Gloucestershire Warriors
Encyclopedia
Gloucestershire Warriors RLFC are a rugby league
team from the county of Gloucestershire
in England
. They play in the RLC West of England
division of the Rugby League Conference
and in 2006 made their debut in the Challenge Cup
.
. They played at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham, chosen as the venue for the inaugural Grand Final of the conference. Warriors won the Central Division in their second season in 1999.
In 2000, the club moved to a new home at Chosen Hill Former Pupils RFC and changed its name to the Gloucestershire Warriors to reflect the fact that it was attracting players from throughout the county.
In 2005, the club won the South West Division defeating Somerset Vikings in the final and reached the RLC Regional final; losing to Wetherby Bulldogs. As a result of their efforts in 2005, in 2006 the club was invited to take part in the Challenge Cup
and, despite the early rounds being in the off-season for conference teams, took the opportunity to play in the famous competition. In the preliminary round they were drawn away to Pennine League
team Illingworth
and on a famous day in January beat them by 25-24. In the next round they faced stronger opposition in St. Helens
club Blackbrook, this time at home. The visitors proved too strong but the Warriors gained respectability in the score of 20-36. This cup run gained the club unprecedented national media coverage and augured well for the season in the West Midlands and South West division of the Conference.
The 2006 season saw the Warriors beaten only once in the regular season, finishing top of the West Midlands and South West division and qualifying first for the play-offs. They beat rivals Somerset Vikings
twice in the play-offs to qualify for the national quarter-finals. After a walkover against Broadstairs, they lost a semi-final against Thorne Moor Marauders, the winners of the North Midlands division. Also in 2006, the Sonics finished as runners-up to Liban Espoir in the Bristol & SW Nines.
In 2007 the Warriors stepped up to the Midlands Premier
division, finishing in third place behind Coventry Bears and Nottingham Outlaws, to whom they lost in the play-offs.
The Warriors failed to reach the play-offs in the 2008 season for the first time in many years. The following season the side again failed to reach the post-season play although they did field a number of young players.
The 2010 season saw the Warriors on the move and a new home was found at Old Richians RFC just outside Gloucester. Work off the field stepped up with two junior sides being formed, the Gloucester Meteors and the Cheltenham All Golds with plans to begin a West of England Junior Rugby League. Gloucestershire made their second appearance in the Challenge Cup
, falling 36-32 to the Edinburgh Eagles
in the first round proper.
Gloucestershire Warriors joined the newly formed RLC West of England division for the 2011 season.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team from the county of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They play in the RLC West of England
Rugby League Conference South West Division
The Rugby League Conference South West Division is a division in the Rugby League Conference, an amateur rugby league competition with sides from across Britain...
division of the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
and in 2006 made their debut in the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
.
History
Cheltenham Warriors were formed in 1997 and took part in the second season of the Rugby League ConferenceRugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. They played at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham, chosen as the venue for the inaugural Grand Final of the conference. Warriors won the Central Division in their second season in 1999.
In 2000, the club moved to a new home at Chosen Hill Former Pupils RFC and changed its name to the Gloucestershire Warriors to reflect the fact that it was attracting players from throughout the county.
In 2005, the club won the South West Division defeating Somerset Vikings in the final and reached the RLC Regional final; losing to Wetherby Bulldogs. As a result of their efforts in 2005, in 2006 the club was invited to take part in the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
and, despite the early rounds being in the off-season for conference teams, took the opportunity to play in the famous competition. In the preliminary round they were drawn away to Pennine League
Pennine League
The Pennine Amateur Rugby League, or Pennine League is a rugby league competition for amateur open-age clubs that runs from September to April. The clubs are drawn from West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the east of Lancashire....
team Illingworth
Illingworth
-People:*Frederick Illingworth, Australian politician.*John Illingworth, English footballer*Nigel Illingworth, English cricketer*Ray Illingworth, English cricketer.*Richard Illingworth, English cricketer.*Simon Illingworth, Australian anti-corruption spokesman....
and on a famous day in January beat them by 25-24. In the next round they faced stronger opposition in St. Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
club Blackbrook, this time at home. The visitors proved too strong but the Warriors gained respectability in the score of 20-36. This cup run gained the club unprecedented national media coverage and augured well for the season in the West Midlands and South West division of the Conference.
The 2006 season saw the Warriors beaten only once in the regular season, finishing top of the West Midlands and South West division and qualifying first for the play-offs. They beat rivals Somerset Vikings
Somerset Vikings
Somerset Vikings RLFC are a rugby league team from the county of Somerset in England. They play in the South West Division of the Rugby League Conference.The team play at North Petherton rugby club...
twice in the play-offs to qualify for the national quarter-finals. After a walkover against Broadstairs, they lost a semi-final against Thorne Moor Marauders, the winners of the North Midlands division. Also in 2006, the Sonics finished as runners-up to Liban Espoir in the Bristol & SW Nines.
In 2007 the Warriors stepped up to the Midlands Premier
Rugby League Conference Midlands Premier
The Rugby League Conference Midlands Premier is a division in the Rugby League Conference. It is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the English Midlands.It was first contested in 2006. Many of the clubs run juniors in the Midlands Junior League....
division, finishing in third place behind Coventry Bears and Nottingham Outlaws, to whom they lost in the play-offs.
The Warriors failed to reach the play-offs in the 2008 season for the first time in many years. The following season the side again failed to reach the post-season play although they did field a number of young players.
The 2010 season saw the Warriors on the move and a new home was found at Old Richians RFC just outside Gloucester. Work off the field stepped up with two junior sides being formed, the Gloucester Meteors and the Cheltenham All Golds with plans to begin a West of England Junior Rugby League. Gloucestershire made their second appearance in the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
, falling 36-32 to the Edinburgh Eagles
Edinburgh Eagles
The Edinburgh Eagles are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They play in the Scotland Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
in the first round proper.
Gloucestershire Warriors joined the newly formed RLC West of England division for the 2011 season.
Club honours
- RLC Western Division: 1999
- RLC South West Division: 2005
- RLC West Midlands and South West Division: 2006
- RLC West of England: 2011