History

In late 1995, Russ Timpson moved to Ash with his family and wanted to put together a team of people who wanted to play social rugby on the occasional Sunday allowing new blood to 'have a go'. He got together with Ian Castle and Mick Smalley, two stalwarts of the village as well as keen rugby men, and forged together all the components required. At the top of the list, a team! 

First Game vs Whitstable RFC 

On the 10th December Ash played its first game against Whitstable at Pfizer social Club in red shirts. Ash lost 10-0 but showed remarkable enthusiasm in defence and something unstoppable had started. 

In January 1996 we received permission from the parish council to play rugby at the recreation ground. After acquiring a set of posts in January, the home pitch was first used on 11th February 1996 in a match against Faversham when the team also wore the now familiar green and white shirts for the first time. 

Ash Rugby Club played eight games in its first season (1995 - 1996) and won four of them. 

Mini Rugby 

The following season the team was involved nearly every Sunday in a game either home or away. Results often did not go our way but the club was getting bigger and better throughout the season. The second season finished with a tour to Dublin where we played and beat Esso Fawley on a pitch we found by luck and had to provide our own referee, Mr Ray Biggs now one of our honoured VPs. 

More significantly the 1996 - 1997 season will be remembered as the year the club started Sunday morning minis rugby for children from ages 6 to 11. With memorable successes in games against Canterbury and Aylesford. 

Word Gets Around About Ash RFC 

The club's third season (1997 - 98) was getting tough, local club's were beginning to get to hear about us and could load their sides on a Sunday. We had to play against some heavyweights from their first teams to play our little village club with players new to the game. Sometimes we were beaten out of sight, but occasionally we won and some honourable clubs such as Thanet Wanderers put out teams we could compete against and sometimes beat. 

Meanwhile the club was putting new coaches through the RFU preliminary coaching award on a regular basis and getting better coaching for the minis and it was decided that the minis section become financially autonomous. From then on it has run extremely successfully under the umbrella of the club but without any interference from it. With an ongoing aim that the children learn to play at Ash Rugby Club and then play as seniors once they reach their 17th birthday. 

First Overseas Visitors 

That year the club hosted their first foreign visitors from Lyon and out on a tournament that also involved Dover and Canterbury. The honourable thing to do after that was to return the tour and that year the club went to Lyon, France. 

In 1998 improvement was becoming really difficult and something had to be done, the attitudes of the players and the club was changing. The need to play more competitive games against fair opposition became stronger. In January 1999 it was decided that we put the club forward to enter the East Kent Leagues. We were accepted and were entered into East Kent 3 for the season 1999-2000. It became a big year for the club. 

A huge summer ball was organised and went ahead in July in the field farmed by Michael Coleman next to VHB Nurseries. The club also became affiliated to the RFU and opened its new website to encourage other clubs to tour here. The Ash RFC tour in 1999 was to Fort William in Scotland. 

The 2000s 

The early 2000s was a steady phase for the club, with successes such as winning the East Kent Plate Final during the 2004/2005 season against Ashford 28-3 in a sun-drenched match played at Canterbury RFC. This period was a good building period for the club, as shown during the late 2000s, as a 2nd XV was formed and the 1st XV moved up to the Kent leagues. This was the first time during the history of the club that 2 senior sides played in competitive leagues respectively. 

The period was probably one of the best within the club’s history. At this level, the 1st XV were competing with other club’s first teams of similar quality and had good results in both the Kent Vase and League. Respectively the 2nd XV (Saxons) had good results in the Kent rural leagues, but never managed to win the league. The 2000s shows how fast the seniors side of Ash RFC had grown within 10 years. 

The 2010s 

The 1st XV enjoyed strong results in the league and Kent Vase, reaching the semi-finals in 2011/2012 against Gillingham Anchorians—a landmark occasion for the club. That same year, Ash signed a rolling lease with the Laslett family to develop a second rugby pitch, securing a vital step in the club’s long-term future. 

Falling player numbers across the county soon saw Ash return to one senior side in the Kent Rural Leagues, with the aim of rejoining the Kent Leagues as youth players progress into the seniors. In 2012/2013, the Youth section was introduced, building players up to U17s and creating a strong pathway into senior rugby. Another milestone came in 2013 with the installation of four county-standard floodlights, supported by the RFU and Jack Foat Trust, celebrated with a first official match on December 4th. 

The Minis section, launched shortly after the seniors, continued to grow, offering rugby to children up to age 11 in a family-friendly atmosphere. Ash has always prided itself on putting kids first, giving opportunities to later developers—an approach the RFU now champions. 

In 2017, Geoff Gunter became Head Coach, leading the seniors through a pivotal period until 2021. That same 2017/2018 season proved historic as a full youth squad graduated into the seniors to form one of Ash’s most successful sides. Playing in the new Cinque 4 East, they won 15 of 18 games to secure Ash’s first-ever league title and promotion to Late Red 3. 

The 2018/2019 season saw mixed results in the league but clear progress, with Ash’s narrow Kent Salver quarter-final against Faversham marking their biggest game since the 2011/2012 Vase semi-final. Minis and juniors also thrived, competing in county and regional tournaments, hosting the U11s East Kent Festival in 2018, and achieving standout wins such as the U15s beating Maidstone. 

The 2019/2020 season brought further growth. With new coach Kieran Hopper, the 1st XV built momentum, finishing with a six-game win streak before the pandemic cut the season short. Meanwhile, the minis and juniors continued to develop through friendlies, Kent Cup fixtures, and festival rugby, including hosting the U8s East Kent Festival in 2019. 

The 2020s 

The 2020/2021 season never truly started due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While no matches were played, training on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings helped keep the club connected during a difficult time. 

Rugby restarted in August 2021 with a 31-0 pre-season win over Bexley, a side several leagues higher. It was an emotional day, being the first game after the pandemic and the first since the passing of coach and chairman Geoff Gunter. For his players, family, and the club, it was a fitting tribute. 

The 2022/2023 season ended positively, highlighted by wins against Dover and Deal & Betteshanger. That summer, the club celebrated its belated 25th Anniversary Ball and Dinner, bringing together old, current, and future Ash players. In 2022, Joe Freeman became Senior Head Coach with Neil Parfitt joining as Senior Coach, guiding the next stage of the club’s development. 

The 2023/2024 season was mixed in league play, but it produced the club’s best-ever cup run. After beating Swanley 31-0 and Old Gravesendians 20-0 at home, Ash reached their first Kent final. Though they lost 36-7 to a strong Cliffe side, the achievement was a proud milestone for the 1st XV. 

The 2024/2025 season was another step forward. The 1st XV finished mid-table but ended in excellent form, winning five of their last six matches—including a 75-10 victory over Medway. In the Salver, Ash narrowly lost 7-14 at home to reigning Kent Vase winners Whitstable, then beat Greenwich 23-19 in the semi-final before falling 21-0 to Sittingbourne in the final, conceding all points in the opening 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the Minis section nearly tripled in size by season’s end and went undefeated in tournaments, including the Kent Festival.