Medicals RFC is a

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 ...

club in

Newcastle Upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

who have been in existence since 1898. They currently play in the Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland league having been promoted from Durham/Northumberland 2 in the 2009-10 season. The uniform of the Club is maroon jerseys with white collars, white shorts and maroon stockings with white tops. The club crest is a serpent entwined around a rod, a symbol representing the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius. Medicals are most famous for the 1995-96 side that reached the final of the Pilkington Shield at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

and won the trophy – beating Cornish side

Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...

16 v 6.

History

In 1852

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

expanded from Durham into

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

when the medical school in

(established in 1834) became a college of

. The club was susequently formed in 1898 as the

College of Medicine R.F.C. Medicals RFC was then elected a senior member of the Northumberland RFU in 1920. Medicals was first a Junior club between 1934 and 1937, before being elected a Senior member of the Northumberland RFU. The club plays home matches at its Cartington Terrace ground in

Heaton, Newcastle Heaton is a district and Suburb#In the United Kingdom and Ireland, suburb in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, in Tyne and Wear, England, east of the city centre. It is bordered by the neighbouring areas of Walkergate to the east, Jesmond to the ...

which dates back to the club's formation in 1898. The pavilion was built in 1936 to designs by Newcombe & Newcombe. The timber grandstand was built in 1933 before being restored in 1988. Timber grandstands are increasingly rare in Britain and this one is the third oldest stand in Tyne and Wear (the oldest being at Newcastle Racecourse, the second being at Ashbrooke, Sunderland). The ground hosts cricket during the Summer months.

Club Honours

* Pilkington Shield winners: 1996 * Northumberland Senior Cup winners (4): 1922, 1923, 1952, 1953 * Northumberland Senior Plate winners (2): 2012, 2022 * Durham/Northumberland 1 champions: 1998–99 * Durham/Northumberland 3 champions: 2006–07

Pilkington Shield (1996)

The finest hour of the club's achievement was on 4 May 1996

, winners of the National Junior Club Knock-out Competition, Pilkington Shield. Medicals defeated

by 16 points to 6 with a try from winger Richard Fretwell converted by fly-half Matthew Bonner who added three drop goals.

Notable players

The Club has produced five Internationals: * Dr EE. Chapman, 1910-14. (The first man to score a try and kick a goal at Twickenham) * Dr R. Armstrong, 1924. * Dr Stephen Peel, a wartime cap. * W.G.D. Morgan, 1960-61. * O.W.N. Caplan 1978. Trialists also include Dr G.C.Taylor, Mr G. Scott-Page and Dr Maurice Jones.

RFU Presidents

Medicals also has the honour and distinction of having two members elected to the position of President of the RFU * Mr D.D.Serfontein, 1992-1993. * Mr W.G.D. Morgan 2002-2003 Rugby union teams in England University and college rugby union clubs in England Rugby clubs established in 1898 1898 establishments in England {{England-rugbyunion-team-stub