The next season started with a new player moving in to the town who was to have a major influence on the embryonic club. Nick Jones moved as part of his work after coming to the end of a very successful playing career at top clubs in South Wales. He was able to show the players a more professional attitude to playing and training, bringing ideas and experience that were natural in his homeland but strange to the raw potential of Cleobury Mortimer RFC. An example of the simple tactic he brought was if the ball was taken ‘against the head’ in a scrum the No 8 should pick up and attack the blind side because there was more room that way with everyone else out of position. Nick played a big part in the development of the club, as player, coach, junior coach and friend, but sadly was killed in a holiday tragedy in 2007, but we hope his legacy will continue as has son Matthew made his senior debut in the 2009/10 season.

With Matthew Barnsley again at the helm, the league season that year yielded the club’s first promotion campaign, but as with the others, it was never straight forward. The eleven teams were still playing each other ‘home’ or ‘away’ depending on the luck of the draw, so with 8-victories and 2-defeats the club finished in third position, with aspirations of a championship winning campaign next season. The league re-structure saw to it that the top three placed teams were all promoted!!!

In 1996 the hard work of a group of local individuals were successful with a bid to the Foundation for Sports & Arts for a grant of £50,000 to build extension to the existing wooden pavilion near the Playing Fields with changing rooms for football, a small bar and a large function room. The Cleobury Mortimer Sports & Social Club was first open and the Rugby Club (together with the Football, Cricket and Volleyball Clubs in the town) had a settled home to entertain guests. This was the start of a long association which continues to this day and the Rugby Club recognise and applaud the support received from Chair Dave ‘Pedlar’ Morris and his committee over the years – we thank you all.

The influential players that season were Willie Bache who top scored with 246-points (3-tries, 36-conversions & 5-penalties), but Pete Howman and Matthew Barnsley each weighed in with 10-tries, while Nick Jones scored 6-tries. However, the player who first scored for the club in the inaugural game, returned to the sport for the odd game. Colin Smith at 30-years of age was coming to the end of a successful local Football career with Cleobury Mortimer FC, Springvale Rovers FC and Ludlow Town FC and so decided to embark on 14-year second career in Rugby. Initially at Flank Forward but later at Fly Half, that would culminate in him eventually becoming the club’s Top Scorer. Having had a taste of captaincy of the 2nd XV last season, Anthony ‘Willie’ Griffiths continued this term, Andrew Breakwell and Julian Harding shared the duties for the Colts XV.

In May 1995 John Sullivan, Head Teacher of Lacon Childe launched a scheme that was to have a long-lasting benefit to not only the club, but also the rest of the town. Club President Tom Straughton was invited to be involved in the Community Development initiative called the ‘Sport 2000’ project. This small group, on behalf of the school governors, was involved in discussions with the local authorities; South Shropshire District Council and Shropshire County Council, Parish Council and others to sell off 2-acres of the school field to a local developer whilst at the same time purchasing 11-acres of the adjacent agricultural field. This would mean the loss of the 1st team pitch, but a temporary revamped 2nd team pitch would have to suffice during the work. In the end the scheme would provide 2-Rugby pitches, 3-Tennis courts, a floodlit synthetic surface Multi Use Games Area as well as a public park and dog walking area and Skate Park. The title of the project suggested that it would take just 5-years, but in the end the pitches were delivered in 2005 and the additional changing rooms (2 x football for 16-people + 2 x rugby for 22-people) and the Sports Centre extension took a further 2-years.