Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C. is a rugby union team in the town of Darlington, County Durham. They currently play in the National League Division 3 North. Their former name, Darlington Grammar School Old Boys, was changed when they moved to their current home of Yiewsley Drive in Mowden. A subsequent move, to the West Park development in Darlington, is envisaged in the near future.
Mowden's most famous moment came in 2000, when they reached the last 16 of the Tetley Bitter Cup (now the Powergen Cup), losing 29-8 to Harlequins who were five leagues above them.
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On the 27th June l950 the Club received a letter from the Rugby Football Union which read "I am pleased to inform you that my Committee has accepted the Darlington Grammar School Old Boys R.F.C. as a member of the Rugby Football Union from 1st September l950." This was the first milestone along the road which started in1946 when Old Boys of the Darlington Queen Elizabeth Grammar School - mostly ex-forces - played some scratch games at the end of the l945-46 season, and began the l946-47 season as a properly constituted Club. Thanks to the headmaster we changed at the school and played our games on the school field. Force of circumstances meant we carried out our business and social activities in the Kings Head Hotel.
A combination of pre-war stalwarts and a growing stream of first class school leavers soon produced a very successful side. Winning the Durham County Third and Second Team cups in successive years (1949 and l950) we became a Senior Club. Mowdens first County Cap came in the l950/51 seasons, and our contribution to the County Side grew rapidly until on one celebrated occasion we provided a third of the team. In l954 DMPRFC won the Billingham Seven-a-Side Cup which, at that time, was probably the premier sevens competition in the North East.
Mowden Park moved to Yiewsley Drive, the current home in 1970/71 and it was deemed appropriate, not least because we were no longer an "Old Boys Club", to change our name to Mowden Park R.F.C. This had always had the disadvantage of not being obviously connected to the town of Darlington, so, more recently, with permission, we became Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.
DMPRFC have now played on our present ground for twenty years. However plans have been established to move to a new ground in the West Park which will help the club go forward.
- Darlington Mowden Park RFC (Official Site)
- Local News - Club news from The Northern Echo
