Morley R.F.C.
Full name | Morley Rugby Football Club | |
---|---|---|
Union | Yorkshire RFU | |
Nickname(s) | Maroons | |
Founded | 1878 | |
Location | Morley, West Yorkshire, England | |
Ground(s) | Scatcherd Lane | |
Chairman | Robyn Richmond | |
President | David Richmond | |
Coach(es) | Colin Stephens, Mark Burrow, John Firth | |
Captain(s) | Craig Field | |
Most caps | 2 flat caps | |
Top scorer | Craig Field | |
League(s) | North 1 East | |
2019–20 | 6th | |
| ||
Official website | ||
www |
Morley Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club based in Morley, West Yorkshire. England. The club are famous for playing in a maroon kit and thus are nicknamed "The Maroons". They currently play in North 1 East, a level six league in the English rugby union league system, following their relegation at the end of the 2017-18 season.
Club history
Morley played and won its first match on the 9 November 1878, against Dewsbury Birkdale. Morley was a member of the Northern Union, however, when the Northern Union clubs broke away from the RFU to form what is now rugby league, the Morley representatives missed the train to Huddersfield as they were still in the pub. As a result, Morley remained with the RFU and rugby union.
Ben Gronow was the coach for Morley R.F.C. in the 1930s, however when a history of the club was produced some years later, due to his previous rugby league associations, he was identified as 'unknown' in a team photograph.[1]
When the club won the
When Morley celebrated its centenary in 1978, a rugby ball bearing the club's foundation date replaced the maxim Industria Omnia Vincit (Work Conquers All) beneath the shield.
Morley have won the
In the early 1990s the club climbed to the national second division (which is now
2005 was a historic year for Morley as they defeated
In 2005–06 the club was promoted as champions from the
In the 2006–07 season the team finished 6th in the league (a mid-table position). However, in the 2007–08 season Morley were relegated from
In the 2009–10 season Morley had an excellent season, losing just 3 league games. As a result, they finished top of the league and gained promotion into
Recent seasons have been less kind to the club and they were soon back in National 3 North and have been relegated again and for the 2012–13 season found themselves in the sixth tier, North 1 East. Since then they have been a "yo-yo" team, going between levels five and six. Each relegation brought instant promotion (albeit via the playoffs) but Morley has been unable to consolidate their position at level five and are once again (2018-19) at level 6, North 1 East.
Notable former players
- New Zealand Natives on 16 February 1889 at Rectory Field, Blackheath, London, and in 1890 against Scotland, and Ireland.
- Kenneth Hirst
- Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.) in 1905 against Other Nationalities.
- John Shooter, won caps for England (RU) while at Morley R.F.C. in 1899 against Ireland, and Scotland, and in 1900 against Ireland, and Scotland.
- 1992 Challenge Cupfinal.
- John Orwin, former England captain, played for and captained Morley gaining promotion to the 1991–92 Courage League National Division Two.[2]
- Craig Emmerson was the first player to ever have a transfer fee paid for them when he moved from Morley to Premiership club Gloucester Rugby in 1995 just as professionalism had been passed by World Rugby. [3]
- Dan McFarland played for Morley before playing professionally with Richmond, Stade Français and Connacht. He went on to become assistant coach of the Scotland national rugby union team and head coach of Ulster Rugby. [4]
- Scott Benton played for Morley before moving to Premiership club Gloucester Rugby in 1997 and winning 1 cap for England.[5]
- Thomas Isherwood played a season at Morley before making his debut for the Canada Sevens in 2021.[6]
Honours
- Yorkshire Cup winners (11): 1932, 1938, 1939, 1953, 1955, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1996
- Powergen Intermediate Cup winners: 2005
- National League 3 North(formerly North Division 1) champions (2): 2005–06, 2009–10
- North 1 (east v west) promotion playoff winners (2): 2012–13, 2015–16
References
- ISBN 978-1-905326-30-3
- ^ Article from 'The Independent', 20 September 1998: "Orwin's country pursuit"
- ^ Craig Emmerson joins coaching team [1]
- ^ Article from 'The Irish Times', May 4, 2019 "Learning a key factor in Dan McFarland’s Ulster growth plan"
- ^ Article from 'Morley Observer and Advertiser', 8 October 2003: "Binksy set to play again for Maroons"
- ^ "Thomas Isherwood continues his progress". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 23 July 2023.