Charlie Amesbury (born 8 April 1986 in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
) is a former
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
footballer who last played professionally on the
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
or
full back for
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
in the
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when Eng ...
, and previously for
Harlequins,
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Its team play in Premiership Rugby, and have been in England's top division of rugby union continuously since 1995. Originally founded in 1861 as ...
and
Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.
The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
in the
Aviva Premiership
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby u ...
. He also played for
England Sevens
The England national rugby sevens team competes in the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. They have once won the Rugby World Cup Sevens — the inaugural tournament in 1993. Historically the team also competed in the World Rugby ...
. Amesbury played for
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
in
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. The event began in 1872 with the first men's match, with interruptions only for the two World Wars and the COVID-19 pandemic ...
in 2016 and in 2017, when he scored a try and captained the side to victory over Oxford.
Amesbury started playing rugby at the age of six; playing mini-rugby at
Petersfield R.F.C. He attended
Lord Wandsworth College
Lord Wandsworth College (LWC) is a co-educational private school in Long Sutton, Hampshire, England, for day and boarding pupils between the ages of 11–18, which occupies a 1,200 acre campus and is known for its charitable foundation. It is a ...
from the age of 13 and by the age of 15 was of a good enough standard to represent the Under 16's.
In 2004, Amesbury played full back for the London & South East Division and was selected for the England training group. Also in 2004 he played for England Under 18's and during the 2004/05 season played regularly for Quins in the Zurich A League.
He made his First XV debut for Quins during the
2005–06 season; scoring twice in the 43–3 victory over
Otley
Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 c ...
at the
Stoop.
Amesbury was part of the
England Sevens
The England national rugby sevens team competes in the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. They have once won the Rugby World Cup Sevens — the inaugural tournament in 1993. Historically the team also competed in the World Rugby ...
squad that competed in the
2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series.
Amesbury made his starting debut for Quins against
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
at the beginning of the
2007–08 season.
A Quins academy player, he was rewarded with a first team contract.
At the end of the
2008–09 season he chose to move on due to the lack of game time at Quins and signed for Premiership side Newcastle Falcons.
During the 2011/12 season he played on from January 2012 whilst suffering from appendicitis, which was operated on in the Summer off season period.
During the 2013–14 season
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
signed Amesbury from Sale Sharks to help their push for promotion for the remainder of the season. After losing in the playoff final against
London Welsh
London Welsh Rugby Football Club () was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons, after gaining promotion from ...
he stayed on for the 2014–15 in the
RFU Championship
The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men's English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when Eng ...
References
External links
Newcastle profileHarlequins ProfileEngland profileCharlie Amesbury Blog, Living Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amesbury, Charlie
1986 births
Living people
Alumni of Kingston University
Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players
English rugby union players
Harlequin F.C. players
Newcastle Falcons players
People educated at Lord Wandsworth College
Rugby union fullbacks
Rugby union players from Portsmouth
Rugby union wings