A 'Potted History' of CRUFC
by Mike Dangerfield

1880
Research shows that there was a Rugby club in Chester in the 1880s and apparently there was a game between Chester and New Brighton in 1879-80, but the Club later disbanded.

1925
The ‘new' Chester RUFC was formed in 1925 at the Chester YMCA.

1932
In 1932 the Club moved to rented facilities at Boughton Hall as tenants of the Cricket Club where they stayed for almost 30 years until the ground at Hare Lane , Vicars Cross was purchased and the Club moved there in 1961.

1970's
Rugby blossomed in the sixties and seventies with a fixture list including some of the then top clubs in the North and many players awarded county honours. The eighties was a quiet period for the Club, with playing strength less than before and the fixture list suffering as a result.

The introduction of league rugby, however, revitalized rugby and started a new era.

1994
In 1994 a new clubhouse was built, in 1998 Chester were promoted from North West 1 to North 2 and in 2000 another promotion to North 1 as well as a (lost) Cheshire Cup final.

2004
Since the turn of the century Chester have made that final three more times, winning the Cup in 2004.

The ground and facilities at Hare Lane are arguably the best in Cheshire , with floodlights now installed on the first team pitch and a development plan in place to extend the changing rooms in the near future.