The History of Bletchley RUFC
Bletchley RUFC was founded in 1947 by Jack Simmonds, Bernard Blane, Eric Smith and Brigadier Eric Earle. The rugby team was formed as a division of Bletchley Sports Club, established with the vision of occupying a multi-sport complex at Manor Fields.
Bletchley’s first match was on 10 January 1948 vs. Buckingham. The following year they played at the Manor Fields site for the first time; the sporting complex was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1952. Early matches were also played at Bletchley Park.
Despite steadily improving results over the first two decades, as well as a considerable expansion of the squad, Bletchley were evicted from Manor Fields in 1968 due to poor finances. The club was rescued from financial oblivion by the fundraising efforts of local teacher Robin Bowen-Williams, who was rewarded with Honorary Life Membership.
There was no league system in local rugby at that time, so all matches (other than cup fixtures) were friendlies. However, in 1968, Bletchley pushed forward the competitiveness of rugby in Buckinghamshire as one of the clubs to compete for the inaugural North Bucks Shield.
A proposed move and transformation into “Milton Keynes Rugby Club” (a deal put forward by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation) was rejected by Bletchley in 1972 – the older Wolverton Rugby Club, their rivals on the other side of MK, took up the offer instead.
After a nomadic few years in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the club returned to a redeveloped Manor Fields in 1976. This was the era of John Surguy, the club’s most successful player, holding the club records for most points, most tries, most points in a season, most penalties in a game and most drop goals in a game. Surguy spent several seasons at Northampton Saints before returning to Bletchley in the early ‘80s.
In 1987 Bletchley played their first ever league game in the newly-formed Southern Counties League. However, rumoured talks in the 1988–89 season of a merger with Milton Keynes Rugby Club (formerly Wolverton) came to naught.
Bletchley’s first match was on 10 January 1948 vs. Buckingham. The following year they played at the Manor Fields site for the first time; the sporting complex was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1952. Early matches were also played at Bletchley Park.
Despite steadily improving results over the first two decades, as well as a considerable expansion of the squad, Bletchley were evicted from Manor Fields in 1968 due to poor finances. The club was rescued from financial oblivion by the fundraising efforts of local teacher Robin Bowen-Williams, who was rewarded with Honorary Life Membership.
There was no league system in local rugby at that time, so all matches (other than cup fixtures) were friendlies. However, in 1968, Bletchley pushed forward the competitiveness of rugby in Buckinghamshire as one of the clubs to compete for the inaugural North Bucks Shield.
A proposed move and transformation into “Milton Keynes Rugby Club” (a deal put forward by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation) was rejected by Bletchley in 1972 – the older Wolverton Rugby Club, their rivals on the other side of MK, took up the offer instead.
After a nomadic few years in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the club returned to a redeveloped Manor Fields in 1976. This was the era of John Surguy, the club’s most successful player, holding the club records for most points, most tries, most points in a season, most penalties in a game and most drop goals in a game. Surguy spent several seasons at Northampton Saints before returning to Bletchley in the early ‘80s.
In 1987 Bletchley played their first ever league game in the newly-formed Southern Counties League. However, rumoured talks in the 1988–89 season of a merger with Milton Keynes Rugby Club (formerly Wolverton) came to naught.
The club strengthened its youth development policy in the ‘90s, with coaches encouraged to take coaching certificates and promote youth rugby in schools. This paid off with the selection of Chris Coussell for the England Under-17 team in 1997, the first player from Bletchley’s youth system to represent his country.
Bletchley’s First XV were voted Sport MK’s Team of the Year in 2004.
Bletchley won the Southern Counties North League for the first time in 2007. Other trophies in the cabinet include the North Bucks Shield 11 times between 1973 and 1989, the Bucks County Shield in 2003, the Bucks County Plate in 2004 and 2005, and the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Leagues 2 and 1 in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Bletchley Ladies were founded in 2008 (with assistance from Leighton Buzzard RUFC) and have gone from strength to strength – they were unbeaten league winners in 2014-15 and runners-up for Women’s Team of the Year at the Lawson Keys National Rugby Awards in 2015. Lauren Delany was also runner-up for Women’s Player of the Year. The team have continued their unbeaten run through the first half of 2015-16.
Bletchley’s First XV were voted Sport MK’s Team of the Year in 2004.
Bletchley won the Southern Counties North League for the first time in 2007. Other trophies in the cabinet include the North Bucks Shield 11 times between 1973 and 1989, the Bucks County Shield in 2003, the Bucks County Plate in 2004 and 2005, and the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Leagues 2 and 1 in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Bletchley Ladies were founded in 2008 (with assistance from Leighton Buzzard RUFC) and have gone from strength to strength – they were unbeaten league winners in 2014-15 and runners-up for Women’s Team of the Year at the Lawson Keys National Rugby Awards in 2015. Lauren Delany was also runner-up for Women’s Player of the Year. The team have continued their unbeaten run through the first half of 2015-16.