EST.1898.....
For the last 70 years it had always been assumed that Chippenham R.F.C. had been founded in 1929, although we were aware that rugby had been played in Chippenham before that time. However, recent investigation has unearthed evidence that Chippenham R.F.C was infact founded on 1 September 1898. This evidence in the form of a newspaper cutting and photograph has met the RFU's criteria for a clubs date of foundation.
From the club's earliest days we have gained a reputation for exhibiting
the finest traditions of rugby union, friendship, hospitality, sport
for all, blended with a competitive desire to win.
With the formation of the league structure in the late 1980's Chippenham
found themselves in the lowly Dorset, Wilts & Berkshire Divsion
2 which they soon left behind in their emergence as the leading club
in North Wiltshire. This was no accident though, with the club being
one of the first in the West Country to create it's own Junior Section
in the 1970's. This investment in the town's youth is now beginning
to pay dividends with the Junior Section readily accepted as one of
the strongest in South-West England.
With the club's move from its Birch Grove home
to the new Allington Field ground in the early 1990's it entered a new
and exciting era in its history. Now, the clubs membership has risen
to well in excess of 1000 and with its commercial activities has become
a focal point for the community.