Worthing Rugby Club will start season with major celebration

Worthing Rugby Club will begin the season with a celebration – and hope to end it in the same way.
Worthing Raiders are back in action this Saturday/ Picture: Stephen GoodgerWorthing Raiders are back in action this Saturday/ Picture: Stephen Goodger
Worthing Raiders are back in action this Saturday/ Picture: Stephen Goodger

The club’s premier side, Worthing Raiders, begin a new National 2 South season this weekend – 18 months after their last competitive game.

Hopes are high for a successful league campaign under Jordan Turner-Hall as the whole club marks its centenary, albeit a year late.

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Raiders begin at home to Guernsey this Saturday but the delayed centenary celebrations are centred on the home match with Bury St Edmunds a week later.

For the centenary day, there will be bars, food, live music including tunes from the 1920s and the Red Devils parachute team will deliver the matchball.

Tickets are £10 and available via the club website.

Raiders have assembled a strong-looking squad and will look this season to improve on the ninth spot they were in when the 2019-20 season was ended early because of the first lockdown as Covid took a grip of the country.

Worthing’s first team have been part of the National League system since it started in 2008-09, when they were in National 3 South.

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They were promoted to National 2 South in 2009-10 and had one season at National 1 in 2013-14.

They went back down to National 2 South, in which they have finished in the top section of the League table on a consistent basis.

The Raiders A team – the club’s second XV – are in the Surrey Premiership League this season for a new challenge against clubs they have not played against before.

Other teams are the club are also champing at the bit to return to competitive rugby after so long away.

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Worthing threes – the Azurians – won Sussex League division three in 2019-20 and were promoted to Sussex two.

Meanwhile, Worthing fours will be playing in Sussex three.

The club’s colts play in the Sussex Colts League, having been National Colts Cup and Sussex Cup Champions in 2016-17.

The ladies’ Warriors side play in National Challenge South East division two.

The club have numerous junior teams, from under-fives to under-16s, boys and girls’ teams, and also have an under-18 girls’ team.