Rugby has been played in Devizes from as early as 1876 and one of our claims to fame is the record of having beaten Bath in 1877. The Club as we know it today was formed at the Bear Hotel on 11 June 1931 and so we were able to celebrate 75 continuous years of rubgy in 2006.
A pitch was found at Nursteed Road and the Club was able to use the old Crown Hotel as its H.Q. until 1956, when the Castle Hotel became the Club's new base. Then, as now, players were in short supply, fund-raising was essential for the Club's progress, but the social side of the Club and events such as the Rugby Ball made the Club's reputation. In 1961 the Club moved pitches to play at Hopton on the outskirts of the town. This saw an improved playing record, capped by the Club winning the Bath 7-a-side Senior Cup for 2 years running in 1962 and again in 1963.
When the Sports Club formed again in 1966 the Rugby Club found its permanent H.Q. there but had to wait several years before playing on the current pitch, which is known as the Chivers Ground after the late Bruce Chivers, which was opened by the England skipper, John Pullin, in 1973.
The Club's outstanding achievements in the 70's include defeating Salisbury twice to lift the coveted Dorset & Wilts K.O. Cup in 1971 and 1973, plus winning the Wiltshire 7's back-to-back in 1972 and 1973. Also, having defeated Camberley, Devizes progressed to the next round of the national knock-out Cup and, on 31 October, 1973, a gutsy performance saw Devizes go down 49 - 6 away to Gloucester at Kingsholm. Gloucester paid Devizes the compliment of fielding their strongest team, which was full of internationals and county players. The 70's also witnessed Charlie's Angels 3XV, the appearance of an over 30's XV, trips to Uden in Holland, and the emergence of an excellent Colts XV that went on to win the County Cup in 1980 - the same year that Devizes won the inaugural season of the Dorset & Wilts Merit Table.
The Club celebrated its golden jubilee in 1981 and a few years later, in 1985, took full possession of the Chivers Ground.
The Club can boast 4 internationals in the late Peter Wright (England and the British Lions), Jon Palmer (England), Andy Stanton (Canada) and Paul Simpson (England). Currently the Club fields 3 regular XVs, runs a Veterans XV and hosts a lively Junior section, which has gone from strength to strength over the years since its introduction in 1974 and has helped develop at least one young England player, namely Simon Whatling, now with Worcester and formerly with Bath, who returned to help coach the youngsters at Devizes when the Club's second pitch was opened in September, 2003.
During the past few seasons the Club has been consolidating its position in the Southern Counties South league and has now prepared a second pitch on land that was recently acquired by the Sports Club with Lottery Funds and assistance from the Rugby Football Foundation, from Awards for All and from Kennet District Council, who continue to be a source of great support for not just the Rugby Club but for all sports in the district. We were among the first Clubs in Dorset & Wiltshire to achieve not only the prestigious RFU "Seal of Approval" but also the highly-valued Sport England "Clubmark" quality assurance accreditation in January, 2006.
The 2011/2012 season saw our second team secure promotion to Dorset & Wilts North 1 (level 8) for the 2012/2013 season. The 1st XV secured a credible 4th spot, narrowly missing out on a promotion playoff in the same season in Southern Counties South.
In the 2012/2013 season the Saddlebacks, buoyed on by their 4th place position in Southern Counties South the previous season, ran out as eventual winners to gain promotion to South West 1 East. On the way, the 1st XV secured impressive victories on the road at Dorchester, Frome, Corsham, Royal Wootton Bassett and Wimborne to lead the way for the majority of the campaign. This was the biggest end to the season in the club's history and the Saddlebacks rounded the title victory off with a narrow home win against fellow promotion challengers Wimborne.
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