South Premier
South Premier | |
---|---|
Current season or competition: 2015 South Premier season | |
Sport | Rugby league football |
Formerly known as | Rugby League Conference South Premier Division |
Instituted | 2005 |
Country | England |
Champions | South West London Chargers (2015) |
Related competition | London League, London & South East Men's League |
The South Premier, also known as the London Premier, is a division in rugby league's tier 4. It was the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England until the creation in 2013 of Conference League South. It was first contested in 2005 as the South Premier division of the Rugby League Conference but is currently a standalone league run by London Rugby League.
Many of the clubs run juniors in the London Junior League.
History
The Rugby League Conference was born in 1997 as the Southern Conference.
The Premier Division was set up in 2005 for teams who had achieved a certain playing standard and were able to travel further afield to find stronger opposition. The new Premier Divisions included the North Premier, the South Premier, the Central Premier and the Welsh Premier.
Prior to the 2005 season National League Three side South London Storm announced that they were joining the South Premier; the other founder members came from the Conference regional divisions.
After the 2006 season with other teams withdrawing from National League Three, St Albans Centurions also decided to join the Premier South.
In 2012 it became a standalone league and St Albans Centurions returned to playing nationally in National Conference League division three
Community game pyramid
- National Conference League
- Conference League South
- South Premier
- East Men's League, London & South East Men's League
- London, South East and East Entrance League
Above the London Premier is the Conference League South and the National Conference League. Below is the London, South East and East Entrance League.
2014 Structure
Club | Founded | Location | RLC Honours |
---|---|---|---|
Eastern Rhinos | 1992 | Colchester, Essex | Eastern Division: 1999, 2001 |
Hemel Stags A | 1981 | Hemel Hempstead | |
London Skolars A | 1995 | Wood Green, Haringey | Harry Jepson Trophy: 1997 Eastern Division: 1997 RLC Challenge Cup: 2004 |
St Albans Centurions | 1997 | St Albans | South Premier 2007, 2010 Harry Jepson Trophy 2007, 2010 |
South West London Chargers | 2013 | Clapham Common | South Premier: 2013, 2014 Harry Jepson Trophy: 2013, 2014 |
- NB: Staines Titans entered but failed to complete the season
Teams play each other on a home-and-away basis. Each Premier division then has its own play-off series to determine the champion with the five divisional winners entering the national play-offs. The winner of the national play-offs is awarded the Harry Jepson Trophy.
- NB: West London Sharks & South London Storm merged to form South West London Chargers
Past League Standings
Teams | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bedford Tigers | x | x | x | x | 6th | x | x | x | x |
Eastern Rhinos | 3rd | 2nd | 5th | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 4th |
Elmbridge Eagles 2 | x | 5th | 6th | 7th | 9th | x | x | 5th | 6th |
Essex Eels | x | DNF | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Greenwich Admirals | 6th | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Hainault Bulldogs | x | x | x | x | 8th | 6th | DNF | x | x |
Hammersmith Hills Hoists | x | x | x | x | x | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st |
Hemel Stags A | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 5th |
Kent Ravens | x | x | 7th | DNF | x | x | x | x | x |
London Skolars A 3 | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 6th | 7th | 8th | 5th5 | 1st | 3rd |
Luton Vipers | 5th | DNF | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Portsmouth Navy Seahawks | x | x | x | 5th | 5th | 7th | x | x | x |
St Albans Centurions | x | x | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | x | x |
South London Storm | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 5th | 6th | 4th | x |
South West London Chargers4 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 2nd |
West London Sharks | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | DNF | x |
- 1 competed as Ipswich Rhinos between 2005 and 2009
- 2 competed as Kingston Warriors between 2005 and 2007 and Elmbridge in 2008.
- 3 competed as Haringey Hornets in 2006
- 4 a merger of South London Storm and West London Sharks
- 5 midseason replacements for Hainault Bulldogs
Key
DNF | Did not complete the season |
x | Did not participate |
Divisional winner | |
Qualified for divisional play-off | |
Finished bottom | |
Grand Finals
Year | Winner | Defeated | Score | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | South London Storm | West London Sharks | 24–8 | Storm Park |
2006 | South London Storm | Ipswich Rhinos | 52–10 | Storm Park |
2007 | St Albans Centurions | South London Storm | 18–10 | Twickenham Stoop |
2008 | West London Sharks | South London Storm | 24–20 | Grasshoppers RFC |
2009 | West London Sharks | South London Storm | 26–16 | Storm Park |
2010 | St Albans Centurions | West London Sharks | 54–4 | Cotlandswick |
2011 | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | St Albans Centurions | 18-16 | Hemel Hempstead |
2012 | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | Eastern Rhinos | 46-8 | |
2013 | South West London Chargers | Hammersmith Hills Hoists | 20-10 | |
Titles
- Hammersmith Hill Hoists: 2
- South London Storm: 2
- St Albans Centurions: 2
- West London Sharks: 2
- South West London Chargers: 3
London Cup
- 2013: South West London Chargers
National Play-offs
Year | Team | Opponent | Result | Game | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | South London Storm | Bridgend Blue Bulls | 18–34 | National Semi-final | Cheltenham |
2006 | South London Storm | Bridgend Blue Bulls | 32–12 | National Semi-final | Hemel |
2006 | South London Storm | East Lancs Lions | 30–0 | Grand Final | Coventry |
2007 | St Albans Centurions | Bridgend Blue Bulls | 42–16 | National Semi-final | |
2007 | St Albans Centurions | Coventry Bears | 28–20 | Grand Final | |
2008 | West London Sharks | Valley Cougars | 32–30 | National Semi-final | |
2008 | West London Sharks | Nottingham Outlaws | 8–28 | Grand Final | Derby |
See also
- South London Storm - Season 2009
External links
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