Bracknell RFC wishes to announce a change in 1st Team Coach for the 2009/10 season. The Club has appointed Ken Hopkins to replace Chris Sheasby who will be leaving after two seasons which saw the Club recover after being relegated from the National Leagues in 2005/06. Sheasby then successfully coached the team to the play off stages of South West One but they failed to proceed further into the National League.

The club acknowledges Chrisâ€™s terrific effort in developing the squad into a very effective defensive unit and it is expected that the lessons learned then will be used as a base to gain promotion from National League 3 London where Bracknell have transferred to.

Ken Hopkins record of coaching stretches back 30 years with 21 of them spent as a schoolmaster and rugby coach at Wellington College, Berkshire where for 8 seasons he was the Master in charge and 1st team Coach during which the school became one of the top schools rugby teams in the country.

During this time his team played 101 games losing 12 and having a winning sequence of 55 successive games. Three of his former players have progressed to international level with James Haskell representing England and Thom & Max Evans playing for Scotland

Kenâ€™s own playing career was mainly as fly half and full back playing for Maesteg RFC, London Welsh RFC, Oxford University, including the 1977 Varsity match before ending with Bracknell RFC.

He has been the Director of the DHL Rugby Academy at Bracknell for the last 3 years and his successes include, in 2007 winning the Oxfordshire Berkshire & Bucks Under 19 Colts Competition plus his team also won a top Academy competition in Biarritz France. This was achieved by defeating Stade Francais in the semi final and Toulouse Academy in the Final.

Last season, Bracknell reached the National RFU Under 17 Plate Final at Worcester RFC and with a 100% record won the Oxfordshire Berkshire & Bucks League.

His teams are known for the quality of their rugby they play which is based on Kenâ€™s attention to detail and he will be bringing this technique into the 1st team squad. He will be supported by forwards coach Greg Anstead who last season, managed the successful second team.

Kenâ€™s position of Academy Director has been taken by another former Bracknell player and 1st Team Captain Martin Radford. Martin who is currently an RFU Level 3 Coach is looking to build on the successes of the Academy throughout next season.