Whilst we head into the festive period and celebrate with family and friends, it is also important to remember those who are no longer with us. The Dartfordians family has lost some more great members in 2025. Please join me in raising a glass over the Christmas period, thanking them all for their contributions to our wonderful club.

After one of the hottest Summers for some time, we were thankful that the borehole project had been completed which allowed the watering of the ground throughout the Summer and this has left them in the best state for some time. Unfortunately, remedial works were completed later than usual in St Mary’s, but were worth the wait in the end. Thanks to Andy and the many volunteers for their hard work on maintaining the grounds for our benefit.

We have held many events supported by Megan and the team behind the bar and Pete, Steve and their team in the kitchen - thank you to you all. It was good to see the fun day back for the opening Men’s league game of the season, the best fireworks display in Bexley and at the recent lunch, 70 odd sitting down, enjoying great food and company followed by one of the best games seen at Bourne Road in recent seasons against Sutton & Epsom.

Further events to come for the 25/26 season are as follows:

31-1-26 Pre match lunch v Canterbury II
28-3-26 Pre match lunch v O. Colfeians

On the pitch it has been a better season to date for the Angels side with a mix of youth and experience ably led by Macca and the support of head coach, Chris Spedding.. The club is continuing to work hard to make sure we get as many sides/players on the pitch consistently with the aim to have a 4th side of Vets playing regularly.

The Demons sit 4th in Kent Counties 4, having played 12, won 6, drawn 1 and lost 5 - once the side gets injured players back then they will be continuing to push for as high a position in the league as possible.

The Mens 1s have continued to battle hard in Regional SE 2 and the league has been so competitive with lots of close results, where we could easily be sitting higher up the the table. Whilst they are currently sitting 2nd from bottom they have important games coming up against Battersea at home on 10.1.26 followed by a trip to Horsham and the visit of Canterbury II at the end of the month.

Women’s rugby continues to face challenges across the league, particularly around fixtures and consistency of competition. Despite this, there is a huge amount of positive work happening behind the scenes at the Club, with a clear focus on building strength, sustainability, and long-term success. Encouragingly, all of our girls’ age groups continue to flourish, and it was fantastic to see so many players representing the Kent U18s against Surrey when we hosted the fixture recently. Best of luck to everyone for the remainder of the season.

The minis and juniors age groups continue to have healthy numbers and have represented the club at festivals and waterfall fixtures. It’s been great to hear and see how much everyone is enjoying their rugby. The Academy are working hard to produce the next production of players for the Senior sides and thanks to all for your hard work.

To finish I would like to thank all of our members in whatever way they get involved at the club, whether as a volunteer, parent, supporter, player, coach, referee/touch judge, bar staff, kitchen staff, physio and well being, kit shop, groundstaff and the Club's leadership team. Thank you to you all for making our Club a welcoming place to come and play rugby, enjoy the benefits of doing so and for helping to build and improve, every year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your families.

Gavin Renno
Chairman
Dartfordians RFC