Current season or competition:![]() | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 1987 | (as Southern Counties)
Number of teams | 12 |
Country | ![]() |
Holders | Stow-on-the-Wold (2nd title) (2021–22) (promoted to Regional 2 South Central) |
Most titles | High Wycombe, Witney (3 titles) |
Website | englandrugby.com |
Counties 1 Southern North (formerly known as Southern Counties North) is a division at level 7 of the English rugby union system.[1] When league rugby first began in 1987 it was a single league known as Southern Counties but since 1996 the division was split into two regional leagues - Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South. Counties 1 Southern North currently sits at the seventh tier of club rugby union in England and primarily featuring teams based in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
The league champions at the end of each season are automatically promoted to Regional 2 South Central. Relegated teams usually drop to Counties 2 Berks/Bucks & Oxon North or Counties 2 Berks/Bucks & Oxon South.
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![]() Aylesbury ![]() Gosford ![]() Stow ![]() Thatcham ![]() Wallingford Locations of the 2021-22 Southern Counties North teams
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic the season was cancelled.
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![]() Aylesbury ![]() Buckingham ![]() Drifters ![]() Gosford ![]() Stow ![]() Thatcham ![]() Wallingford ![]() Windsor Locations of the 2017-18 Southern Counties North teams
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![]() Aylesbury ![]() Buckingham ![]() Gosford ![]() Stow on the Wold ![]() Thatcham ![]() Wallingford Locations of the 2016-17 Southern Counties North teams
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The 2015–16 Southern Counties North consisted of twelve teams; six from Buckinghamshire, two each from Berkshire and Oxfordshire, and one each from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The season started on 12 September 2015 and the last league matches were played on 23 April 2016.
Seven of the twelve teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions High Wycombe were promoted to the South West 1 East while Milton Keynes and Alchester were relegated to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier. Royal Wootton Bassett, who finished 4th, were level transferred to Southern Counties South.
Team | Ground | Capacity | Town/Village | Previous season |
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Aylesbury | Ostler's Field | Weston Turville, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire | 2nd (lost promotion play-off) | |
Beaconsfield | Oak Lodge Meadow | Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire | 8th | |
Bicester | Oxford Road | Bicester, Oxfordshire | 5th | |
Bletchley | Manor Fields | Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | relegated from South West 1 East (14th) | |
Buckingham | Floyd Field | Maids Moreton, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire | relegated from South West 1 East (13th) | |
Drifters | Farnham Common Sports Club | Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire | 9th | |
Marlow | Riverwoods Drive | Marlow, Buckinghamshire | 7th | |
Reading Abbey | Rosehill | Reading, Berkshire | promoted from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (champions) | |
Stow-on-the-Wold | Oddington Road | Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire | 4th | |
Swindon College Old Boys | Nationwide Sports Pavilion | Swindon, Wiltshire | promoted from Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier (runner-up) | |
Thatcham | Henwicky Worthy Sports Field | Thatcham, Berkshire | 6th | |
Wallingford | Wallingford Sports Park | Wallingford, Oxfordshire | 10th |
When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as Southern Counties) contained the following teams:
Originally Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South were combined in a single division called Southern Counties. It was a tier 7 league with promotion up to South West 2[d] and relegation down to either Berks/Dorset/Wilts 1[e] or Bucks/Oxon 1.[f]
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
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1987–88 | 11 | Redingensians | Swindon | Bracknell | ||||||||||
1988–89 | 11 | Banbury | Aylesbury | Oxford Marathon | ||||||||||
1989–90 | 11 | Marlow | Swanage & Wareham | Oxford Old Boys | ||||||||||
1990–91 | 11 | Sherborne | Windsor | Swindon, Chiltern, Slough, Bracknell | ||||||||||
1991–92 | 11 | Banbury | Aylesbury[g] | No relegation[h] | ||||||||||
1992–93 | 13 | Swanage & Wareham | Dorchester | Grove | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
At the end of the 1992–93 season the top six teams from London Division 1 and the top six from South West Division 1 were combined to create National 5 South. This meant that Southern Counties dropped from a tier 7 league to a tier 8 league for the years that National 5 South was active. Promotion continued to South West 2 and relegation down to either Berks/Dorset/Wilts 1 or Bucks/Oxon 1.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
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1993–94 | 13 | Bournemouth | Bracknell | Royal Wootton Bassett, Redingensians | [3] | |||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | Dorchester | Bracknell | Slough, Oxford Marathon | [4] | |||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | Amersham & Chiltern | Bracknell[i] | No relegation[j] | [5] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Southern Counties split into two separate leagues, Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South, which reverted to tier 7 leagues due to the cancellation of National 5 South. Promotion from Southern Counties North was now to the new South West 2 East[k] while relegation was now only to Bucks/Oxon 1.[l]
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
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1996–97 | 10 | Stow-on-the-Wold | Bicester | Grove | ||||||||||
1997–98 | 10 | Slough | Olney | Milton Keynes, Witney | ||||||||||
1998–99 | 10 | Olney | Bicester | Farnham Royal | [6] | |||||||||
1999–00 | 10 | Witney | Beaconsfield | Oxford, Wallingford | [7] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Southern Counties North remained a tier 7 league, with promotion continuing to South West 2 East. However, the transfer of Berkshire clubs from the Dorset/Wilts leagues to the Bucks/Oxon leagues, meant that relegation was now to new Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 (formerly Bucks/Oxon 1).[m]
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
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2000–01 | 11 | Windsor | Grove | Drifters, Bletchley, Phoenix | [8] | |||||||||
2001–02 | 10 | Oxford Harlequins | Grove | Oxford, Milton Keynes, Chipping Norton | [9] | |||||||||
2002–03 | 10 | High Wycombe | Aylesbury | Wallingford, Beaconsfield, Swindon | [10] | |||||||||
2003–04 | 10 | Aylesbury | Amersham & Chiltern | No relegation[n] | [11] | |||||||||
2004–05 | 12 | High Wycombe | Henley Wanderers | Phoenix, Bicester | [12] | |||||||||
2005–06 | 12 | Redingensians | Swindon | Slough, Stow-on-the-Wold, Olney | [13] | |||||||||
2006–07 | 12 | Bletchley | Tadley | Supermarine, Chipping Norton | [14] | |||||||||
2007–08 | 12 | Olney | Wallingford | Newbury Stags, Amersham & Chiltern | [15] | |||||||||
2008–09 | 12 | Buckingham | Marlow | Beaconsfield | [16] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Despite widespread league restructuring by the RFU, Southern Counties North continued as a tier 7 league, with promotion to South West 1 East (formerly South West 2 East) and relegation to Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners-up | Relegated teams | Ref | |||||||||
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2009–10 | 12 | Witney | Amersham & Chiltern | Bicester, Slough | [17] | |||||||||
2010–11 | 12 | Swindon | Aylesbury | Chipping Norton, Oxford, Crowthorne | [18] | |||||||||
2011–12 | 12 | Beaconsfield | Milton Keynes[o] | Marlborough | [19] | |||||||||
2012–13 | 12 | Buckingham | Grove | Slough, Tadley | [20] | |||||||||
2013–14 | 12 | Bletchley | Aylesbury | Swindon College Old Boys, Reading Abbey | [21] | |||||||||
2014–15 | 12 | High Wycombe | Aylesbury | Milton Keynes, Alchester | [22] | |||||||||
2015–16 | 12 | Reading Abbey | Aylesbury | Drifters, Swindon College Old Boys | [23] | |||||||||
2016–17 | 12 | Marlow | Bicester | Bletchley, Milton Keynes | [24] | |||||||||
2017–18 | 12 | Beaconsfield | Windsor | Drifters, Gosford All Blacks | [25] | |||||||||
2018–19 | 12 | Windsor | Buckingham | Littlemore, Slough | [26] | |||||||||
2019–20 | 12 | Witney | Reading | Didcot, Chesham | [27] | |||||||||
2020–21 | 12 | |||||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of Southern Counties North and Southern Counties South for the third and final promotion place to South West 1 East. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season Southern Counties North teams have been the most successful with twelve wins to the Southern Counties South teams seven; and the home team has won promotion on thirteen occasions compared to the away teams six.
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Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | |||
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2000–01[28] | Salisbury (S) | 49-20 | Grove (N) | Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire | ||||
2001–02[29] | Grove (N) | 30-13 | Oakmeadians (S) | Recreation Lane, Grove, Oxfordshire | ||||
2002–03[30] | Oakmeadians (S) | 24-17 | Aylesbury (N) | Meryick Park, Bournemouth, Dorset | ||||
2003–04[31] | Amersham & Chiltern (N)[p] | Tadley (S) | Ash Grove, Amersham, Buckinghamshire | |||||
2004–05[32] | Frome (S) | 12-38 | Henley Wanderers (N) | Gypsy Lane, Frome, Somerset | ||||
2005–06[33] | Oldfield Old Boys (S) | 32-33 | Swindon (N) | Shaft Road, Monkton Combe, Somerset | ||||
2006–07[34] | Wootton Bassett (S) | 17-20 | Tadley (N) | Ballards Ash Sports Ground, Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire | ||||
2007–08[35] | Wallingford (N) | 22-3 | Wootton Bassett (S) | Wallingford Sports Park, Wallingford, Oxfordshire | ||||
2008–09[36] | Marlow (N) | 18-15 | Wootton Bassett (S) | Riverwoods Drive, Marlow, Buckinghamshire | ||||
2009–10[37] | Amersham & Chiltern (N) | 45-12 | Frome (S) | Ash Grove, Amersham, Buckinghamshire | ||||
2010–11[38] | Aylesbury (N) | 10-39 | Oldfield Old Boys (S) | Ostler's Field, Weston Turville, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire | ||||
2011–12[39] | Windsor (N) | 22-15 | Dorcester (S) | Home Park, Windsor, Berkshire | ||||
2012–13[40] | Grove (N) | 39-20 | Trowbridge (S) | Recreation Lane, Grove, Oxfordshire | ||||
2013–14[41] | Trowbridge (S) | 27-19 | Aylesbury (N) | Doric Park, Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire | ||||
2014–15[42] | Salisbury (S) | 34-16 | Aylesbury (N) | Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire | ||||
2015–16[43] | Midsomer Norton (S) | 29-22 | Aylesbury (N) | Norton Down Playing Fields, Midsomer Norton, Somerset | ||||
2016–17[44] | Bicester (N) | 53-20 | Trowbridge (S) | Oxford Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire | ||||
2017–18[45] | Windsor (N) | 29-31 | Marlborough (S) | Home Park, Windsor, Berkshire | ||||
2018–19[46] | Frome (S) | 10-23 | Buckingham (N) | Gypsy Lane, Frome, Somerset | 400 | |||
2019–20 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Frome (S) - promoted instead. | |||||||
2020–21 | ||||||||
Green background is the promoted team. N = Southern Counties North and S = Southern Counties South |