CHELTENHAM
SARACENS
CHELTENHAM
SARACENS
Cheltenham Saracens was founded in 1975 after
changing its name from Cheltenham Colt Old Boys.
The rugby club was part of Cheltenham Saracens
Sports Club and when the sports club was moving to a
new club house in 1975 were asked to change its name
to Cheltenham Saracens Rugby Club. We stayed part
of the sports club till 2006.
“With a nice combination
of youth and senior
players the club is looking
forward to a bright future.”
Saracens always had a strong rugby section running
4 senior teams up until the mid-90s. The club started
to struggle between 1998/2003 as we were not
attracting many players. With a lot of rugby clubs in
the Cheltenham area we found ourselves down to one
senior side.
We had a grant from Sport England to renovate our
changing rooms and kitchen. With the work now all
completed the club looks ready to host many more
happy years of rugby.
Due to dropping player numbers the rugby section
decided to break away and open its own club house.
The breakaway came in 2007 and we moved in to our
new club in 2009. Since then things have gone from
strength to strength and we now run 3 senior sides and
sometimes get a 4th out.
With our club house on the same ground as our
pitches, away sides stay for longer after the games
hence our finances are in a lot better shape. We have
two seniors’ pitches with our 1st team pitch barriered off
all round. A balcony was finished in 2011 and gives a
great view of rugby being played on our 1st team pitch.
14
ISSUE 46
With the teams doing well playing numbers have never
been so good. Our 1sts got promoted for the second
time in four years last season. We are now a level 8
club for the first time in our history. We also won our
Cheltenham Combination Senior Cup last season
after a gap of 30 years. The 1sts this year will be lead
again by Jim McMahon who is a former Lydney and
Cheltenham captain. Our 2nd and 3rd teams have won
their Reserve leagues and got promoted many times.
Also they too have won their Combination cups as well.
Our coaches this year are Ollie Morgan and Leroy
Hughes. Ollie who played fullback at Gloucester RFC
takes the roles of backs coach, and Leroy, former
Mosley and Cheltenham, coaches the forwards. With a
nice combination of youth and senior players the club is
looking forward to a bright future.