Current season or competition: 2019–20 Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 1987 | (as Bucks/Oxon 1)
Number of teams | 11 |
Country | England |
Holders | Gosford All Blacks (2nd title) (2019–20) (promoted to Southern Counties North) |
Most titles | Amersham & Chiltern, Bicester, Chipping Norton, Gosford All Blacks, Newbury Stags, Slough (2 titles) |
Website | englandrugby.com |
Berks, Bucks & Oxon Premier is a division at level 8 of the English rugby union system featuring teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Promoted teams usually move up to Southern Counties North while relegated teams used to drop to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship, although this division has been discontinued as of the end of the 2018–19 season. Each year three teams (one each from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire unions) are picked to take part in the RFU Senior Vase (a level 8 national cup competition).
When the league was introduced in 1987 it was known as Bucks/Oxon 1 and was set up originally for teams from Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It was expanded to include teams from Berkshire (who had been playing teams from Dorset and Wiltshire) from the 2000–01 season onwards.
In February 2022 Drifters RFC withdrew from the league with their fixtures liquidated meaning it will be completed with eleven teams.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season was cancelled.
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The 2015–16 Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier consisted of twelve teams; five from Oxfordshire, four from Berkshire and three from Buckinghamshire. The season started on 12 September 2015 and the last league matches were played on 23 April 2016.
Seven of the twelve teams participated in last season's competition. The 2014–15 champions Reading Abbey were promoted to the Southern Counties North along with runner-up, Swindon College Old Boys, while Phoenix were relegated to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship.
When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as Bucks/Oxon 1) contained the following teams from Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire:
Originally known as Bucks/Oxon 1, it was a level 8 league for clubs based in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. [lower-alpha 4] Promotion was to Southern Counties and relegation to Bucks/Oxon 2.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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1987–88 | 12 | Slough | Bicester | Didcot, Abingdon | [7] | |||||||||
1988–89 | 11 | Chiltern | Littlemore | Buckingham, Witney | [8] | |||||||||
1989–90 | 11 | Grove | Littlemore | Cholsey, Bicester | [9] | |||||||||
1990–91 | 11 | Olney | Oxford Marathon | Didcot, Drifters, Littlemore | [10] | |||||||||
1991–92 | 11 | Bicester | Slough | No relegation [lower-alpha 5] | [11] | |||||||||
1992–93 | 13 | Oxford Marathon [lower-alpha 6] | Chiltern | Wheatley, Buckingham | [12] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
The creation of National League 5 South for the 1993–94 season meant that Bucks/Oxon 1 dropped to become a tier 9 league. Promotion continued to Southern Counties and relegation to Bucks/Oxon 2.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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1993–94 | 13 | Amersham & Chiltern | Chinnor | Chipping Norton | [13] | |||||||||
1994–95 | 13 | Chinnor | Oxford Old Boys | Abingdon, Littlemore, Drifters | [14] | |||||||||
1995–96 | 13 | Oxford Old Boys [lower-alpha 7] | Witney [lower-alpha 8] | No relegation [lower-alpha 9] | [15] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
The cancellation of National League 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season saw Bucks/Oxon 1 renamed as Bucks/Oxon and once more was a tier 8 league. Further restructuring meant that promotion was now to Southern Counties North [lower-alpha 10] and relegation was to Bucks/Oxon 2. [lower-alpha 11]
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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1996–97 | 13 | Chipping Norton | Beaconsfield | Didcot, Harwell, Gosford All Blacks, Abingdon | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Bucks/Oxon would revert to its former name of Bucks/Oxon 1 for the 1997–98 season, remaining a tier 8 league. Promotion continued to Southern Counties North and relegation to Bucks/Oxon 2
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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1997–98 | 7 | Cholsey | Pennanians | Grove, Wheatley | ||||||||||
1998–99 | 7 | Witney | Drifters | No relegation [lower-alpha 12] | [16] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Once again Bucks/Oxon 1 became a single league known as Bucks/Oxon, remaining at tier 8. Promotion continued to Southern Counties North, while relegation would be to the new Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2. [lower-alpha 13]
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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1999–00 | 11 | Phoenix | Grove | Multiple teams [lower-alpha 14] | [17] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Restructuring ahead of the 2000–01 season would see Berkshire based clubs join the Bucks & Oxon leagues. [lower-alpha 15] This meant that Bucks/Oxon 1 would be renamed Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1, remaining a tier 8 league. Promotion would continue to Southern Counties North, while relegation was to Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2.
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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2000–01 | 8 | Oxford | Milton Keynes | Berkshire Shire Hall, Littlemore | [18] | |||||||||
2001–02 | 10 | Bicester | Wallingford | Wheatley, Chesham, Bletchley | [19] | |||||||||
2002–03 | 10 | Henley Wanderers | Phoenix | Pennanians, Littlemore, Drifters | [20] | |||||||||
2003–04 | 9 | Bletchley | Beaconsfield | No relegation [lower-alpha 16] | [21] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Ahead of the 2004–05 season Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 was renamed to Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier, remaining a tier 8 league. Promotion continued to Southern Counties North and relegation was now to Berks/Bucks & Oxon 1 (formerly Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2).
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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2004–05 | 12 | Swindon | Chipping Norton | Thatcham, Harwell | [22] | |||||||||
2005–06 | 12 | Newbury Stags | Milton Keynes | Farnham Royal, Chesham, Littlemore | [23] | |||||||||
2006–07 | 11 | Wallingford | Slough | Swindon College Old Boys | [24] | |||||||||
2007–08 | 12 | Chipping Norton | Bicester | Wheatley, Farnham Royal, Crowthorne | [25] | |||||||||
2008–09 | 11 | Newbury Stags | Amersham & Chiltern | No relegation | [26] | |||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Despite widespread restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 2008–09 season, Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier remained a tier 8 league, with promotion continuing to Southern Counties South and relegation to the newly introduced Berks/Bucks & Oxon Championship (last known as Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2 [lower-alpha 17] ).
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Season | No of teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated team(s) | Ref | |||||||||
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2009–10 | 11 | Crowthorne | Oxford | Abingdon, Harwell | [27] | |||||||||
2010–11 | 10 | Alchester | Slough | No relegation | [28] | |||||||||
2011–12 | 11 | Drifters | Thatcham | Phoenix | [29] | |||||||||
2012–13 | 11 | Stow-on-the-Wold | Swindon College Old Boys | Risborough, Harwell | [30] | |||||||||
2013–14 | 11 | Tadley | Bicester | Farnham Royal, Aylesbury Athletic | [31] | |||||||||
2014–15 | 10 | Reading Abbey | Swindon College Old Boys | Phoenix | [32] | |||||||||
2015–16 | 12 | Gosford All Blacks | Milton Keynes | Chipping Norton, Wheatley | [33] | |||||||||
2016–17 | 11 | Swindon College Old Boys | Drifters | Phoenix, Risborough | [34] | |||||||||
2017–18 | 10 | Slough | Littlemore | Abingdon | [35] | |||||||||
2018–19 | 11 | Chesham | Didcot | Risborough | [36] | |||||||||
2019–20 | 11 [lower-alpha 18] | Gosford All Blacks | Milton Keynes | Oxford | [37] | |||||||||
2020–21 | 11 | |||||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
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Dorset & Wilts 2 North is an English Rugby Union league, forming part of the South West Division, for clubs based primarily in Wiltshire, sitting at tier 9 of the English rugby union system. From this league teams can either be promoted to Dorset & Wilts 1 North or relegated to Dorset & Wilts 3 North. Each year 1st XV clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase – a level 9–12 national competition.
Dorset & Wilts 2 North is an English rugby union league, forming part of the South West Division, for clubs primarily based in Wiltshire, sitting at tier 8 of the English rugby union system. Originally consisting of one league, Dorset & Wilts 1 split into north and south regional divisions in 2004. It had even had teams based in Berkshire participating until 2001, at which time they left to join the Buckinghamshire & Oxon leagues.
Dorset & Wilts 1 South is an English Rugby Union league, forming part of the South West Division, for clubs primarily based in Dorset, sitting at tier 8 of the English rugby union system. Originally a single league, Dorset & Wilts 1 split into north and south regional divisions in 2004. Teams based in Berkshire participated until 2001 when they left to join the Buckinghamshire & Oxon leagues.
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Berks, Bucks and Oxon Championship was a division at level 9 of the English rugby union system featuring teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Promoted teams moved up to the Berks/Bucks & Oxon Premier and there was no relegation. Each year three teams were picked to take part in the RFU Junior Vase.
Berks, Bucks and Oxon Division 1 is an English rugby union league featuring teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. As with all of the divisions in this area at this level, the entire league is made up of second and third teams of clubs whose first teams play at a higher level of the rugby union pyramid. As this is the top league in the region for second teams there is no promotion to a higher league. Relegated teams drop to Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2.
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Berks, Bucks and Oxon Division 3 is an English rugby union league featuring teams from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. As with all of the divisions in this area at this level, the entire league is made up of second, third and fourth teams of clubs whose first teams play at a higher level of the rugby union pyramid. Promoted teams move up to Berks/Bucks & Oxon 2 while relegated teams drop to Berks/Bucks & Oxon 4 - north or south - depending on location.
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The Berkshire Rugby Football Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the county of Berkshire in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Berkshire, and administers and organises rugby union clubs and competitions in the county. It also administers the Berkshire county rugby representative teams.