2016 County Championship Shield

2016 County Championship Shield
Countries  England
Date 30 April 2016 - 29 May 2016
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The 2016 County Championship Shield is 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 North or National League 2 South). The counties are divided into three pools - one pool with four teams, the others with three teams each, with the winner of each group plus the best runner-up going through to the semi-finals, and the winners of those games meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. At the moment there is no definitive promotion or relegation out of or into the County Championship Shield although the 2015 winners Leicestershire went up to join tier 2 while Middlesex will not take part in this year's competition.[1]

Competition format

The competition format consists of three groups (one with four teams, two with three teams), based roughly on regional lines where possible. The four team group consists of six games, with two teams playing two home games and the others one home game each, while the three team groups sees each team play one home game. The top side of each group automatically qualifies for the semi-finals, as did the best group runner-up. The winners of the semi-finals meet in the final at Twickenham Stadium to be held on May 29 April 2016. As the lowest tier in the county championship there is no relegation while promotion is not given every season, although outstanding county performances can lead to counties moving up to tier 2.

Participating counties and ground locations

Sonning (Berkshire)
Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire)
Aspatria (Cumbria)
Waltham Forest, London (Essex)
Newham, London (Essex)
Wootton Bassett (Dorset & Wilts)
Gosport (Hampshire)
Mansfield (Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire)
Banbury (Oxfordshire)
Leek (Staffordshire)
Rugby (Warwickshire)
Locations of the 2016 County Championship Shield county teams
County Stadium(s) Capacity City/Area
Berkshire Holme Park Sonning, Reading, Berkshire
Buckinghamshire Ostler's Field Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Cumbria Bower Park Aspatria, Cumbria
Dorset & Wilts Ballard’s Ash Sports Ground Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire
Essex Memorial Park
The New Wilderness		 Newham, Greater London
Waltham Forest, Greater London
Hampshire Gosport Park Gosport, Hampshire
Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire Eakring Road Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire Bodicote Park Banbury, Oxfordshire
Staffordshire Esterchem Park Leek, Staffordshire
Warwickshire Webb Ellis Road 1,000 Rugby, Warwickshire

Group stage

Pool 1

2016 County Championship Shield Pool 1 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Buckinghamshire 1 1 0 0 20 8 12 0 0 4
2 Warwickshire 1 1 0 0 27 21 6 0 0 4
3 Oxfordshire 1 0 0 1 21 27 -6 0 1 1
4 Essex 1 0 0 1 8 20 -12 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: 5 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

Round 1

15:00
Warwickshire 27 - 21 Oxfordshire (BP)
Report
Webb Ellis Road, Rugby[2]
15:00
Buckinghamshire 20 - 8 Essex
Report
Ostler's Field, Aylesbury

Round 2

7 May 2016
15:00
Essex v Warwickshire
Memorial Park, Newham, Greater London
7 May 2016
15:00
Oxfordshire v Buckinghamshire
Bodicote Park, Banbury

Round 3

14 May 2016
15:00
Essex v Oxfordshire
The New Wilderness, Waltham Forest, Greater London
14 May 2016
15:00
Warwickshire v Buckinghamshire
Webb Ellis Road, Rugby

Pool 2

2016 County Championship Shield Pool 2 Table
County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Staffordshire 1 1 0 0 23 15 8 0 0 4
2 Cumbria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 1 0 0 1 15 23 -8 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: 5 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

    Round 1

    30 April 2016
    Staffordshire 23 - 15 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire
    Report
    Esterchem Park, Leek

    Round 2

    7 May 2016
    15:00
    Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire v Cumbria
    Eakring Road, Mansfield

    Round 3

    14 May 2016
    15:00
    Cumbria v Staffordshire
    Bower Park, Aspatria

    Pool 3

    2016 County Championship Shield Pool 3 Table
    County Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
    1 Hampshire 1 1 0 0 44 13 31 1 0 5
    2 Berkshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    3 Dorset & Wilts 1 0 0 1 13 44 -31 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: 5 May 2016
    Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com. 

      Round 1

      30 April 2016
      15:00
      (BP) Hampshire 44 - 13 Dorset & Wilts
      Report
      Gosport Park, Gosport

      Round 2

      7 May 2016
      13:00
      Berkshire v Hampshire
      Holme Park, Reading

      Round 3

      14 May 2016
      15:00
      Dorset & Wilts v Berkshire
      Ballard’s Ash Sports Ground, Wootton Bassett

      Knock-out Stage

      Semi-finals

      21 May 2016
      v

      21 May 2016
      v

      Final

      29 May 2016
      v

      See also

      References

      External links

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