Latest News

NATIONAL LEAGUE 2 EASTView League Table
PRE-SEASON
DateOppositionVenueScore
17-Aug-24EsherH26 - 45
24-Aug-24HarpendenA7 - 52
30-Aug-24BlackheathH12 - 41
NATIONAL EAST LEAGUE 2
DateOppositionVenueScore
07-Sep-24 Colchester H53 - 13
14-Sep-24 Sevenoaks A27 - 14
21-Sep-24 Worthing H49 - 21
28-Sep-24 Guernsey A41 - 23
05-Oct-24 Havant H36 - 31
12-Oct-24 Westcombe Park H39 - 22
19-Oct-24 Tonbridge Juddians A40 - 24
26-Oct-24 Barnes H13 - 22
09-Nov-24 Old Albanian A17 - 54
16-Nov-24 Bury St Edmunds H59 - 35
23-Nov-24 Henley A17 - 16
07-Dec-24 Oxford Harlequins H
14-Dec-24 Dorking A
21-Dec-24 Sevenoaks H
11-Jan-25 Worthing A
18-Jan-25 Guernsey H
25-Jan-25 Havant A
08-Feb-25 Westcombe Park A
15-Feb-25 Tonbridge Juddians H
01-Mar-25 Barnes A
08-Mar-25 Old Albanian H
15-Mar-25 Bury St Edmunds A
22-Mar-15 Henley H
05-Apr-25 Oxford Harlequins A
12-Apr-25 Dorking H
26-Apr-25 Colchester A
WOMEN'S NC 1 SOUTH EAST (SOUTH)View League Table
PRE-SEASON
DateOppositionVenueScore
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH EAST 2
DateOppositionVenueScore
15-Sep-24 Horsham Women A43 - 30
22-Sep-24 Medway ladies H24 - 22
13-Oct-24 Dartford Valley Ladies A75 - 14
20-Oct-24 Heathfield & W Ladies AHWO
10-Nov-24 Jersey RFC Women H58 - 19
24-Nov-24 Pulborough Women A0 - 48
15-Dec-24 Tonbridge Juddian Ladies H
05-Jan-24 Medway ladies A
19-Jan-24 Dartford Valley Ladies H
09-Feb-25 Heathfield & W Ladies H
23-Feb-25 Jersey RFC Women A
09-Mar-25 Pulborough Women H
23-Mar-25 Tonbridge Juddian Ladies A
06-Apr-24 Horsham Women H
COUNTIES 1 KENTView League Table
PRE-SEASON
DateOppositionVenueScore
24-Aug-24Deal and Betteshanger LionsAMATCH CANCELLED
31-Aug-24Gravesend 1stH0 - 10
COUNTIES 1 KENT
DateOppositionVenueScore
07-Sep-24 Crowborough A15 - 21
14-Sep-24 Sevenoaks II H43 - 17
20-Sep-24 Ashford H38 - 7
28-Sep-24 Charlton ParkHHWO
12-Oct-24 Park House A9 - 15
19-Oct-24 Deal & Betteshanger H43 - 7
26-Oct-24 Bromley A35 - 29
09-Nov-24 Beccehamian H45 - 7
16-Nov-24 Dover A25 - 45
23-Nov-24 Cranbrook A0 - 38
07-Dec-24 Heathfield & Waldron H
14-Dec-24 Sevenoaks II A
21-Dec-24 Ashford A
04-Jan-25 Charlton Park A
11-Jan-25 Park House H
18-Jan-25 Deal & Betteshanger A
01-Feb-25Bromley H
15-Feb-25 Beccehamian A
01-Mar-25 Dover H
08-Mar-25 Cranbrook H
22-Mar-25 Heathfield & Waldron A
05-Apr-25 Crowborough H
COUNTIES 4 KENTView League Table
PRE-SEASON
DateOppositionVenueScore
31-Aug-24Gravesend 2H5 - 3
COUNTIES 4 KENT
DateOppositionVenueScore
07-Sep-24 Medway III H60 - 12
14-Sep-24 Sheppey A33 - 44
21-Sep-24 Rye H52 - 33
28-Sep-24 Dartfordians II A26 - 27
12-Oct-24 Old Colfeians II H28 - 17
19-Oct-24 Foots Cray A14 - 31
26-Oct-24 Kings College Hospital H26 - 7
09-Nov-24 Bromley II A13 - 29
16-Nov-24 Cliffe Crusaders H19 - 14
23-Nov-24 Old Williamsonians H12 - 19
07-Dec-24 Faversham A
14-Dec-24 Sheppey H
21-Dec-24 Rye A
04-Jan-25 Dartfordians II H
11-Jan-25 Old Colfeians II A
18-Jan-25 Foots Cray H
01-Feb-25 Kings College Hospital A
15-Feb-25 Bromley II H
01-Mar-25 Cliffe Crusaders A
08-Mar-25 Old Williamsonians A
22-Mar-25 Faversham H
5-AprIl-25 Medway III A
KENT RURAL BView League Table
DateOppositionVenueScore
14-Sep-24 SHEPPEY 2NDS HPP
21-Sep-24 LEIGH 1ST A34 - 46
28-Sep-24 GRAVESEND 3RDS H36 - 24
05-Oct-24 DEAL 2NDS A57 - 24
12-Oct-24 VIGO 2 AHWO
19-Oct-24 MAIDSTONE 2 HAWO
26-Oct-24 THANET 3 A52 - 12
2-Nov-24SHEPPEY 2H19 - 38
09-Nov-24 SITTINGBOURNE 2 H21 - 60
30-Nov-24 LEIGH H35 - 12
14-Dec-24 SHEPPEY 2 A
04-Jan-25 GRAVESEND 3 A
11-Jan-25 VIGO 2 H
18-Jan-25 MAIDSTONE 2 A
25-Jan-25 ASHFORD BARBARIANS H
01-Feb-25 THANET 3 H
15-Feb-25 SITTINGBOURNE 2 A
08-Mar-25 DOVER 3 A
22-Mar-25 ASHFORD BARBARIANS A
05-Apr-25 DEAL 2 H
KENT RURAL CView League Table
DateOppositionVenueScore
14-Sep-24 NEW ASH GREEN 2 HHWO
21-Sep-24 DEAL 3 A10 - 34
05-Oct-24 FAVERSHAM 2 APP
12-Oct-24 FOLKESTONE 3 A56 - 35
19-Oct-24 GRAVESEND 4 A35 - 19
02-Nov-24FAVERSHAM 2NDSA19 - 12
09-Nov-24 OLD GRAVESENDIANS 2 H22 - 29
16-Nov-24 GILLINGHAM 2 APP
23-Nov-24 LORDSWOOD 2 HHWO
30-Nov-24 DEAL 3 H27 - 10
07-Dec-24 WHITSTABLE 2 A
14-Dec-24 NEW ASH GREEN 2 A
11-Jan-25 FOLKESTONE 3 H
25-Jan-25 GRAVESEND 4 H
1-Feb-2025GILLINGHAM 2A
15-Feb-25 OLD GRAVESENDIANS 2 A
01-Mar-25 GILLINGHAM 2 H
08-Mar-25 LORDSWOOD 2 A
29-Mar-25 WHITSTABLE 2 H
05-Apr-25 FAVERSHAM 2 H
DateTeamOppositionVenueScore
TEAMDATEOPPOSITIONVENUESCORE
Men's XV26-Sep-24 Kings Dev XVA7-0
Men's XV05-Oct-24 CRFC Dev XVA40-24
Men's XV10-Oct-24 Kent College 1st XVA37-22
Men's XV17-Oct-24 The Duke of York’s Royal Military School Dev XVA50-0
Men's XV13-Nov-24 Simon LangtonH
Women's XV14-Nov-24 Simon LangtonA
Men's XV28-Nov-24 KingsH
Men's XV4-Dec-24 Canterbury AcademyH
Men's XV12-dec-24 Kent CollegeH

News

David Hallwood 1937-2024

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of former President David Hallwood, one of the club’s outstanding servants.

David was born in the North East and came south from Northumberland to work for Hebden Phillips in 1958 when he joined Canterbury rugby club. By an extraordinary coincidence, this was the club that his father, Dudley Hallwood, had helped to found. Dudley would be the very first captain of the club.

David never became the captain nor did he have the electrifying pace of his father, but he and Tony Redsell, as chairman and secretary, would revitalise Canterbury in the 1970s and lead us to our very first piece of silverware, the Kent Cup in 1975. However, he was always conservative, fighting against plans to make the club a multi-sports venue, always on the fence about juniors and don’t talk about logos and merchandising!

David played fly half, his kicking prowess bringing him into the 1st XV ranks in the early 1960s. But his great contribution was to a stellar ‘A’ XV in the 1960s – it only became named the Pilgrims after he stood down. He hung up his boots on numerous occasions only to make more comebacks than Sinatra. The secretary, Martin Osborne, summed up his qualities: ‘his ability to instill doubts into any new referee on the conduct of the opposing team’ and ‘his devastating tackling’. The former was undoubtedly true, although the pristine state of his knees at the end of matches cast doubt on the latter.

David was a committee member from his earliest days at the club, first as social secretary in 1960 where he and Peter Cooke were in a job-share, a combination that Osborne described as successful ‘albeit with some disregard for organisation but somehow managing to come out on the right side’. His ability with language meant that he was soon roped in as press secretary. On the committee, David sourced eight barrel chairs and four barrel tables together with a refrigerator from a pub closure. These were the basic furniture of the club for decades.

In May 1973 he took over the role of secretary, working in partnership with chair, Tony Redsell. One immediate change was a larger format fixture card with a list of VPs in proper alphabetical order. In stark contrast to Osborne, his minutes were always compendious and his excellent annual reports full and detailed. His reading of the minutes was the highlight of many a lengthy committee meeting. Over the next ten years, the minutes reveal an insistence on the club’s reputation for hospitality. There are letters from visiting officials, clubs, referees thanking the club. David kept up a lively and informal correspondence with other clubs about their achievements, their bad behaviour, fixtures cancelled or with people who had helped (or hindered) the club in some way or another. He became well known on the club supper circuit as a polished and witty after dinner speaker. It all boosted the club’s reputation.

In 1979, he masterminded the club’s 50th Jubilee Season and gave a brilliantly funny speech at the Westgate Hall. Taking over as president from Philip Wacher, his way with language could always be relied on. In 2014 he revealed another talent when he published a novel The Brewer’s Wife.

David lost his wife Ann (née Sedrin) in 1978 but found a great deal of happiness later with Vanessa. Our deepest condolences to her and to the family. The club has lost one of its greatest sons.

David’s farewell will be held at noon on December 12th at Herne Bay Crematorium.