The digital version of our game day programme for our twelth home game of the 2025/26 season with Darlington Mowden Park RUFC will appear here.
Today’s Visitors : Darlington Mowden Park RFC
A very warm welcome to our visitors from County Durham for this National Two North league fixture at the Ferens Ground.
Known originally as Darlington Grammar School Old Boys RFC the club was founded in 1946 when the Old Boys of Darlington Queen Elizabeth Grammar School played games at the school with its headquarters at the Kings Head Hotel. The club was admitted to the Rugby Football Union on 1 September 1950 and the first clubhouse, to which it moved in 1955, was located above Williamsons Garage in Woodland Road. In 1958 the club outgrew the first clubhouse and bought a large terraced house in Victoria Road which it converted into a new clubhouse.
In 1970 the club bought the site at Yiewsley Drive and developed the facilities at the site as well as changing the club name to Mowden Park RFC which subsequently was changed again to Darlington Mowden Park RFC. In late 2012 the club sold their ground at Yiewsley Drive to Bellway Homes and with the proceeds bought the empty Darlington Arena where it has remained ever since. We made our first visit to the Arena in season 2012/13.
The club reached the third tier of National League rugby in 2015/16 and played in National One until relegation at the end of last season 2024/25. Our previous league meetings are as follows ;
1994/95 North East Two 8/4/95 Hull 9-9 Darlington MP
1995/96 North East Two 30/3/96 Darlington MP 29-7 Hull
1997/98 North East Two 8/11/97 Darlington MP 18-3 Hull
10/1/98 Hull 19-18 Darlington MP
2012/13 National 2 North 24/11/12 Hull 15-13 Darlington MP
6/4/13 Darlington MP 32-13 Hull
2013/14 National 2 North 14/9/13 Hull 12-36 Darlington MP
21/12/13 Darlington MP 52-7 Hull
2022/23 National One 10/9/22 Hull 22-29 Darlington MP
11/2/23 Darlington MP 53-16 Hull
2025/26 National 2 North 22/11/25 Darlington MP 27-24 Hull
This season we lost narrowly 27-24 in November to a late penalty at the Arena and Darlington Mowden Park arrive at the Ferens Ground in 5th position with 12 wins, 1 draw and 9 defeats from their 22 games played.
Enjoy the game.
Stephen Hodgson
Club Historian
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