Exeter - Sport

Sport

The city's leading football club, and only professional side, is Exeter City. The club became founder members of the Football League's new Third Division (south) in 1920, but have never progressed beyond the third tier of the English football league system and in 2003 were relegated to the Conference, reclaiming their place in 2008, before completing successive promotions to League One in 2009. They were relegated to League Two at the end of the 2011/12 season. Rugby Union is popular in the South West: Exeter's clubs are the Exeter Chiefs (who currently play in the Premiership having been promoted on 26 May 2010), Wessex and Exeter Saracens. Exeter Cricket Club play in the Premier Division of the Devon Cricket League at both First and Second XI level. The University of Exeter has a strong reputation in sport and regularly wins or comes close to winning national trophies in inter-university sports. Exeter Rowing Club enjoys much success both locally and nationally, and has a recorded history stretching back to the early 19th century. The City of Exeter Rowing Regatta is run annually in July, and is the oldest and biggest regatta in the South West, with racing first recorded on the river in the 1860s. The Devon & Exeter Squash club is one of the most active squash clubs in the region, annually hosting the Exeter Diamonds which is a professional team of world class players. The club also has a strong membership, high standards and a notable junior team. The Great West Run half marathon is run through the streets of Exeter in late April or early May each year Exeter's speedway team, Exeter Falcons, was founded in 1929 and were located at the County Ground until its closure in 2005. In a fixture during the 2004 season, they beat Rye House by the maximum score of 75–18 scoring 5-1s in every heat. Exeter Falcons are hoping to ride again in a proposed new location, possibly at Exeter Racecourse in 2008. The site was where Exeter Falcons legend Australian Jack Geran trained youngsters in the art of the shale sport on a speedway training track in the late 1970s and early-1980s. Speedway was also staged briefly at tracks in Alphington and Peamore after the Second World War. The history of Speedway in Exeter up to the mid-1950s has been recorded in three books by Tony Lethbridge. Rugby league team Exeter Centurions play in the South West Division of the Rugby League Conference. There are three archery clubs in Exeter: the Exeter Bramdean Archers, the University of Exeter Archery Club, and the Exeter Company of Archers.