1965 - April 16th - Club formed as ‘North Kesteven Old Boys RUFC’.
Three trial matches against Spalding, Lincoln & Ruston’s Rugby Clubs.

July - A dance was held at North Kesteven Grammar School to raise money for shirts. Club shirts similar in design to NKGS, school colours as hoops on black background. Club emblem of an Acorn is taken from NKGS emblem of an Oak Tree.

September - First Full Season of fixtures started. Pitch was at Robert Pattinson School, Teas at NKGS and the Clubhouse was ‘The Harrows’ Pub on Moor Lane. The Harrows, should always remain a Spiritual home.

1967 - July - Proposed constitution accepted at AGM, Annual subscriptions set at:

1 Guinea for over 21's
½ Guinea for under 21's
Match fees were 3/6d

Membership restricted to Old Boys of North Kesteven Grammar, Robert Pattinson and Branston Schools initially with a maximum of 30% outsiders, later becoming an open club.

September - The club is linked and later joins the old students association, known as ‘Tetherans’. First 2nd XV fixture v Morton Hall

1971 – December - Win the Lincolnshire 7's plate competition for the first time.
The Rugby Club take-over management of ‘Tetherans’ (due to apathy) by voting our members onto the committee.

1972 – April - Left ‘The Harrows’ and used primary school building at Robert Pattinson School as a bar. Beat Lincoln 1st XV 17-16.

1973 - Warned by police for operating bar on school premises. Join Hykeham Cricket Club as guests.

1974 – February - First 3rd XV fixture v City School. Match fees were 35p, annual membership was £3 and the club paid 2p per mile for away games.

1975 – March - First 4th XV fixture v City School

1976 - Lost appeal for proposed clubhouse on Newark Road. Bought into the Cricket Club pavilion for £1000, the bar was planned to be rebuilt.

1977 – November – At AGM change of name discussed, the ‘Old Boys’ name dropped. New bar extension opened at cost of £7000. Club teams (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th XV) win 3 out of 4 v Nottinghamians RFC.

1980 – In Lincolnshire 7's, beat Lincoln 13 - 4 in first round. Lose to Scunthorpe in semi final 20 – 7.

1981 - Hykeham Town Council purchase land for new Rugby pitch.

1982 – March - Club teams win 4 out of 4, 1st XV v Billingham RFC, 2nd & 3rd XVs v Bingham RFC and 4th XV v Retford RFC.

1983 – March - Inaugural ‘Tom Coates’ Memorial Trophy v Newark RFC 1st XV, lost 6 – 16. P32 W23 D1 L8 F444 A318 73%. Work starts on new changing facilities. Rugby club raise £3000 towards this.

1984 – Easter - Inaugural North Kesteven ‘Gentlemen’s Tour’ to East Yorkshire.

1985 – July - New Executive Committee formed to run the bar and steward employed, following a period of time where the Bar was run by the Rugby Club.

1988 – RFU forms a National league system for England.

1994 - Win NLD division 3. P34 W24 D1 L9 F722 A427 72%

1998 - Club close to folding. Pull out of league and play friendly games for rest of the season.

1999 – May - "Titanic" Dinner (club sinking).

2000 – May – At AGM players decide to re-enter league and actively recruit, club finishes 4th in league and runners up in Lincolnshire RFU County Plate. "Phoenix" Dinner (club rises from the ashes).

September - Start of U16s Junior side.

2001 - April - First U16 game v Grimsby.

2003 - First club in Lincolnshire to develop a girls section providing full contact rugby.
Three squad members (Sophie Smith, Laura Greenwood and Robyn Steward) selected for East Midlands RFUW U16's.

2004 – May – Winners of ‘NLD/Leics 2 East’ Division but decline promotion to allow the younger players a further season to develop in the lower league. First club in NLD to be awarded RFU Community ‘Rugby Seal of Approval’ and Sport England Clubmark Accreditation.

2005 - Win ‘NLD/Leics 2 East’ Division for second consecutive year and runner-up in Lincolnshire RFU County Plate.

2006 – The club suffers an exodus of RAF based players and player numbers dwindle. Club suffers a record loss to Ashby by 109-0 and are again forced to withdraw from the RFU leagues, many players leave for other clubs.

2007 – AGM changes name of the Club from ‘North Kesteven’ to ‘North Hykeham’.

2008 – Youth team is re-launched in attempt to again rescue the club.

2009 – U18s begin to filter into senior rugby to bolster the club and with remaining seniors play local fixtures as a ‘Development XV’.

2010 – Player numbers gain some stability and quality and begin to beat local sides and some local 1st XVs.

2011 – May – Win Lincolnshire Merit League, unbeaten in the final table and finalists in NLD Vase, losing to Bingham RFC. Players show desire and ability to re-enter RFU leagues, but AGM decides it is too soon and that the club must field a 2nd XV before re-entry is applied for.

September –Club returns to playing in the original club colours and hoops.

2012 – February – Club fields a 2nd XV for first time in 6 years. 2nd XV beat Lincoln 3rd XV 22-9. 2nd XV would go on to play 2 more games that season.

April – 1st XV & 2nd XV both play at home on Memorial Fields for first time in 15 years. 1st v Bourne and 2nd v Gainsborough, with the PFA Football pitch being ‘temporarily’ converted to Rugby pitch (with some very wide posts). AGM approves re-entry to the league structure and club enters 2nd XV into the Lincolnshire Merit League. Annual Dinner is moved to August and is has over 100 guests. The first ‘Hairy Thomas Special Achievement’ Award is presented to Kenny Beaumont for his work in the club’s resurgence, Kenny is also recognised by the RFU by awarding him the RFUs VIP tie.

October – Both 1st & 2nd XVs win on the same Saturday, 1st defeat Creswell; 2nd beat Bourne and new Junior section is launched.

November – The first ‘Hairy Thomas Memorial Salver’ is won by 1st XV, defeating the Presidents XV 33-20.

2013 – February – The new Junior section play their first game v Southwell.

March – 1st XV defeat a Newark XV to win ‘Tom Coates Cup’ for first time in over 6 years.

April – 1st XV finish 5th in ‘Midlands 5 East Division’ and 2nd XV finish 4th in Lincolnshire Merit League. Far exceeding expectation, the 2nd XV played 22 games in the season (target was 12).

1st XV P26 W12 L14 F558 A529

2nd XV P22 W9 L13 F416 A463

May – The original ‘Gentlemen’s Tour’ of 1984 to Scarborough is recreated with some original tourists in attendance.

Club is awarded £4000 from Natwest Bank and RFU to renovate changing rooms, showers, clubhouse and pitch through RugbyForce. The club also starts actively seeking land for a 2nd pitch due to growth.

June – The Club clinches the NatWest RFU Pride of the Midlands Award with an overwhelming 2795 votes, it goes on to win a National vote to secure the inaugural ‘Pride of the Nation’ award.

2014 – The IXV again finish 5th in Midlands 5 East and progress well in all cups. IIXV finish runners-up in Lincs Merit League. Club fields an IIIXV for the first time in 31 years, fulfilling 8 fixtures. Four Hykeham players represent Lincolnshire in the season. The Club secures a 2nd pitch on the Memorial Fields.

August – At the annual awards dinner, the Club formally open its ‘Golden Jubilee Season’, celebrating 50 years.

2015 – A Golden Year! The IXV are promoted to Midlands 4 East (North), having secured promotion in February but finishing runners-up to Birstall on the last weekend of the Season. The IXV followed this with victory in the NLD vase, comprehensively defeating Meden Vale in the Final. The IIXV echoed this success, on their first season in the Notts Pennant, as Champions of Division 4 and being promoted. The IIIXV finished 5th in the Lincolnshire Merit League. The Club continues to be well represented in the Lincolnshire Seniors & Veterans sides, Three Hykeham players lifting the Domestic Union Cup with Lincolnshire, in an unbeaten season.

2016 – May – Kenny Beaumont made an Honorary Life Member for years of dedicated service to the Club.

2017 – May – Andy Rush made an Honorary Life Member Club for years of dedicated service to the Club.

June – Gentlemen's Tour to Blackpool, which started badly when the bus the take the tourists to Blackpool was still in London 3 hours after it was supposed to have departed from the Club. Thankfully, an emergency replacement was found and the tour could commence. The trip featured a pub breakfast on the Saturday to watch the Lions in New Zealand, followed by a round robin tournament against Thornton-Clevelys RUFC (host) and West Bridgford RFC.

2018 – January – Lost 15 – 18 to Bourne, in the Semi-Final of the RFU Midlands Junior Vase.

March – Hairy Thomas Memorial Match played. Won by the Presidents XV which included players from; Skegness, Boston, Newark, Spalding, Gainsborough, NK/NH, Sleaford and Pershore rugby clubs. The President’s side was captained by Alex Nicholson, with the trophy being presented by Lincolnshire RFU President, Melvyn Ashton (Bourne RUFC), with Club President, Adrian Frenchie France in attendance.

Club awarded RFU Accredited Club status. After many years of on and off-field progress this recognised the efforts of all involved and opened the door for further opportunities to develop rugby at the Club and in the surrounding Schools. The Presentation was made at the Club’s annual Presidents Day to Club Chairman, Andy Rush, by NLD Chairman David Chamberlin. The day also saw Hykeham’s fledgling Juniors take on Newark.

May – Won the Lincolnshire Cup, beating Gainsborough 31 – 28 in the final.

2019 – May – Lost 12–17 to Grimsby, in the Lincolnshire Cup Final.

December – Christmas 'Curry Night' held in Home Nightclub.

2020 – March – Coronavirus stopped play! The whole season declared null and void by the RFU. The last game NH played was the home game against Chesterfield Panthers RUFC, in the Midland 4 East (North) League, on 7 March 2020. Unfortunately, we lost 20-25.

April – First ever virtual election of Club Officers due to restrictions in place on any sort of gathering. Adrian ‘Frenchie’ France made Honorary Life Member for years of dedicated service to the Club.

May – Mick and Sue Wright made Honorary Life Members for years of dedicated service to the Club. Tour to Whitley Bay initially postponed because of the pandemic, later cancelled.

June – First ever online AGM on Zoom. Although the attendance, of 16 members, didn't exactly set the world on fire, it did give the elected Committee the mandate to prepare for season 20/21, whenever it started and whatever form it took.

August – RFU allow larger group training but still with no contact and create Ready 4 Rugby, 'a new and exciting non-contact game, enabling 2 teams of up to 10 players to engage in training and match activity in their own club environment'.

September – The Club continues in Midlands Midlands 4 East (North), our most sustained position for more than a decade.

December – Virtual EGM held, with a single proposal, to move all playing, training and social activities of the Club to Ruston’s Sports & Social Club on Newark Road, Lincoln. Carried unanimously, with the move to take place as soon as Covid restrictions allow.

2021 – April – First training and beers held at Ruston's Sports & Bar. The boys help erect a set of marquees to facilitate Ruston's serving outside during Coronavirus restrictions.

June – Mini summer season begins in which Hykeham are due to face Gainsborough, Newark II and Market Rasen II. The latter two drop out and we play Gainsborough (losing narrowly away) and a 2-leg final in which we beat Meden Vale at home in our first ever game at Ruston's and then lose narrowly away, winning the tie overall on aggregate.

August – Hykeham Rugby play their first ever Presidents Day game at Ruston's with a VP Lunch and the IXV facing a strong Lincolnshire Select XV. Lincolnshire ran out narrow winners in-front of packed side-lines and an even fuller bar.

September – First full season begins at Ruston's. First game of the season sees us beat Sleaford 24-17.

October – Highlight of the season as Hykeham run out 78-0 winners v Worksop in a rampant performance. Hykeham also hold highly successful and eventful Oktoberfest social.

2022 – April – First season at Ruston's Sports & Bar comes to a close. The season is rounded off with another home win against Sleaford, this time Hykeham running out 14-12 winners in a cagey affair. This was followed by the first Annual Beer Olympics social in which France (James Husband and Jake Addison), were named Winners of the first games.

Hykeham placed 4th in the league. Played 20, Won 10, Lost 8 and Drawn 2, For 458, Against 383, Difference +75.

North Hykeham host Whitley Bay Tour to Lincoln.

May – Hykeham hold successful Rugby League training sessions and decide they will enter a team for Rugby League friendlies over the summer.

Honorary Life Membership was awarded to Jeff Scott and Graham Wilson for years of dedicated service to the Club..

June – Hykeham Rugby League play their first fixture away v Sherwood Wolf Hunt academy. Sherwood ran out 40-28 winners against a threadbare 13-man squad. First Squad: Tommy Jarvis, Adam Bird, Kieran Wheeler, James Hooper, Sam Jewers, Ben Thomas, David Carter, Craig Irwin, Harrison Reay (Captain), Jake Addison, William Bullock, Lucas Baker, Chris Cox.
Hykeham Rugby League fulfils second fixture, this time against Yorkshire Men's League regulars Bentley. Bentley emerge 32-12 victors and the game is followed by the section's first ever bus social.

November – First Women’s Rugby Taster Session held on the 5th, with a second session held on the 29th. Enough interest shown for the Club to start a fledgling Women’s Section.

December – First full Women’s Section Training held on the 6th.

The story continues……………

North Hykeham RUFC