Sport Rugby union Country England | Number of teams 14 | |
Instituted 1987; 30 years ago (1987) Holders Matson (3rd title) (2015–16 promoted to Tribute South West 1 West) Most titles Matson, Coney Hill (3 titles) | ||
Tribute Western Counties North is an English, level seven, rugby union league for clubs based in the south-west of England; mainly Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset. The champions are promoted to Tribute South West 1 West and the runners-up play the second team in Tribute Western Counties West, with the winning team gaining promotion. The number of teams relegated depends on feedback following promotion and relegation in the leagues above, but is usually two or three to Gloucester Premier and Tribute Somerset Premier. The current champions are Matson.
Contents
- 2016 17
- 201516
- Participating teams and location
- Participating teams 201415
- Participating teams 201314
- Participating teams 201213
- Participating teams 201112
- Participating teams 201011
- Participating teams 200910
- Western Counties North honours
- Western Counties North
- Western Counties north v west promotion play offs
- Sponsorship
- References
2016-17
2015–16
The 2015–16 Tribute Western Counties North consists of fourteen teams; six from Somerset, four from Gloucestershire, three from Bristol and one from Wiltshire. The season started on 5 September 2015 and is finishes on 30 April 2016.
Participating teams and location
Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions Coney Hill and runners up Newent (who won their playoff game) were promoted to Tribute South West 1 West while Bristol Saracens and North Bristol were relegated to the Gloucester Premier and Stothert & Pitt to the Tribute Somerset Premier.
Participating teams 2014–15
Participating teams 2013–14
Participating teams 2012–13
Participating teams 2011–12
Participating teams 2010–11
Participating teams 2009–10
Western Counties North honours
In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was ten, tier seven leagues. The Western Counties League was for teams based in the south-west of England from Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucester and Somerset. Each team played one match against each of the other teams with the winning team awarded two points, and there was one point for each team in a drawn match. This system prevailed for five seasons, and in 1992–93 the number of teams increased from eleven to thirteen. The following season Western Counties League was renamed Courage South West 2 League, and three seasons later in 1996–97 a major reorganisation occurred with South West 2 being split into two regional leagues:
- Courage Western Counties North consisted of sixteen teams based in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset, and each team continued to play the others once
- Courage Western Counties West consisted of eleven teams based in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, and each team played the other twice.
Western Counties North
The league system was re-organised for 1996–97 season with South-West Division 2 being replaced with two divisions; Western Counties North and Western Counties West.
Western Counties (north v west) promotion play-offs
Since the 2000-01 season there has been a one-off promotion playoff game played between the league runners-up of Western Counties North and Western Counties West for the third and final promotion place to South West 1 West, with the team with the superior league record getting home advantage in the tie. As of the end of the 2015-16 season the northern sides have been the more successful with 10 victories to the west's 6.
Sponsorship
The Western Counties League and South West 2 were part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery from the first season, 1987–88 to season 1996–97. The league was unsponsored until season 2007–08 when St Austell Brewery sponsored South-west based leagues under the Tribute Ale label.