20 April 2005
A visit from the Rugby World Cup and players from Zurich Premiership side NEC Harlequins will help Wimbledon RFC celebrate the opening of their new pitch on Saturday.

Wimbledon received a grant of £34,997 from the government’s Community Club Development Programme for a year-long project to renovate the ground.

What was an undulating, poorly-drained surface is now the envy of any club in the country and Wimbledon – one of the Rugby Football Union’s founder members in 1871 – will use it for the first time when they play Camberley on April 23.

To help the celebrations the Rugby World Cup won by England in 2003 will be on display all day with the Rugby Football Union’s 30 ton mobile exhibition unit at the Barham Road ground.

Rugby fans can have their pictures taken with the trophy, see the exhibition displays and try out the interactive try-scoring and goal-kicking games.

The opening of the pitch and the World Cup visit are part of a day of rugby events starting at 9.30am with the O2 Rugbyclass, a free series of coaching sessions and games for children from eight to 18 before a mini rugby festival involving Wimbledon’s juniors and local sides runs from 12pm to 3pm.

Wimbledon Ladies take on Camberley and Wimbledon’s second team play in the Surrey Merit Table final before Wimbledon’s first team play Camberley in the final game of the London Two South league season at 3pm.

Councillor Margaret Brierly, the Mayor of Merton, will be one of the club’s guests along with Surrey Rugby president John Douglas and representatives from the RFU, the government’s Community Club Development Programme (CCDP) and Sport England.

The CCDP funding has enabled Wimbledon to install new drainage and relay their pitch as well as improving their machinery and send one of their members on a groundsmanship course.

“The work that’s been carried out is outstanding and it’s a major benefit to the club and the community,” said club secretary Terry Bagworth.

“We used to get a lot of standing water on the pitch and when you looked at the soil samples we took a year ago, you can see what a state it was in.

“Since then we’ve rested the pitch for a year, installed a complete drainage system and relaid and levelled using new sand and topsoil, and we’ve also improved our tractor machinery and our harrowing and mowing equipment.

“Keith Kent, the Twickenham groundsman, visited us to see the work and keep an eye on things and it now looks superb.”

The Community Club Development Programme is an innovative collaboration between the Government, Sport England and the Rugby Football Union aimed at forging stronger links between the country's rugby clubs and their local communities.

The CCDP initiative will provide £9.4million over three years aimed at improving facilities by funding projects such as pitch improvements, synthetic training surfaces, floodlighting and equipment stores.