WITH the National One season starting in just four weeks’ time as Darlington Mowden Park visit Old Bath Road, archivist and author of the Rams’ Centenary Book, Nigel Sutcliffe, has pulled together a record of every team the Old Bath Road side have faced since leagues were introduced in the 1987/88 campaign.

Rams have encountered 118 other clubs in the past 37 years, with Bournemouth the most readily faced, the two sides squaring off 30 times with the Berkshire boys triumphing on 14 occasions, a draw accompanying 15 defeats.

Local rivals Chinnor are next on the list, while the sole winning record against the three most opposed clubs comes in the shape of Barnstaple, Rams winning 17 of 21 games.

Seven wins and 10 defeats came against Wootton Bassett, while the club have played Chippenham, Old Patesians, Taunton Titans and Weston-super-Mare on 16 occasions each.

The long rivalry with Cinderford will be missed for a year following the Foresters’ relegation to National Two, while in joint 10th of the clubs to face Rams the most are old adversaries Devizes, Exmouth and Oxford Harlequins.

Top 10 Most Played Opponents

1 – Bournemouth (30 – W14 D1 L15)

2 – Chinnor (22 – W10 D1 L11)

3 – Barnstaple (21 – W17 L4)

4 – Wootton Bassett (17 – W7 L10)

5= Chippenham (16 – W9 L7) / Old Patesians (W9 L7) / Taunton Titans (W8 L8) / Weston-super-Mare (W12 L4)

9 – Cinderford (15 – W9 L6)

10= Devizes (14 – W7 L7) / Exmouth (W8 D1 L5) / Oxford Harlequins (W11 L3)