2015 County Championship Shield

2015 County Championship Shield
Countries  England
Date 2 May 2015 - 31 May 2015
Champions Leicestershire (1st title)
Runners-up Cumbria
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The 2015 County Championship Shield was the 11th version of the annual English rugby union County Championship, organized by the RFU for the tier 3 English counties. Each county drew its players from rugby union clubs from the third tier and below of the English rugby union league system (typically National League 1, National League 2 South or National League 2 North). The counties were divided into three pools of four teams each, based roughly on regional lines, with the winner of each group plus the best runner-up going through to the semi-finals, with the winners of those games meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. A t the moment there is no promotion or relegation out of or into the County Championship Shield, although the 2013–14 champions Surrey moved up into tier 2, having won the competition three years in a row.[1][2]

After winning their respective groups and semi final matches Leicestershire faced Cumbria in the late kick off game at Twickenham Stadium. Leicestershire made up for their defeat the previous season by defeating Cumbria 34 – 17 to win their first ever Shield trophy.[3]

Competition format

The competition format consisted of three groups of four counties each, based roughly on regional lines where possible, with each team playing each other once. The top side of each group automatically qualified for the semi-finals, as did the best group runner-up. The winners of the semi-finals played in the final held at Twickenham Stadium on May 31 2015,[4] As the lowest tier in the county championship there is no relegation while promotion is not given every season, although outstanding county performances (such as Surrey's) can lead to counties moving up to tier 2.

Participating counties and ground locations

Sonning (Berkshire)
Buckingham (Buckinghamshire)
Bletchley (Berkshire)
Carlisle (Cumbria)
Workington (Cumbria)
Trowbridge (Dorset & Wilts)
Wareham (Dorset & Wilts)
Barking (Essex)
Portsmouth (Hampshire)
Market Harborough (Leicestershire)
West Ealing (Middlesex)
Mansfield (Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire)
Chipping Norton (Oxfordshire)
Stone (Staffordshire)
Binley Woods (Warwickshire)
Locations of the 2015 County Championship Shield county teams
County Stadium(s) Capacity City/Area
Berkshire Old Bath Road Sonning, Reading, Berkshire
Buckinghamshire Floyd Field
Manor Fields Sports Ground		 Buckingham, Buckinghamshire
Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Cumbria Rugby Ground
Ellis Sports Ground		 Carlisle, Cumbria
Workington, Cumbria
Dorset & Wilts Paxcroft
Bestwall Park 		Trowbridge, Wiltshire
Wareham, Dorset
Essex Goresbrook 1,000 Barking, London
Hampshire Norway Road Portsmouth, Hampshire
Leicestershire The Rugby Ground
Vipers RFC		 Market Harborough, Leicestershire
Blaby, Leicestershire
Middlesex Trailfinders Sports Ground West Ealing, London
Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire Eakring Road Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire Greystones Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
Staffordshire Hartwell Lane Stone, Staffordshire
Warwickshire The Ivor Preece Field 250 (Seated) Binley Woods, Coventry, Warwickshire

Group stage

Pool 1

2015 County Championship Shield Pool 1 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Leicestershire (Q) 3 3 0 0 120 25 95 3 0 15
2 Oxfordshire 3 2 0 1 94 76 18 2 0 10
3 Buckinghamshire 3 1 0 2 38 87 −49 0 0 4
4 Berkshire 3 0 0 3 45 109 −64 1 0 2
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the Shield semi finals. Updated: 16 May 2015
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 
2 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Leicestershire 45–14 Buckinghamshire
Report
The Rugby Ground, Market Harborough
2 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Oxfordshire 59–27 Berkshire (BP)
Report
Greystones, Chipping Norton

[5]

9 May 2015
15:00
Berkshire 5–36 Leicestershire (BP)
Report
Old Bath Road, Sonning
9 May 2015
15:00
Buckinghamshire 10–29 Oxfordshire (BP)
Report
Floyd Field, Buckingham

[5][6]

16 May 2015
15:00
Buckinghamshire 14–13 Berkshire (BP)
Manor Fields Sports Ground, Bletchley, Milton Keynes
16 May 2015
15:00
Oxfordshire 6–39 Leicestershire (BP)
Greystones, Chipping Norton

[5][7]

Pool 2

2015 County Championship Shield Pool 2 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Cumbria (Q) 3 3 0 0 73 25 48 1 0 13
2 Warwickshire 3 2 0 1 74 64 10 1 0 9
3 Staffordshire 3 1 0 2 53 80 −27 0 0 4
4 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 3 0 0 3 47 78 −31 0 1 1
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the Shield semi finals. Updated: 16 May 2015
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 
2 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 23–25 Warwickshire
Report
Eakring Road, Mansfield
2 May 2015
15:00
Staffordshire 12–20 Cumbria
Report
Hartwell Lane, Stone

[5]

9 May 2015
15:00
Cumbria 20–0 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire
[n 1]

9 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Warwickshire 36–8 Staffordshire
Report
The Ivor Preece Field, Binley Woods, Coventry
  1. ↑ Cumbria awarded a 20 – 0 win, because Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire were unable to raise a squad due to injuries.[8]

[5][6]

16 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Cumbria 33–13 Warwickshire
Report
Rugby Ground, Carlisle
16 May 2015
15:00
Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 24–33 Staffordshire
The Stute, Ilkeston

[5][7]

Pool 3

2015 County Championship Shield Pool 3 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Dorset & Wilts (Q) 3 3 0 0 103 36 67 1 0 13
2 Essex (Q)[n 1] 3 2 0 1 106 44 62 2 1 11
3 Hampshire 3 1 0 2 51 83 −32 1 0 5
4 Middlesex 3 0 0 3 36 133 −97 0 0 0
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background means the county qualified for the Shield semi finals. Updated: 16 May 2015
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 
  1. ↑ Essex qualify for semi finals as best ranked runner up.
2 May 2015
15:00
Hampshire 5–38 Essex (BP)
Norway Road, Portsmouth
2 May 2015
15:00
Middlesex 5–50 Dorset & Wilts (BP)
Report
Trailfinders Sports Ground, West Ealing, London

[5]

9 May 2015
15:00
Dorset & Wilts 24–20 Essex (BP)
Report
Paxcroft, Trowbridge
9 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Hampshire 35–16 Middlesex
Report
Norway Road, Portsmouth

[6]

16 May 2015
15:00
Dorset & Wilts 29–11 Hampshire
Report
Bestwall Park, Wareham
16 May 2015
15:00
(BP) Essex 48–15 Middlesex
Goresbrook, Barking

[7]

Knock-out Stage

Semi-finals

23 May 2015
15:00
Leicestershire 49–15 Dorset & Wilts
Vipers RFC, Blaby
23 May 2015
15:00
Cumbria 18–17 Essex
Ellis Sports Ground, Workington

[5][9]

Final

31 May 2015
15:00
Leicestershire 34–17 Cumbria
Twickenham Stadium, London

[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Surrey make it three County Championship Shield titles in a row at Twickenham". Dorking Advertiser. 1 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Surrey Enters The Bill Beaumont Cup". Surrey Rugby. 30 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Rugby: Leicestershire lift County Championship Shield after win over Cumbria at Twickenham". Leicester Mercury. 1 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "ENGLAND V BARBARIANS SUNDAY 31 MAY 2015 K.O. 3pm". Tunbridge Wells RFC. 21 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "County Championships Results: 2015". englandrugby.com. 31 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (347) (Rugby Paper Ltd). 10 May 2015. p. 33.
  7. 1 2 3 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (348) (Rugby Paper Ltd). 17 May 2015. p. 29.
  8. ↑ "Cumbria Game Called Off". NLDRFU – Nottinghamshire, Linolnshire & Derbyshire Rugby. 8 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper (349) (Rugby Paper Ltd). 24 May 2015. p. 25.

External links

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