2016 Bill Beaumont Cup

Last updated
2016 Bill Beaumont Cup (County Championship)
CountriesFlag of England.svg  England
Date7 May 2016 - 29 May 2016
Champions Cornwall (5th title)
Runners-up Cheshire
Relegated Yorkshire, Surrey
Matches played13
Attendance13,563
(average 1,043 per match)
Highest attendance3,125 Cornwall v Surrey (21 May 2016)
Lowest attendance200 Surrey v Gloucestershire (4 May 2016)
Top point scorer Flag of England.svg Jack Lavin
Cheshire 49
Top try scorer Flag of England.svg Sam Baker
Gloucestershire 5
←  2015
2017  →

The 2016 Bill Beaumont Cup, also known as Bill Beaumont Cup Division One, was the 116th version of the annual, English rugby union, County Championship organized by the RFU for the top tier 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 were divided into two regional pools with the winners of each meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. New counties to the competition were the two finalists from the 2015 County Championship Plate – Surrey (winners) and Eastern Counties (runners-up) who replaced Kent and Durham who were relegated from their respective groups. [1] [2] [3] Cornwall were the defending champions. [4]

Contents

The two pool winners, Cheshire (north) and holders Cornwall met in the final. Cheshire had beaten 2015's runners up, Lancashire, in the pool stage, but came up short against a Cornish side managed once more by Graham Dawe who had lost his job at Plymouth Albion at the end of the season. The bulk of his team were Albion players, and they beat Cheshire, 35–13, to retain their title, with Matthew Shepherd having another good final by getting 20 of Cornwall's points including a last minute try. [5] [6] Due to changes to the County Championship format for the 2017 competition, no teams would be relegated to the second tier of the county championships for the following season. [7]

Competition format

The competition format is two regional group stages divided into north and south, with each team playing each other once. This means that two teams in the pool have two home games, while the other two had just one. The top side in each group goes through to the final held at Twickenham Stadium. Unlike previous seasons, due to changes to the following seasons championships there would be no relegation. [7]

Participating Counties and ground locations

United Kingdom England adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Chester (Cheshire)
Red pog.svg
Sale (Cheshire)
Red pog.svg
Redruth (Cornwall)
Red pog.svg
Camborne (Cornwall)
Red pog.svg
Cambridge (Eastern Counties)
Red pog.svg
Bristol (Gloucestershire)
Red pog.svg
Bishop's Stortford (Hertfordshire)
Red pog.svg
St Albans (Hertfordshire)
Red pog.svg
Lytham St Annes (Lancashire)
Red pog.svg
Whitefield (Lancashire)
Red pog.svg
Sunbury-on-Thames (Surrey)
Red pog.svg
Scarborough (Yorkshire)
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2016 Bill Beaumont Cup county teams
CountyStadium(s)CapacityCity/Area
Cheshire Hare Lane
Heywood Road 		2,000
5,400		 Chester, Cheshire
Sale, Greater Manchester
Cornwall The Recreation Ground
Recreation Ground 		3,500 (580 seats)
7,000 (780 seats)		 Redruth, Cornwall
Camborne, Cornwall
Eastern Counties University Football Ground 1,500 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Gloucestershire Station Road 2,500 (400 seats) Cribbs Causeway, Patchway, Bristol
Hertfordshire Woollam Playing Fields
Silver Leys 		1,000
1,600		 St Albans, Hertfordshire
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
Lancashire Woodlands Memorial Ground
Park Lane 		9,000
3,000		 Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Surrey Hazelwood 2,000 Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey
Yorkshire Silver Royd 4,500 (425 seats) Scalby, North Yorkshire

Group stage

Division 1 North

2016 Beaumont Cup Division 1 North Table
CountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints
1 Cheshire (Q)33008529562014
2 Lancashire 32018764232010
3 Eastern Counties 31026698-32105
4 Yorkshire 300367114-47101
  • 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 final. Pink background means the county were demoted to Division 2 North of the County Championship Plate for the following season. Updated: 21 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.

Round 1

7 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Cheshire29 - 11Eastern Counties
Report
Hare Lane, Chester
Attendance: 300
Referee: Matthew Turvey
7 May 2016
15:00
Yorkshire27 - 40Lancashire (BP)
Yorkshire
Lancashire
Silver Royd, Scalby
Attendance: 1,896
Referee: Ben Blain

[8]

Round 2

14 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Cheshire29 - 7Yorkshire
Report
Heywood Road, Sale
Attendance: 523
Referee: Claire Hodnett
14 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Lancashire36 - 10Eastern Counties
Eastern Counties
Lancashire
Woodlands Memorial Ground, Lytham St Annes
Attendance: 719
Referee: Will Halford

[9]

Round 3

21 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Eastern Counties45 - 33Yorkshire (BP)
Report
University Football Ground, Cambridge
Attendance: 250
Referee: Callum Howard
21 May 2016
15:00
Lancashire11 - 27Cheshire
Park Lane, Whitefield
Attendance: 500
Referee: Jamie Leahy

[10]

Division 1 South

2016 Beaumont Cup Division 1 South Table
CountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints
1 Cornwall (Q)33008856322014
2 Hertfordshire 3201695613109
3 Gloucestershire 31027078-8116
4 Surrey 300364101-37011
  • 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 final. Pink background means the county were en demoted to Division 2 South of the County Championship Plate for the following season. Updated: 21 May 2016
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.

Round 1

7 May 2016
15:00
Cornwall33 - 27Gloucestershire (BP)
Report
The Recreation Ground, Redruth
Attendance: 1,850
Referee: Callum Howard
7 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Hertfordshire31 - 28Surrey (BP)
Report
Woollam Playing Fields, St Albans
Attendance: 490
Referee: David Clarkson

[8]

Round 2

14 May 2016
14:00
Surrey22 - 38Gloucestershire (BP)
Report
Hazelwood, Sunbury-on-Thames
Attendance: 200
Referee: Robbie Bourke
14 May 2016
15:00
Hertfordshire15 - 23Cornwall
Report
Silver Leys, Bishop's Stortford
Attendance: 360
Referee: Luis Caviglia

[9]

Round 3

21 May 2016
14:15
Gloucestershire5 - 23Hertfordshire
Report
Station Road, Clifton, Bristol
Attendance: 350
Referee: Neil Chivers
21 May 2016
15:00
(BP) Cornwall32 - 14Surrey
Report
The Recreation Ground, Camborne
Attendance: 3,125
Referee: Veryan Boscawen

[10]

Final

29 May 2016
Cornwall35–13Cheshire
Try: Searle, Matavesi, Stupple, Shepherd
Con: Shepherd (3)
Pen: Shepherd (3)		 Report Try: Millea
Con: Lavin
Pen: Lavin (2)
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Jamie Leahy
15 Matthew Shepherd Plymouth Albion
14Lewis Vinnicombe Redruth
13Jake Murphy Plymouth Albion
12Nielson Webber Redruth
11Robin Wedlake Plymouth Albion
10 Billy Searle Plymouth Albion
9Greg Goodfellow Chinnor
1 Tom Cowan-Dickie Redruth
2Rupert Freestone Plymouth Albion
3Craig Williams Redruth
4Ben Hilton Cornish All Blacks
5Tony Whittle Camborne
6Kyle Marriott (capt) Redruth
7Sam Matavesi Plymouth Albion
8Herbie Stupple Plymouth Albion
Replacements:
16Richard Brown Redruth
17Barrie-John Chapman Redruth
18Damien Cook Camborne
19Chris Fuca Camborne
20Jon Dawe Redruth
22Sam Parsons Plymouth Albion
23Peter Joyce Redruth
24Lewis Webb Taunton
15Charlie Venables Macclesfield
14Jack Leech Sandbach
13Craig Harvey Wirral
12Rhys Hayes Chester
11Ali Baker Wirral
10 Jack Lavin Caldy
9Joe Murray Wirral
1Gavin Woods Chester
2Paul Millea Macclesfield
3Elliot Millar-Mills Macclesfield
4David Marwick (capt) Macclesfield
5Tom Sanders Caldy
6Nyle Davidson Caldy
7Harry Broadbent Rosslyn Park
8Ryan Parkinson Macclesfield
Replacements:
16Benjamin Jones Caldy
17Forbes EdwardUnattached
18Nathan Rushton Caldy
19Timothy Oakes Sandbach
20Chris Roddy Stourbridge
22Nicholas Pearson Sheffield Tigers
23Mike Craven Chester

[5] [6]

Total season attendances

CountyHome
Games		TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Cheshire282341252330012%
Cornwall24,9752,4883,1251,85049%
Eastern Counties125025025025017%
Gloucestershire135035035035014%
Hertfordshire285042549036036%
Lancashire21,21961071950012%
Surrey120020020020010%
Yorkshire11,8961,8961,8961,89642%

[8] [9] [10]

Individual statistics

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Super Surrey call Twickenham their home once again". Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "RUGBY: Gloucestershire survive relegation with vital win over Kent". Gazette. 26 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Counties beaten as Durham relegated and Northumberland miss out". Chronicle Live. 24 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Cornwall win County Championship with superb win over Lancashire". West Briton. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-02. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "County Championship final 2016: Cornwall beat Cheshire to retain title at Twickenham". BBC Sport. 29 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Cornwall win back to back Twickenham triumphs". Plymouth Herald. 29 May 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. 1 2 "Full Men's County Championship fixture list 2016-17" (PDF). England Rugby. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper. No. 399. Rugby Paper Ltd. 8 May 2016. pp. 28–29 & 34.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper. No. 400. Rugby Paper Ltd. 15 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 36.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper. No. 401. Rugby Paper Ltd. 22 May 2016. pp. 30–31 & 32.
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