 | ||
| Full name | Bury St Edmunds Rugby Union Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Eastern Counties RFU | |
| Founded | 1925 (1925) | |
| Location | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England | |
| Ground | The Haberden (Capacity: 3,000 (135 seats)) | |
| Chairman | Andrew Speed | |
| President | Heidi Tilbrook | |
| Director of Rugby | James Shanahan | |
| Coach(es) | James Shanahan Ben Penfold | |
| Captain(s) | George Grigg-Pettitt Ben Cooper | |
| League | National League 2 East | |
| 2025–26 | 1st (promoted to National League 1) | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Bury St Edmunds RUFC is a rugby union club based in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Founded in 1925 as Bury and West Suffolk Rugby Football Club,[1] the Men's 1st XV currently play in the fourth tier of the English league system, National League 2 East.[2] The Women's side who play in the second tier of the RFU system, Championship North 1. There are a total of 4 senior men's teams, and 2 women's teams, as well as mini's, youth boys and youth girls.
History
Bury St Edmunds RUFC played their first match as "Bury and West Suffolk Rugby Football Club" in 1925, with post-war practice taking place at Culford School. In 1974, 18 members of the team were killed when Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed outside Paris.[1]
In 2001, the first team was promoted to London 3 North East, winning the league six years later to be promoted to London 2 North in 2007.[1] Promotion to National League 3 London & SE followed in 2013 after they won London Division 1 North, winning all 26 games during the season.[3]
In 2025, the women's side were crowned Champions of Women's Championship Midlands 2 (2024–25), winning 9 out of the 10 games and were promoted into the 2nd tier of rugby, Championship North 1, for the 2025–26 season.[4][5]
In 2026, the men’s side were crowned Champions of National League 2 East (2025-26), winning 20 out of the 26 games and were promoted to National League One.
Honours
1st team:
- Eastern Counties 1 champions: 1992–93
- London Division 4 North East champions: 2000–01
- London Division 3 North East champions: 2006–07
- London Division 1 North champions: 2012–13
- National League 3 London & SE champions: 2014–15
- National League 2 East champions: 2025–26
2nd team:
- Counties 1 Eastern Counties champions: 2025–26
3rd team:
- Greene King IPA Eastern Counties 2 West champions: 2015–16
Facilities
Bury St Edmunds RUFC is based at The Haberden ground in the eastern side of Bury St Edmunds.[6] The club has one all-weather pitch.[1] Parking at the ground is used by medical staff at the nearby West Suffolk Hospital during the week.[7] The club-house has seating capacity for 135 while there is ample standing space on the banks surrounding the pitch, bring total capacity to around 3,000.
Current standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury St Edmunds (C) | 26 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1128 | 659 | +469 | 22 | 4 | 108 | Promotion place |
| 2 | Oundle | 26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 940 | 713 | +227 | 21 | 1 | 106 | Promotion Play-off |
| 3 | Old Albanian | 26 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 1009 | 813 | +196 | 22 | 3 | 97 | |
| 4 | Barnes | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 738 | 598 | +140 | 15 | 5 | 86 | |
| 5 | Canterbury | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 851 | 644 | +207 | 16 | 6 | 86 | |
| 6 | Dorking | 26 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 798 | 598 | +200 | 13 | 6 | 79 | |
| 7 | Westcombe Park | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 851 | 751 | +100 | 19 | 8 | 75 | |
| 8 | Havant | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 840 | 960 | −120 | 19 | 1 | 66 | |
| 9 | London Welsh | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 705 | 866 | −161 | 16 | 8 | 64 | |
| 10 | Guernsey Raiders | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 690 | 875 | −185 | 13 | 3 | 62 | |
| 11 | Esher | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 844 | 831 | +13 | 16 | 6 | 62 | |
| 12 | Henley Hawks | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 693 | 665 | +28 | 12 | 9 | 61 | Relegation Play-off |
| 13 | Sevenoaks (R) | 26 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 743 | 900 | −157 | 12 | 5 | 49 | Relegation place |
| 14 | Oxford Harlequins (R) | 26 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 505 | 1462 | −957 | 11 | 2 | 21 |
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Number of matches won
- Number of matches drawn
- Difference between points for and against
- Total number of points for
- Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
- Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
See also
References
- "Club History". Bury St Edmunds RUFC. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- Marston, Carl (25 March 2013). "Gallery: Matt Edison targets perfect season after Bury Rugby Club win promotion". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- "London 1 North league table". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- "Champions!". www.bserugby.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- "Rugby fixtures, results and stats for Bury St Edmunds Women | Rugby Football Union". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- "Location". Bury St Edmunds RUFC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- Thewlis, Jo (29 November 2010). "Bury St Edmunds: Hospital staff face parking ban". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- "National League 2 East". NCA Rugby.
