MATCH DAY Programme th
24 Oct 2026
Witney II v Tadley
Witney RFC Sat 24th Oct 2026 KO 3 pm
Newbury
VS
Witney
KO 3 pm
Witney II
VS
Abingdon
KO 3 pm
Witney III
VS Farringdon
Witney RFC Sat 24th Oct 2026 KO 12.30 pm
Newbury Blues
VS
wizards
Sun 25th Oct 2026 KO 11.00 am
Old Cents
VS
U14s
11.00 am
RW Bassett
VS
U 16s
Chairman’s Welcome Our First Team are on the road to Newbury, with our Wizards for company, it falls to our Vipers and Barmy Army to provide the entertainment here at Hailey Road. Our Vipers welcome Abingdon, whilst our Threes entertain Faringdon. Both visiting teams are no strangers to Hailey Road and, as always, we hope players and supporters alike enjoy the rugby, the day and the hospitality on offer in our amazing clubhouse post-match. Away from today’s action, I’d also like to remind our sponsors, club members and players about the Club’s England ticket allocation. We still have tickets available for the Nations Championship in November: Japan on the 14th, as well as the Finals Weekend on the 28th and 29th. I’m particularly excited about Finals Weekend, with two games each day and four great games of rugby to look forward to. We won’t know the exact matchups until Saturday evening, the 21st, but it promises to be a fantastic weekend of rugby. So, back to today: enjoy the game, enjoy the bar, respect the officials and each other, and most of all, have fun! Andy Merriman Chairman Witney RFC
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!
Newbury v 1st XV Sat 24th Oct 3 PM KO 1 Daniel Wilson* 2 Ryan Harris* 3 Dan Webb* 4 Cam Ayris* 5 Matt Webb* (C) 6 Gareth Jenkins* 7 Josh Rihan* 8 Ross Sinclair 9 Ollie Walker* 10 Charlie Dunbar* 11 Reuben Owen* 12 Cam Brown 13 Callum Jones 14 Ollie Toner* 15 Sam Turberville* Replacements: 16 Sam Winstone* 17 Conrad Holmes 18 Ethan Clark*
Coaches: James Lamb* Matt Clarke Robbie Richardson Team Manager: Simon Copperwheat Physio: Ella Dawkins Officials: TBC *Denotes WRFC Mini & Juniors Player Players in Blue on Front cover
1st Things First! Witney 14. : 57 Chippenham Not quite the result the home crowd were looking for, but no surprise either as Chippenham continue to hold their place at the top of the table. Plenty of positives from a coach’s perspective, especially Josh Rihan who never gave up putting his body on the line and carrying strongly to earn him a well-deserved Man of the Match. Our points came from Reuben Owen and Josh Rihan crossing the line whilst Charlie Dunbar added both kicks from the tee. This week our Boys are on the road to Newbury Blues. Newbury are sitting in the relegation zone having lost 4 from 4, but when you look at who they’ve played thus far, Matson, Cleve, Longlevens and Thornbury, you can understand why they currently sit pointless. Newbury edged both games home and away last season, so this will be no walk in the park for our travelling Firsts, but it is one we can win so let’s get behind our Boys in Black and Blue.
1st Things First!
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.
PLAYER SPONSORS
DAN WEBB
DENNIS NORRIDGE
GEORGE BOSWELL
MARC COPPERWHEAT & JACK GODFREY
ACADEMY PLAYER
STEVE ALDRIDGE
JON DERRICK
JOSH RHIAN
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. Your 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!
PLAYER SPONSORS
ACADEMY PLAYER
SAM TURBERVILLE
IAN LOUGHBOROUGH
TOM GAFNEY
WILL KING
ACADEMY PLAYER
OLLIE DAWKINS
PLAYER SPONSORS
ZACH WAY
AILSA SHAW
ACADEMY PLAYER
ACADEMY PLAYER
ACADEMY PLAYER
Vipers XV v Abingdon Sat 24th Oct 3 PM KO 1 Alex Bellenie Coaches: 2 James Merriman* Wayne Caffekey* 3 Adam Nobbs* Gareth ‘Snaz’ Campbell* Manager : 4 Will Phair* Seth Scarffe 5 Zack Way* Physio: 6 Callum Cope* 7 Charlie Gardner* (C) Hannah Foggett 8 John Mason 9 Charlie Penton* Officials: 10Liam Cook Alex Bond 11Josh Whitehead* 12Jon Derrick (VC) *Denotes WRFC Mini 13Ollie Dawkins & Juniors Player 14Ben Dunkley* Players in Blue on 15 Ben Dilks* Replacements: 16 Tom Young 17Jack Daubeney 18rhys MOrgan* 19 George Smith*
Front cover
20 Sam Palmer (Debut)
2 Be or not 2 Be! THE VIPERS After an extended break, our Vipers are back in action today as they welcome Abingdon to Hailey Road. Our Oxfordshire rivals sit just one place above the Boys, having played a couple more matches and picked up a win against a struggling Stow-on-the-Wold side. So far, the Vipers have faced only the top two teams in the league, both unbeaten, so the lads will be hoping that home advantage can give them the edge today. This is a great opportunity for our Vipers to get their season up and running, so why not get yourself down to Hailey Road, wear the Black and Blue, and get behind our amazing Vipers?
Why Choose Us? We are a family run business and Chris, the companies director has over 20 years of experience in the trade working with both the larger commercial developments and the smaller domestic sector. We take pride in delivering a quality service to all our customers. We are WIAPS approved with New roads and street works licenses. Call us today Tel: 07429552485 Enquiries@cbfgroundwork.com https://cbfgroundwork.com/home
Come & Watch Rugby @Witney RFC! October 2026 3rd
Witney Vipers 2 6 : 40 Tadley Witney III 36 : 17 Gosford All Blacks II
10th
Witney 34 : 22 Royal Wootton Bassett II
17th
Witney 14 : 57 Chippenham
24th
Witney Vipers v Abingdon Witney III v Farringdon
31st
Witney v Cleve
Chairman’s Lunch
November 2026 All KOs 3pm unless otherwise annotated COME ALONG AND SUPPORT THE BLACK AND BLUE!
PLAYER SPONSORS
ANGUS BROWN
BEN REED
CALLUM COPE
CHARLIE BOWYER
CHARLIE DUNBAR
CONNOR PUMMERY
PLAYER SPONSORS
DAVID WILLIS ACADEMY PLAYER
MATT WEBB
LIAM COOK
LESTYN ROGERSWILLIAMS
ANDY NICHOLSON
OLIVER NICHOLSON
OLLIE TONER
3rd XV v Farringdon Sat 24th Oct 3 PM KO 1 Rikki Dore* 2 Lee Taylor Coaches: 3Mark Fuller* Ben McPherson 4 Blaine Eason Chris Cope 5 Ian Burton Adam Copperwheat 6 Dan Tyrell Manager: 7 Si Morris Pete Holiday Physio: 8 Luke Jackson* Sarah Mead 9 Monty Hinge Officials: 10 Nick Dawkins Nomtha Gray 11 Kieran Flack *Denotes WRFC Mini 12Cal Godfrey* & Juniors Player 13Jack Strong* Players in Blue on 14Alex Maillet Front cover 15Luke Manning* Replacements: 16 Andrew Laurie 20 Leigh Manning* 17 Eddie Alexander* 21 Eamon Doherty 18 Declan Duffy 22 Rob Coe 19 Basil Smith*
Who Shall We 3s Beat Again?
Oxford quins 3rds 18-48 Witney 3rds The Barmy Army Go Marching On! After a tough first half, with the Quins and Witney 3rds trading tries, the Barmy Army went in at the break trailing 18–12. A few changes from the coaches at half-time saw Witney come out for the second half like a rabid animal, tearing into the breakdown and running riot in the loose! The Army’s enthusiasm did, however, see Lee Taylor and Alex Bellerie take an enforced short break courtesy of the referee. But even down to 13 men, the Barmy Army refused to back down and battled their way into the lead! Back to full strength, Witney shifted through the gears, playing some brilliant, eye-catching rugby to pull away and run out convincing 48–18 winners. (36 : 0 in the 2nd half) Tries came from Hinge (2), Whitehead (2), Cope (2), Bellenie and Flack. The whole squad put in a tremendous shift, with standout performances across the team. Unfortunately, we haven’t got enough room to name them all, but a fantastic effort from everyone involved!
Who Shall We 3s Beat Again? Next up: Faringdon at home! A tough test awaits, as the Silverbacks are also unbeaten this season and come into the game on the back of a thumping 61–5 victory over Littlemore. Currently sitting top of the table, having played a game more, Faringdon will be looking to make their mark. This one has all the makings of a proper battle — maybe even one for the ages! One thing’s for sure: the Barmy Army will be ready! We are the Army, the Barmy Barmy Army! Come on, Witney!!!!
https://www.autotyreservices.com
Two Companies, One family. Working together to deliver excellence. TELEPHONE:01993 771853
https://share.google/hNvO3hDzl0x5Zr1sv
October 24th is synonymous with Financial Market crashes. In 1929, Black Thursday saw the Dow Jones Industrial fall 12.8% which triggered the stock market crash of that year, and precipitate the Great Depression. In 2008, Black Friday saw world markets suffer their worst drops in history with indices dropping by over 10%. May I request that you all settle your bar bills and pay your membership up before close of play today and Trump and Putin create Black Saturday! My mate Tony told me never to say his name backwards. I said Y Not?
The future’s Bright Wallingford Colts 0 : 29 Witney Academy Our Academy Team under Richie Craig’s direction, sealed another emphatic win over Wallingford. Our points came from; Ben Duggan x 2 tries, George Phair, Owen Morgan and Aled Ogden with one each. Josh Bowhill bagged one conversion whilst Josh Gibbon bagged another. Aled Ogden was rightly awarded Man of the Match. Onwards and Upwards. Our U16s Cherubs played Old Northants at Ox Quinns but fell 57 : 5 to a well drilled side, Ellie scored a fantastic try which rightly earned her Player of the Match. Our U14s Cherubs faired rather better travelling to Milton Keynes and putting on an excellent show romping home 19 : 53. Eliza and Baylee sharing Player of the Match honours. At Hailey Road our U15s boys welcomed Banbury whilst out minis welcomed Stow minis. A lot of effort. a lot of fun, and a lot of Hot Dogs consumed.
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: Home Training Under 7s: Home Training Under 8s: Home Training Under 9s: Home Training Under 10s: Home Training Under 11s: Home Training Under 12s: Home Training Juniors Under 13s. Home Training. Pitch 5 Under 14s Away to Old Cents. 11am KO Under 15s Home Training Under 16s Away at Royal Wootton Bassett. 11 am KO
Welcome to our Dry Cleaning and Laundry service! With over 170 years of combined leadership experience, our team of textile experts have built up a wide knowledge of dry cleaning and has developed strong relationships with manufacturers worldwide, giving us access to a wide variety of textiles and products.
Welcome to Motorfix car repairs and sales. We are a family run business with over fifty years of automotive experience offering a friendly and professional service backed up with great customer care. MOTORFIX WITNEY Unit 2/3, Wessex Industrial estate, Ave Three, Station Ln, Witney OX28 4BT TEL: 01993700776
Newbury Faded Blues v
Witney Wizards Saturday 24th Oct, KO 1230 pm John Hughes Sarah Algar Jeremy Hugo Dave Lewis Mike West Matt Burke Russell Simpson Richie Crane Derrick Fox Barry Cooper Gareth Lewis (C) Mike Edworthy Dean Pinnell
Wandering Wizards Today, our team of ageing protagonists will mount their mobility scooters and embark on the long trek down the A34 to do battle with Newbury's faded Blues. Well, perhaps more brittle than battle! The two teams have met on several previous occasions. Fair to say that Newbury are just about edging it in the try-scoring stakes, but the Wizards are comfortably ahead in the more important competition: pints consumed.
🍺
Kick-off is at 12:30, giving both teams plenty of time to shower, medicate, and recover sufficiently to be ready for the main event: the First Team clash at 3pm. If you're heading down for the First Team game anyway, why not arrive early and lend a hand? Bring along some Deep Heat, Fixodent and Anusol, and you could land yourself the coveted role of Wizard Physio. What an opportunity for someone with medical ambitions! Previous experience of plumbing, joinery or structural engineering would be an advantage. Good luck, Wizards! We'll be praying for a bit of magic. You'll certainly need it!
🧙♂️🏉
Witney Can Do Magic! Join The Witney Wizards Witney RFC Walking Rugby. The Witney Wizards is a group of older players, some with no previous rugby playing experience, all with one aim, to enjoy some fitness in a happy, social environment. We train once a week on Thursday evenings. Skills sessions, tactics, and competitive games, followed by a Supper Club and a social drink in our Hailey Road Clubhouse. The Wizards welcome people of all ages and backgrounds; we do have female players but could always do with more. The Wizards have played competitive matches at home and away, always draws a big crowd and above all else, is always fun. Think this is for you? Why not come along and give it a Try! 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.
Lawn Mowing Driveways & Patios Fencing Turfing Pergolas Garden Walls
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
Design Modelling Analysis Costing Construction
Building Science, Attaining Excellence
est. 1965
Thank you for your continued support For all updates, team news, fixtures, match photos and more...
Witney RFC witneyrfc_official WitneyRFC Witney Rugby Football Club witney_official_r witneyrugbyclub.bsky.social
Witney RFC
Phone: 01993 771043 Email: admin@witneyrugby.co.uk Website: www.witneyrugby.co.uk Address: Hailey Road, OX29 9UH
Editorial: Any comments on the content, or you wish to contribute, contact: ian.loughborough@witnetrugby.co.uk