Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents
Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC is a gay and inclusive rugby union club based in Brighton & Hove in Sussex, England.
 Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC | ||
| Full name | Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Unions | International Gay Rugby (IGR) RFU Sussex RFU | |
| Nickname(s) | Sea Serpents | |
| Founded | 4 November 2015 | |
| Location | Brighton & Hove, England | |
| Ground(s) | Hove Recreation Ground, Shirley Drive, Hove | |
| Chairman | Ian Chaplin | |
| President | Pete West | |
| Coach(es) | Tom Foy | |
| Captain(s) | Byron Todd David Phillips | |
| League(s) | Harvey's of Sussex 4 West 'Wild Hop' League | |
| ||
| First match | ||
| Sea Serpents 0 - 25 Kings Cross Steelers IV (20 February 2016) | ||
| Largest win | ||
| Sea Serpents 78 - 5 Wessex Wyverns (5 May 2018) | ||
| Largest defeat | ||
| Sea Serpents 3 - 104 St Leonards CP (15 October 2016) | ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Club history
The Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents were formed on 4 November 2015 at a meeting at the Camelford Arms pub in Kemptown, Brighton,[1] to give gay and bisexual men the opportunity to play rugby in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Season 2015/2016
The Sea Serpents played their first match against the 4th XV of London's gay and inclusive rugby club, the Kings Cross Steelers, on 20 February 2016 at Hove Recreation Ground, losing by 25 points to 0.[2] Over the next two months during March and April 2016, the Sea Serpents played a return match in London against the Steelers' 4th XV,[3] an away match against the Birmingham Bulls,[4] and were admitted as members of International Gay Rugby (IGR.[5])
Season 2016/2017
The Sea Serpents kicked off their second season in existence with a summer touch rugby tournament in Birmingham organised by the Birmingham Bulls - Touch My Brum 2016.[6] During the tournament the club registered their first ever win, a 2-1 victory against the Amsterdam Lowlanders.[7] The club continued to play friendly matches against other IGR teams,[8][9] and local Sussex teams. The Sea Serpents registered their first win in a full XVs match on 21 January 2017 against the Reading Renegades, a 37-3 victory, including 7 tries, also witnessed by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove.[10] At the end-of-season Union Cup in Madrid, the Sea Serpents caused quite an upset by winning all of their group matches in the third-tier Union Bowl and making the Gold Final ahead of their closest rivals Kings Cross Steelers IV, the more established Bristol Bisons and Manchester Village Spartans III and the newly formed Munich Monks. They lost in the final to French side Rebelyons, finishing runners-up in their first international tournament.[11]
Season 2017/2018
Once again the Sea Serpents kicked off their season with a trip to the Birmingham Bulls touch rugby tournament finishing in the middle tier competition, a level above the previous year. The club was accepted into the Sussex Leagues and are competing in the Sussex Division 4 East against 9 other teams home and away.[12] Their first league match was on 9 September 2017 against Heathfield & Waldron III at Hove Recreation Ground, the visitors winning 58-12. Their first league win came at the end of the season on 28 April 2018 against East Grinstead III in a double header match with the Sea Serpents winning 33-31.[13]
Season 2018/2019
The Sea Serpents were moved to the West division of the Sussex League's Division 4. After registering three losses, they won their 4th match of the season away at Burgess Hill by 62-12.[14]
Club Crest & Colours
The club's emblem depicts a rampant green sea serpent, carrying a white rugby ball, with a blue, rolling wave in the background, to signify the fact that Brighton & Hove is a seaside city. The club's colours are light blue and green, taken from the colours of the respective railings on the seafront in Brighton (light blue) and Hove (green), with the double symbolism of representing the English Channel and the South Downs which surround the city to the South and North respectively. The first kit used from the 2015/2016 season onwards was sponsored by the Camelford Arms,[15] a pub situated in Brighton's gay village, and site of the first meeting of the club in November 2015.
Domestic League
The Sea Serpents took part in their first league campaign during the 2017/2018 season in the Sussex Division 4 East. The following season they were swapped to the West division.
League History
| Season | Tournament | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/– | Pts | Pts % | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/2018 | Sussex Division 4 East | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 209 | 665 | -456 | 31 | 49% | 7/10 |
| 2018/2019 | Sussex Division 4 West | 19 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 421 | 658 | -237 | 47 | 3/8 | |
| 2019/2020 | Sussex Division 3 West |
4 points for a win, 3 points for a draw, 1 point for a loss, 1 point for an away match, 1 point for losing by 7 points or less
Domestic League Matches
2017/2018 Sussex Division 4 East |
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^A Match result: 36-19 to Crowborough RFC III. Awarded 40-0 to Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC due to Crowborough RFC II cancelling their match. |
2018/2019 Sussex Division 4 West | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
^A Awarded 40-0 to Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC due to BSMS (Medics) RFC cancelling their match. |
International Tournaments
The Sea Serpents took part in their first international tournament at the Union Cup in Madrid in April 2017 and were drawn in the third level competition - the Union Bowl.[16]
Bingham Cup History
| Year | Tournament | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/– | Win % | Round | Position | Overall Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Amsterdam 2018 |
Challenger Cup | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 97 | 61 | +36 | 67% | Challenger Bowl | Winners | 57th of 70 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ottawa 2020 |
TBC |
Bingham Cup Matches
Amsterdam 2018 |
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Pool Q Matches Challenger Bowl/Shield Quarter Finals Challenger Bowl Semi Finals Challenger Bowl Final |
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Union Cup History
| Year | Tournament | P | W | D | L | F | A | +/– | Win % | Round | Position | Overall Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Madrid 2017 |
Union Bowl | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 76 | 25 | +51 | 75% | Gold Final | Runners Up | 26th of 30 |
 Dublin 2019 |
Cu Chulainn Bowl | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 50% | Semi Final | Joint 3rd | 23rd of 36 |
 Birmingham 2021 |
TBC |
Union Cup Matches
Madrid 2017 |
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Group Matches Gold Final |
Dublin 2019 |
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|
Group Matches Semi Final |
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Notes
- "New rugby club for gay and bisexual men in Brighton & Hove". 20 October 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents vs. Kings Cross Steelers IV". 20 February 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Kings Cross Steelers IV vs. Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents". 2 April 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Birmingham Bulls vs. Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents". 16 April 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC elected to IGR". 14 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Registration now open for Touch My Brum 2016". 25 February 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Amsterdam Lowlanders vs. Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents". 9 July 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Kings Cross Steelers IV vs. Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents". 3 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents vs. Birmingham Bulls". 7 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents vs. Reading Renegades". 21 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- "Union Cup 2017 Madrid Competition Results". 30 April 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- "Harvey's of Sussex 4 East 'Bonfire Boy'". 24 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- "B&H Sea Serpents vs. East Grinstead 3". 28 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- "Burgess Hill 3 v BH Sea Serpents". 30 Sep 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- "Sponsors". Retrieved 10 January 2017.
- "Union Cup Competition Seedings". 27 April 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.