2019 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1

Last updated
2019 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1
CountriesFlag of England.svg  England
Date4 May 2019 - 2 June 2019
Champions Cornwall (6th title)
Runners-up Cheshire
Matches played19
Attendance13,403
(average 705 per match)
Highest attendance3,500
Cheshire v Cornwall
(2 June 2019)
Lowest attendance247
Cheshire v Eastern Counties
(4 May 2019)
Tries scored153
(average 8.1 per match)
Top point scorer Flag of England.svg Lewis Minikin
(Yorkshire)
50 points
Top try scorer Flag of England.svg Leo Fielding
(Gloucestershire)
Flag of England.svg Tom Grimes
(Lancashire)
Flag of England.svg Alex Ducker
(Cornwall)
4 tries each
←  2018
2020  →

The 2019 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1 was the 119th version of the annual, English rugby union, County Championship organised by the Rugby Football Union (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 sections with the winners of each meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. Lancashire were the reigning champions having defeated Hertfordshire in the previous year's final. [1] [2]

Contents

At the end of the group stage, Cheshire overcame stiff challenges from Lancashire and Yorkshire to top Division 1 North. Although they beat Yorkshire in a razor tight game during round 2, they had to rely on the same side to beat favourites Lancashire on the final match day, before they were assured of a place in the competition final. The tournament structure was perhaps slightly unkind to Yorkshire as they had to play the top two sides, while Cheshire and Lancashire avoided playing one another. Cornwall made amends for a terrible tournament the previous year by topping Division 1 South with an resounding victory over Hertfordshire being probably the most impressive of their three wins. Again, due to the rather bizarre tournament structure the top two sides in the group did not meet, although Gloucestershire failed to get the 100% record needed to qualify for the final, thanks to a defeat against Kent.

In an incredibly tight Twickenham final Cornwall defeated Cheshire 14–12. Cornwall had a 7–0 lead at the end of the first half thanks to a solo Alex Ducker converted try (his 4th of the tournament), when a moment of madness just before half-time saw Cornish scrum-half, Jack Oulton, red carded for an off-the-ball incident. The second half was all Cheshire as they looked to get back into the game against the 14 men of Cornwall, scoring two tries to eventually take a 12–7 lead with 10 minutes remaining. With a Cheshire win looking imminent, Cornwall were awarded a penalty inside the Cheshire 22. What followed was a series of Cornwall penalties and scrums, as Cheshire were reduced to 13 men for repeated infringements as the game went into injury time. Eight minutes into injury, the ball finally left the scrum and was found by Cornwall's Seti Raumakita, who dodged several tackles to go over for a try to make it 12-12. With the last kick of the game Matthew Shepherd held his nerve to kick the conversion and win Cornwall the 2019 County Championship, and their sixth overall. [3]

Competition format

The 2019 Bill Beaumont County Championship Division 1 consists of twelve county sides, with six counties in the northern group, and six in the southern group. Each county plays three games per group, which means that certain counties get two home games, while others just the one home game. The RFU have taken fixtures from the previous year into account so that county sides that only played one home game in that competition now get two games and vice versa. At the end of the group stage the top teams with the best record from each group (north and south) advance to the final held on 2 June 2019 at Twickenham Stadium. It is the top tier of county championship rugby.

Promotion into the division and relegation from it occurs every two seasons, with accumulated points taken into consideration. At the end of the 2017–18 season, East Midlands (north) and Surrey (south) were relegated due to pool results accumulated over the 2017 and 2018 competitions, although in East Midlands' case they actually took voluntary relegation due to difficulties in getting the top eligible clubs in their union to provide players for future competitions. They are replaced by Durham (north) and Hampshire (south), who were the highest ranked counties during the 2017 and 2018 Division 2 competitions, with Durham being the 2018 champions. [4] This also means that there will be no promotion or relegation until the end of the 2020 competition.

Participating counties and ground locations

Group stage

Division 1 North

2019 Bill Beaumont Division 1 North Table
CountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints
1 Cheshire (Q)33009952472014
2 Lancashire 3201150401102111
3 Yorkshire 320110544611110
4 Northumberland 310265104-39217
5 Eastern Counties 310260110-50116
6 Durham County 300331160-129000
  • 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. Updated: 18 May 2019
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.

Round 1

4 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Cheshire26 – 25Eastern Counties (1 BP)
Report
Heywood Road, Sale
Attendance: 247
Referee: Michael Harris
4 May 2019
15:00
Durham County7 – 73Lancashire (1 BP)
Report
Ashbrooke, Sunderland
Attendance: 410
Referee: Alan Chandrachud
4 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Yorkshire59 – 3Northumberland
Report
Wagon Lane, Bingley
Attendance: 587
Referee: Timothy Allatt

[5] [6]

Round 2

11 May 2019
12:30
(1 BP) Northumberland35 – 17Durham County
Report
Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
Attendance: 379
Referee: Jamie Leahy
11 May 2019
15:00
Eastern Counties7 – 57Lancashire (1 BP)
Report
Grantchester Road, Cambridge
Attendance: 348
Referee: Richard Haughton
11 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Yorkshire20 – 21Cheshire
Report
Laund Hill, Huddersfield
Attendance: 564
Referee: James O'Brien

[5] [7]

Round 3

18 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Cheshire52 – 7Durham County
Upper Park, Birkenhead
Attendance: 421
Referee: Michael Harris
18 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Eastern Counties28 – 27Northumberland (2 BP)
Report
The Haberden, Bury St Edmunds
Attendance: 389
Referee: Phillip Davies
18 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Lancashire20 – 26Yorkshire
Report
Woodlands Memorial Ground, Lytham St Annes
Attendance: 965
Referee: Alexander Thomas

[5] [8]

Division 1 South

2019 Bill Beaumont Division 1 South Table
CountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints forPoints againstPoints differenceTry bonusLosing bonusPoints
1 Cornwall (Q)330011254582014
2 Gloucestershire 320112780473011
3 Kent 32019884142111
4 Hertfordshire 31026697-31206
5 Devon 310264131-67105
6 Hampshire 30037394-21112
  • 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. Updated: 18 May 2019
Source: "County Championships". englandrugby.com.

Round 1

4 May 2019
14:30
Hampshire20 – 29Hertfordshire (1 BP)
Report
Gosport Park, Gosport
Attendance: 281
Referee: Sam Phillips
4 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Gloucestershire54 – 14Devon
Report
Dockham Road, Cinderford
Attendance: 250
Referee: Philip Davies
4 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Kent21 – 25Cornwall
Report
Priestfields, Rochester
Attendance: 250
Referee: Andrew Wigley

[9] [6]

Round 2

11 May 2019
14:30
(1 BP) Devon30 – 27Hampshire (1 BP)
Report
Showfield, Okehampton
Attendance: 350
Referee: James Milliner-Woodcock
11 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Cornwall37 – 13Hertfordshire
Report
The Recreation Ground, Redruth
Attendance: 1,780
Referee: Dan Parrott
11 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Gloucestershire33 – 42Kent (1 BP)
Report
Station Road, Patchway
Attendance: 384
Referee: Veryan Boscawen

[9] [7]

Round 3

18 May 2019
14:30
Devon20 – 50Cornwall (1 BP)
Report
Astley Park, Brixham
Attendance: 1,450
Referee: Nick Wood
18 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Hampshire26 – 35Kent (1 BP)
Report
Hook's Lane, Havant
Attendance: 498
Referee: Andrew MacNeaney
18 May 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Hertfordshire24 – 40Gloucestershire (1 BP)
Report
Highfields, Ware
Attendance: 350
Referee: Jonathan Cook

[9] [8]

Final

2 June 2019
17:00
Cheshire12 – 14Cornwall
Report
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 3,500 [10]
Referee: Phil Davies [11]

[3]

Total season attendances

CountyHome
Games		TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Cheshire26683344212477%
Cornwall11,7801,7801,7801,78051%
Devon21,8009001,45035056%
Durham County1410410410410
Eastern Counties273736938934820%
Gloucestershire263431738425013%
Hampshire277939049828133%
Hertfordshire1350350350350
Kent1250250250250
Lancashire196596596596511%
Northumberland13793793793794%
Yorkshire21,15157658756421%

Individual statistics

Competition records

Notes

    See also

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    References

    1. ↑ "County Championships: As it happened". England RFU. 28 May 2018.
    2. ↑ "LANCASHIRE TRIUMPH ONCE AGAIN AT TWICKENHAM". Fylde RFC. 27 May 2018.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cornwall crowned County Champions after late drama at Twickenham". Cornwall Live. 1 June 2019.
    4. ↑ "Durham Men triumphant at Twickenham to take Bill Beaumont Division Two Championship title". Durham County RFU. 27 May 2018.
    5. 1 2 3 "Bill Beaumont Division 1 - Pool 1". England Rugby. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper. No. 555. Rugby Paper Ltd. 5 May 2019. pp. 28–30.
    7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper. No. 556. Rugby Paper Ltd. 12 May 2019. pp. 22–23 & 26.
    8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bill Beaumont Cup". The RUGBYPaper. No. 557. Rugby Paper Ltd. 19 May 2019. pp. 22–23 & 26.
    9. 1 2 3 "Bill Beaumont Division 1 - Pool 2". England Rugby. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
    10. ↑ "Cornish enjoy enduring love affair with the rugby county championship". Sports Independent. The Independent. 9 June 2019. p. 36.
    11. ↑ "Stout defence gives Duchy winning edge". Sports Independent. The Independent. 9 June 2019. p. 37.
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