, and it was a joy to watch, without doubt one of our best performances of the season so far. The final whistle brought a few well-earned hip-hip-hoorays before heading to the clubhouse for hotdogs and cheesy chips. An excellent performance played in exactly the right spirit. Feedback from Reading Abbey was extremely positive, they felt very welcome, thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and were full of praise for our girls.
Well done, ladies, a shining example of what Witney RFC is all about. Keep up the great work!
U16 Cherubs v Reading Abbey
Witney U16 Girls put in a determined performance against Reading Abbey. Although the result didn’t go their way, the girls never dropped their heads and showed real resilience throughout the match. Their effort was rewarded in the final few minutes with an amazing try by Ellie Bromley, a moment that reflected the teams hard work and teamwork right to the final whistle. Thank you to Banbury who lent us some excellent players to help make the match possible - we really enjoyed having you at Hailey Road and look forward to returning the favour. Credit also goes to Reading Abbey, who played a great game and showed sportsmanship throughout the match.
Twickenham tickets available for England’s home fixtures in the 2026 6 Nations. 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
2 Tickets
Saturday 7 February England v Wales 4.40 pm th £152
Remaining
Possible available through Club recall
Saturday 21 February England v Ireland 2.10 pm st £152
Limited availability so get your Bid in now. Tickets will be allocated once all of the sponsors have submitted their requirements
Player Sponsors
Player Sponsors
A BIT OF WIZARDRY
16 Wizards took the trip down to Thatcham last Saturday and the hosts did rugby proud before and after the matches. We split into two sides and had a triangular tournament with our hosts, with the home side taking on our "A" team. Sarah Algar got the opening try with the Wizards running up three tries early on, with Jack also amongst the scorers. Skipper, John Hughes led the defensive line, with some "firm" tackling. Thatcham had not played the six-tackle rule before but soon showed they were getting the hang of it and fought back with some scores of their own but the "A" side did not let up and held on to record a deserved victory.
The "A" side stayed on and took on the "B" team but their exertions in first match started to show and g appeared for Mike Edworthy to ex and he notched up a hattrick of tr The A" team battled back with some good rugby, Reg Nicholson intercepting one try but the "A" si held on for victory.
A BIT OF WIZARDRY
The rested Thatcham team then took to the field invigorated but it was the "B" team who took the initiative with tries from skipper Scottie Gardner, Mat Burke and Gareth Lewis. At the interval, the "B" side were in front but Thatcham scored three unanswered tries as some missed opportunities from the "B" side cost them dear and coach Gareth Lewis blood pressure to go up a bit. Gardner's late try was a mere consolation as the home side triumphed but all the matches were played in good spirit and were well refereed by an injured Thatcham player.
After 6 weeks of not training, our fitness levels were not quite where we would have wanted but everyone enjoyed their afternoon and that's the important thing.
The hosts were a nice crowd on and of the pitch and we hope to invite them to the Hailey Road in the future, well do to all involved, especially John Hughe for organising.
Team "A" - *John, Nixey, Jack, Russel, R Mike W, Sarah, Bill
Team "B" - *Scottie, Matt, John M, Jaso Kevin, Mike E, Gareth, Jez
What’s On @ Hailey Road!
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, we do ask for a letter from your parent.
A massive thank you to all our fabulous sponsors!
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 £25, 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
Building Science, Attaining Excellence
