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WRFC: Weekly Round Up & This Weekends activities 12th & 13th April: Men’s 1st XV and Dev XVs finish their league campaigns with wins, Dames narrowly lose.
McLaren Madamombe12 Apr - 12:32
Weekly Newsletter
Last weekend the Men’s 1st XV , Dev XVs, Senior Women and Colts were all in league action, with the Senior Men and Colts finishing their 2024/2025 league campaigns.
Saturday Rugby Review:
Saturday was very much an opportunity for the Men’s 1st XV to celebrate their promotion and end their league campaign in style against Reading Abbey 1st XV who they were fortunate to beat at the start of this season. The Men’s Dev XV were looking for revenge after defeat against Reading Abbey 2nd XV and to secure third place in their respective league.
The club was the busiest it had been for many years as it was a ‘Club Day’ to celebrate the achievements of this season as well as to remember Craig Truter who sadly died recently.
Before the match there was a well attended league lunch at which Duncan Gibb was presented his Volunteer of the Month Award and Jen was presented with a gift to celebrate her birthday.
The Minis and Juniors provided a Guard of Honour for the players. Home Park was then silent with the players, coaches, members and parents and players from the Minis and Juniors standing for a minute silence in remembrance of Craig.
When the Men’s 1st XV match kicked off it was evident that the side wanted to finish in style and give a big home crowd plenty to smile about.
In the first half they ran in 7 tries and conceded two ensuring Windsor had a healthy 45 points to 10 lead.
The second half was in contrast quite a quiet affair with victory secured. Windsor still went to score 4 more tries.
Final Score Windsor Men’s 1st XV 69, Reading Abbey 1st XV 10.
Parfitt Cresswell Player of the Match: Luke Budd.
Cattle Grid Player of the Month: Gareth Gibson.
The Dev XV with a very strong squad as availability was very good this weekend beat Reading Abbey 2nd XV 34 Points to 19 to secure third place in Counties 3 BBO League South. This was the best finish for a number of seasons. Well done to Alexander Cook and all the players that put on the Windsor RFC shirt this season. Many thanks also to Chris Cook for supporting the side all season.
Dev XV Player of the Match: Josh Turley
After the matches Dave McAteer , representing South West RFU, presented 3rd XV Captain Neil Baggett with the Shield for winning BBO Counties 4 League South this season.
Club Captain Allen Crawshaw and Vice -Captain Ben Grant- Adamson were then presented with 2 magnums of champagne for all the players to celebrate a very successful season for the Senior Men’s Section.
The celebration went on long into the night with Penny Brass, including Billy Porter who had played 80 minutes of rugby beforehand, entertaining a full clubhouse.
A memorable night!
Sunday Rugby Review:
Last Sunday the Senior Women travelled to Hendon to play second placed Hampstead Ladies 2nd XV who are second in their NC2 South East ( North West) league expecting a hard match.
The Senior Women struggled in the first half but fought back in the second half to lose narrowly.
The Colts Extra XV entertained Shipston On Stour RFC Colts, who are top of OBB Colts Division 3 league, for their last league match of the season. The Colts put in a strong performance and again lost narrowly.
The U13s were also in Berkshire Cup Final Action. The A Team narrowly lost in the final of the Berkshire Cup to Maidenhead. The B Team, however, won their respective cup.
Many congratulations to the U13 players and coaches on a successful season.
Report from Olivia Brooke Women’s Social Media Manager.
Hampstead Ladies II 37 – 29 Windsor Dames
Under a bright, spring sun and on firm ground at Hendon RFC, the Windsor Dames lined up against Hampstead Ladies II — second in the league. With the Dames sitting bottom of the table, this had all the makings of a tough day out. But what unfolded was something else entirely: a performance full of heart, fight and flashes of real brilliance.
The first half was, in truth, not the game we came to play. We started tentatively, struggling to find our shape and rhythm while Hampstead took early advantage putting points on the board and we spent much of the half on the back foot. But even then, there were moments of promise — with Cherelle powering over for a try and Lily slicing through to add another. The scoreboard may not have been in our favour, but the belief was starting to build.
It was after halftime, though, that the real Dames showed up.
The second half saw a complete shift in tempo and intent. Our defence became more aggressive and Hampstead, who had looked so composed earlier, suddenly found themselves stifled. They were met with quicker line speed and a defensive line that simply refused to give them space. The pressure began to tell — mistakes crept in, and we were there to capitalise.
As the defence locked down, our attack came alive. The carries grew stronger, support lines tighter, and the whole squad began to play with the kind of confidence and creativity we know we’re capable of. Most importantly, we started to have fun — and that’s when the magic happens for the Dames.
Captain Flossie led from the front with a hard-earned try, Lily bagged a stunning second and Jodie tore through the defence for another well-worked score. Beth stayed composed at the tee, adding the extras and keeping us in the hunt. Suddenly, it was game on, a full-on second-half comeback from the team at the bottom of the table, rattling the league’s second-place side.
For a while it felt like the game could swing our way. But despite the momentum shift and a huge final effort, Hampstead managed to hold on in the dying minutes. Full time came a little too soon for us, but the fight, passion, and flair shown in that second half will stick with us long after the whistle. Hampstead knew they’d been in a battle and the Dames walked off that pitch having shown exactly what we’re made of.
A tough result, but full of positives. Onward, Dames – heads high and eyes on the next battle.
Parfitt Cresswell Player of the match - Lily Cox.
Report from Jason Stone Colts Manager:
Windsor Colts Extra XV. 24. Shipston on Stour A RFC 31
Windsor Colts welcomed Shipston on Stour RFC to Windsor RFC for the final weekend of OBB league action. Our visitors were flying high in OBB Div 3, running only one team, dominating the competition this season, arriving at Home Park unbeaten all season. Windsor fielded a strong Extra XV team, but respecting the OBB regulations rested more than 15 players from the regular 1st XV squad. On a warm sunny day, with an unforgiving pitch, more of a concern was getting the boys through a tough game unscathed with the hard ground.
From the get-go, Shipston put our Colts under immediate pressure and dominated early exchanges. Windsor defended well, and kept the visitors at bay, before a break against the run of play put Windsor on the attack. Several phases later and Joe Rodgers drove over from short range to register a good try, converted by Albert Nandan for a 7-0 lead on 10mins. However, Shipston hit back quickly with a break from their centre leading to an unconverted score (7-5), and then on 19 mins Shipston crossing again for a converted try to take the lead 7-12. An evenly contested half then pursued with no further scores, until just before the break, some nice Windsor interplay opened up, and Albert Nandan went over to level the score 12-12.
The second half started strongly and 3 mins in, Charlie Hedley broke free to dive over of Windsor’s 3rd try, and restore the lead 17-12. 10 mins later, and concerted Windsor pressure, and Joe Rodgers went over to register his brace of tries, converted by Nandan for a good 24-12 lead. Unfortunately Shipston continued to press and then registered two quick tries, and with one converted pull backed to 24-24. Windsor were in game, and with injuries impacting the cohesiveness, a final converted try by our visitors took back the lead 24-31, with the clock ticking down. Windsor set about getting that final score, and after a period of pressure, James Gibb crossed the whitewash for what looked like a good score under posts. However the referee deemed the ball held up - no try! That was last opportunity and the whistle concluded the game with a narrow one try defeat.
A good physical game snatched a way from our Colts Extra XV, but our heads held high against a strong team who probably should be playing their rugby a league higher.
This Weekend’s Rugby Activity:
This weekend the Senior Women are in the cup. The Senior Men have withdrawn from the Papa Johns Cup as player availability was poor for their fixture away at Brunel University.
Planning will now start for the 2025/2026 season when the Men’s 1st XV will again be playing in the London leagues which will be a big step up from this seasons league campaign.
Windsor should find out in the near future on which sides they will be playing against next season.
Sunday 13th April 2025:
* Windsor Dames HOME vs Okehampton Ladies ( Papa Johns Junior Plate Semi Final). Kick Off 2.30pm
Minis and Junior Schedule:
· U6 & U7 - Home Training – 10.00 to 11.00am
· U8 to U12 - Home Training - 9:30 to 11.00am
· U13 to U15 - Home training - 11:30 to 1.00pm
· U16s – AWAY vs Bracknell ( Friendly)
· Damsels – Home Training 9.30 – 11.00am
Dates for your diary:
* Saturday 7th June 2025:
* We are returning to the Castle Hotel for the End of Season Dinner Dance following last years successful and enjoyable event. It will follow the same format with a welcome drink, 3 course dinner and live music from Euphoria Rock who played at last year’s event.
* Tickets now on sale – please book your tickets as capacity is limited!
* For more information see link below:
WRFC Dinner & Dance June 2025 - Windsor Rugby Club shop
Guinness Womens Six Nations.
Come and Watch the Women’s Six Guinness Six Nationsat Windsor RFC!
Windsor RFC will be showing the following Guinness Six Nations live in the clubhouse next weekend.
* Saturday 12th April 2025.
* Ireland vs England ( Kick Off 4.45pm).
* Bar Open from 4.00pm.
* Kitchen will be closed so please bring your own food!
* Sunday 13th April 2025;
* Scotland vs Italy ( Kick Off 3.00pm).
Please note that the Women Six Nations on the weekend of the 19th & 20th April will not be shown at the clubhouse as its Easter Weekend.
Good luck to the Dames in their cup semi final. I know that the players and the coaches will welcome any support on the touchline on Sunday afternoon.
.
Have a great rugby weekend.
Michael Crawshaw WINDSOR RFC Chair
On behalf of the General Management Committee
Saturday Rugby Review:
Saturday was very much an opportunity for the Men’s 1st XV to celebrate their promotion and end their league campaign in style against Reading Abbey 1st XV who they were fortunate to beat at the start of this season. The Men’s Dev XV were looking for revenge after defeat against Reading Abbey 2nd XV and to secure third place in their respective league.
The club was the busiest it had been for many years as it was a ‘Club Day’ to celebrate the achievements of this season as well as to remember Craig Truter who sadly died recently.
Before the match there was a well attended league lunch at which Duncan Gibb was presented his Volunteer of the Month Award and Jen was presented with a gift to celebrate her birthday.
The Minis and Juniors provided a Guard of Honour for the players. Home Park was then silent with the players, coaches, members and parents and players from the Minis and Juniors standing for a minute silence in remembrance of Craig.
When the Men’s 1st XV match kicked off it was evident that the side wanted to finish in style and give a big home crowd plenty to smile about.
In the first half they ran in 7 tries and conceded two ensuring Windsor had a healthy 45 points to 10 lead.
The second half was in contrast quite a quiet affair with victory secured. Windsor still went to score 4 more tries.
Final Score Windsor Men’s 1st XV 69, Reading Abbey 1st XV 10.
Parfitt Cresswell Player of the Match: Luke Budd.
Cattle Grid Player of the Month: Gareth Gibson.
The Dev XV with a very strong squad as availability was very good this weekend beat Reading Abbey 2nd XV 34 Points to 19 to secure third place in Counties 3 BBO League South. This was the best finish for a number of seasons. Well done to Alexander Cook and all the players that put on the Windsor RFC shirt this season. Many thanks also to Chris Cook for supporting the side all season.
Dev XV Player of the Match: Josh Turley
After the matches Dave McAteer , representing South West RFU, presented 3rd XV Captain Neil Baggett with the Shield for winning BBO Counties 4 League South this season.
Club Captain Allen Crawshaw and Vice -Captain Ben Grant- Adamson were then presented with 2 magnums of champagne for all the players to celebrate a very successful season for the Senior Men’s Section.
The celebration went on long into the night with Penny Brass, including Billy Porter who had played 80 minutes of rugby beforehand, entertaining a full clubhouse.
A memorable night!
Sunday Rugby Review:
Last Sunday the Senior Women travelled to Hendon to play second placed Hampstead Ladies 2nd XV who are second in their NC2 South East ( North West) league expecting a hard match.
The Senior Women struggled in the first half but fought back in the second half to lose narrowly.
The Colts Extra XV entertained Shipston On Stour RFC Colts, who are top of OBB Colts Division 3 league, for their last league match of the season. The Colts put in a strong performance and again lost narrowly.
The U13s were also in Berkshire Cup Final Action. The A Team narrowly lost in the final of the Berkshire Cup to Maidenhead. The B Team, however, won their respective cup.
Many congratulations to the U13 players and coaches on a successful season.
Report from Olivia Brooke Women’s Social Media Manager.
Hampstead Ladies II 37 – 29 Windsor Dames
Under a bright, spring sun and on firm ground at Hendon RFC, the Windsor Dames lined up against Hampstead Ladies II — second in the league. With the Dames sitting bottom of the table, this had all the makings of a tough day out. But what unfolded was something else entirely: a performance full of heart, fight and flashes of real brilliance.
The first half was, in truth, not the game we came to play. We started tentatively, struggling to find our shape and rhythm while Hampstead took early advantage putting points on the board and we spent much of the half on the back foot. But even then, there were moments of promise — with Cherelle powering over for a try and Lily slicing through to add another. The scoreboard may not have been in our favour, but the belief was starting to build.
It was after halftime, though, that the real Dames showed up.
The second half saw a complete shift in tempo and intent. Our defence became more aggressive and Hampstead, who had looked so composed earlier, suddenly found themselves stifled. They were met with quicker line speed and a defensive line that simply refused to give them space. The pressure began to tell — mistakes crept in, and we were there to capitalise.
As the defence locked down, our attack came alive. The carries grew stronger, support lines tighter, and the whole squad began to play with the kind of confidence and creativity we know we’re capable of. Most importantly, we started to have fun — and that’s when the magic happens for the Dames.
Captain Flossie led from the front with a hard-earned try, Lily bagged a stunning second and Jodie tore through the defence for another well-worked score. Beth stayed composed at the tee, adding the extras and keeping us in the hunt. Suddenly, it was game on, a full-on second-half comeback from the team at the bottom of the table, rattling the league’s second-place side.
For a while it felt like the game could swing our way. But despite the momentum shift and a huge final effort, Hampstead managed to hold on in the dying minutes. Full time came a little too soon for us, but the fight, passion, and flair shown in that second half will stick with us long after the whistle. Hampstead knew they’d been in a battle and the Dames walked off that pitch having shown exactly what we’re made of.
A tough result, but full of positives. Onward, Dames – heads high and eyes on the next battle.
Parfitt Cresswell Player of the match - Lily Cox.
Report from Jason Stone Colts Manager:
Windsor Colts Extra XV. 24. Shipston on Stour A RFC 31
Windsor Colts welcomed Shipston on Stour RFC to Windsor RFC for the final weekend of OBB league action. Our visitors were flying high in OBB Div 3, running only one team, dominating the competition this season, arriving at Home Park unbeaten all season. Windsor fielded a strong Extra XV team, but respecting the OBB regulations rested more than 15 players from the regular 1st XV squad. On a warm sunny day, with an unforgiving pitch, more of a concern was getting the boys through a tough game unscathed with the hard ground.
From the get-go, Shipston put our Colts under immediate pressure and dominated early exchanges. Windsor defended well, and kept the visitors at bay, before a break against the run of play put Windsor on the attack. Several phases later and Joe Rodgers drove over from short range to register a good try, converted by Albert Nandan for a 7-0 lead on 10mins. However, Shipston hit back quickly with a break from their centre leading to an unconverted score (7-5), and then on 19 mins Shipston crossing again for a converted try to take the lead 7-12. An evenly contested half then pursued with no further scores, until just before the break, some nice Windsor interplay opened up, and Albert Nandan went over to level the score 12-12.
The second half started strongly and 3 mins in, Charlie Hedley broke free to dive over of Windsor’s 3rd try, and restore the lead 17-12. 10 mins later, and concerted Windsor pressure, and Joe Rodgers went over to register his brace of tries, converted by Nandan for a good 24-12 lead. Unfortunately Shipston continued to press and then registered two quick tries, and with one converted pull backed to 24-24. Windsor were in game, and with injuries impacting the cohesiveness, a final converted try by our visitors took back the lead 24-31, with the clock ticking down. Windsor set about getting that final score, and after a period of pressure, James Gibb crossed the whitewash for what looked like a good score under posts. However the referee deemed the ball held up - no try! That was last opportunity and the whistle concluded the game with a narrow one try defeat.
A good physical game snatched a way from our Colts Extra XV, but our heads held high against a strong team who probably should be playing their rugby a league higher.
This Weekend’s Rugby Activity:
This weekend the Senior Women are in the cup. The Senior Men have withdrawn from the Papa Johns Cup as player availability was poor for their fixture away at Brunel University.
Planning will now start for the 2025/2026 season when the Men’s 1st XV will again be playing in the London leagues which will be a big step up from this seasons league campaign.
Windsor should find out in the near future on which sides they will be playing against next season.
Sunday 13th April 2025:
* Windsor Dames HOME vs Okehampton Ladies ( Papa Johns Junior Plate Semi Final). Kick Off 2.30pm
Minis and Junior Schedule:
· U6 & U7 - Home Training – 10.00 to 11.00am
· U8 to U12 - Home Training - 9:30 to 11.00am
· U13 to U15 - Home training - 11:30 to 1.00pm
· U16s – AWAY vs Bracknell ( Friendly)
· Damsels – Home Training 9.30 – 11.00am
Dates for your diary:
* Saturday 7th June 2025:
* We are returning to the Castle Hotel for the End of Season Dinner Dance following last years successful and enjoyable event. It will follow the same format with a welcome drink, 3 course dinner and live music from Euphoria Rock who played at last year’s event.
* Tickets now on sale – please book your tickets as capacity is limited!
* For more information see link below:
WRFC Dinner & Dance June 2025 - Windsor Rugby Club shop
Guinness Womens Six Nations.
Come and Watch the Women’s Six Guinness Six Nationsat Windsor RFC!
Windsor RFC will be showing the following Guinness Six Nations live in the clubhouse next weekend.
* Saturday 12th April 2025.
* Ireland vs England ( Kick Off 4.45pm).
* Bar Open from 4.00pm.
* Kitchen will be closed so please bring your own food!
* Sunday 13th April 2025;
* Scotland vs Italy ( Kick Off 3.00pm).
Please note that the Women Six Nations on the weekend of the 19th & 20th April will not be shown at the clubhouse as its Easter Weekend.
Good luck to the Dames in their cup semi final. I know that the players and the coaches will welcome any support on the touchline on Sunday afternoon.
.
Have a great rugby weekend.
Michael Crawshaw WINDSOR RFC Chair
On behalf of the General Management Committee
Further reading